The determinants of sexual segregation in the scalloped hammerhead shark,Sphyrna lewini

Synopsis Female scalloped hammerhead sharks move offshore at a smaller size than do males to form schools composed primarily of intermediate size female sharks. This movement results in smaller females feeding more on pelagic prey than do males and with greater predatory success. It is contended that this change in habitat causes females to grow more rapidly to reproductive size. Intermediate size females grow at a more rapid rate than males. Female scalloped hammerhead sharks mature at a size larger than males. For many elasmobranch species, females: (1) occupy a different habitat, (2) grow more rapidly prior to maturity and continue growth following maturation, (3) feed on different prey with increased feeding success, and (4) reproduce at a size larger than males. It is suggested that female segregation increases fitness, resulting in more rapid growth for the former sex. The females reach maturity at the larger size necessary to support embryonic young, yet similar age to males, matching the female reproductive lifetime to that of males.     

Cover crops do not increase soil organic carbon stocks as much as has been claimed: What is the way forward?

When compared to virgin land (forest and grassland), croplands store significantly lower amounts of organic carbon (OC), mainly as a result of soil tillage, and decreased plant inputs to the soil over the whole year. Doubts have been expressed over how much reduced and zero tillage agriculture can increase OC in soils when the whole soil profile is considered. Consequently, cover-crops that are grown in-between crops instead of leaving soils bare appear as the “last man standing” in our quest to enhance cropland OC stocks. Despite the claim by numerous meta-analyses of a mean carbon sequestration rate by cover crops to be as high as 0.32 ± 0.08 ton C ha⁻¹ year⁻¹, the present analysis showed that all of the 37 existing field studies worldwide only sampled to a depth of 30 cm or less and did not compare treatments on the basis of equivalent soil mass. Thirteen studies presented information on OC content only and not on OC stocks, had inappropriate controls (n = 14), had durations of 3 years or lower (n = 5), considered only one to two data points per treatment (n = 4), or used cover crops as cash crops (i.e., grown longer that in-between two crops) instead of catch crops (n = 2), which in all cases constitutes shortcomings. Of the remaining six trials, four showed non-significant trends, one study displayed a negative impact of cover crops, and one study displayed a positive impact, resulting in a mean OC storage of 0.03 ton ha⁻¹ year⁻¹. Models and policies should urgently adapt to such new figure. Finally, more is to be done not only to improve the design of cover-crop studies for reaching sound conclusions but also to understand the underlying reasons of the low efficiency of cover crops for improved carbon sequestration into soils, with possible strategies being suggested.     

Oxygen uptake of carp,Cyprinus carpio,swimming in normoxic and hypoxic water

Synopsis Oxygen uptake (V_{o 2}) was measured in carp of approximately 40 cm length swimming at controlled variable oxygen tensions (P_{o 2}). At P_{o 2}> 120 mm Hg V_{o 2} increased with an increase in swimming speed from 5.6 to 11.3 cm · sec^–1. Extrapolation of V_{o 2} to zero activity at P_{o 2} = 140 mm Hg revealed a standard O₂ uptake of 36.7 ml O₂ · kg^–1 · h^–1 at 20° C. At the lowest swimming speed (5.6 cm · s^–1) the oxygen uptake increased when the water P_{o 2} was reduced. A near doubling in V_{o 2} was seen at P_{o 2} = 70 mm Hg compared to 140 mm Hg. At higher swimming speeds in hypoxic water V_{o 2} decreased relative to the values at low swimming speeds. As a result the slope of the lines expressing log V_{o 2} as a function of swimming speed decreased from positive to negative values with decreasing P_{o 2} of the water. pH of blood from the caudal vein drawn before and at termination of swimming at P_{o 2} = 70 mm Hg and 100 mm Hg did not show any decrease in relation to rest values at P_{o 2} = 140 mm Hg. Blood lactate concentration did not increase during swimming at these tensions.     

How to measure,report and verify soil carbon change to realize the potential of soil carbon sequestration for atmospheric greenhouse gas removal

There is growing international interest in better managing soils to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) content to contribute to climate change mitigation, to enhance resilience to climate change and to underpin food security, through initiatives such as international ‘4p1000’ initiative and the FAO's Global assessment of SOC sequestration potential (GSOCseq) programme. Since SOC content of soils cannot be easily measured, a key barrier to implementing programmes to increase SOC at large scale, is the need for credible and reliable measurement/monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) platforms, both for national reporting and for emissions trading. Without such platforms, investments could be considered risky. In this paper, we review methods and challenges of measuring SOC change directly in soils, before examining some recent novel developments that show promise for quantifying SOC. We describe how repeat soil surveys are used to estimate changes in SOC over time, and how long‐term experiments and space‐for‐time substitution sites can serve as sources of knowledge and can be used to test models, and as potential benchmark sites in global frameworks to estimate SOC change. We briefly consider models that can be used to simulate and project change in SOC and examine the MRV platforms for SOC change already in use in various countries/regions. In the final section, we bring together the various components described in this review, to describe a new vision for a global framework for MRV of SOC change, to support national and international initiatives seeking to effect change in the way we manage our soils.     

The impact of interventions in the global land and agri‐food sectors on Nature’s Contributions to People and the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Interlocked challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and land degradation require transformative interventions in the land management and food production sectors to reduce carbon emissions, strengthen adaptive capacity, and increase food security. However, deciding which interventions to pursue and understanding their relative co‐benefits with and trade‐offs against different social and environmental goals have been difficult without comparisons across a range of possible actions. This study examined 40 different options, implemented through land management, value chains, or risk management, for their relative impacts across 18 Nature's Contributions to People (NCPs) and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We find that a relatively small number of interventions show positive synergies with both SDGs and NCPs with no significant adverse trade‐offs; these include improved cropland management, improved grazing land management, improved livestock management, agroforestry, integrated water management, increased soil organic carbon content, reduced soil erosion, salinization, and compaction, fire management, reduced landslides and hazards, reduced pollution, reduced post‐harvest losses, improved energy use in food systems, and disaster risk management. Several interventions show potentially significant negative impacts on both SDGs and NCPs; these include bioenergy and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage, afforestation, and some risk sharing measures, like commercial crop insurance. Our results demonstrate that a better understanding of co‐benefits and trade‐offs of different policy approaches can help decision‐makers choose the more effective, or at the very minimum, more benign interventions for implementation.     

High and Distinct Range-Edge Genetic Diversity despite Local Bottlenecks

The genetic consequences of living on the edge of distributional ranges have been the subject of a largely unresolved debate. Populations occurring along persistent low latitude ranges (rear-edge) are expected to retain high and unique genetic diversity. In contrast, currently less favourable environmental conditions limiting population size at such range-edges may have caused genetic erosion that prevails over past historical effects, with potential consequences on reducing future adaptive capacity. The present study provides an empirical test of whether population declines towards a peripheral range might be reflected on decreasing diversity and increasing population isolation and differentiation. We compare population genetic differentiation and diversity with trends in abundance along a latitudinal gradient towards the peripheral distribution range of Saccorhiza polyschides , a large brown seaweed that is the main structural species of kelp forests in SW Europe. Signatures of recent bottleneck events were also evaluated to determine whether the recently recorded distributional shifts had a negative influence on effective population size. Our findings show decreasing population density and increasing spatial fragmentation and local extinctions towards the southern edge. Genetic data revealed two well supported groups with a central contact zone. As predicted, higher differentiation and signs of bottlenecks were found at the southern edge region. However, a decrease in genetic diversity associated with this pattern was not verified. Surprisingly, genetic diversity increased towards the edge despite bottlenecks and much lower densities, suggesting that extinctions and recolonizations have not strongly reduced diversity or that diversity might have been even higher there in the past, a process of shifting genetic baselines.     

Assessing “Dangerous Climate Change”: Required Reduction of Carbon Emissions to Protect Young People,Future Generations and Nature

We assess climate impacts of global warming using ongoing observations and paleoclimate data. We use Earth’s measured energy imbalance, paleoclimate data, and simple representations of the global carbon cycle and temperature to define emission reductions needed to stabilize climate and avoid potentially disastrous impacts on today’s young people, future generations, and nature. A cumulative industrial-era limit of ∼500 GtC fossil fuel emissions and 100 GtC storage in the biosphere and soil would keep climate close to the Holocene range to which humanity and other species are adapted. Cumulative emissions of ∼1000 GtC, sometimes associated with 2°C global warming, would spur “slow” feedbacks and eventual warming of 3–4°C with disastrous consequences. Rapid emissions reduction is required to restore Earth’s energy balance and avoid ocean heat uptake that would practically guarantee irreversible effects. Continuation of high fossil fuel emissions, given current knowledge of the consequences, would be an act of extraordinary witting intergenerational injustice. Responsible policymaking requires a rising price on carbon emissions that would preclude emissions from most remaining coal and unconventional fossil fuels and phase down emissions from conventional fossil fuels.     

Quiescent hepatic stellate cells induce toxicity and sensitivity to doxorubicin in cancer cells through a caspase-independent cell death pathway: Central role of apoptosis-inducing factor

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major health problem worldwide and in the United States as its incidence has increased substantially within the past two decades. HCC therapy remains a challenge, primarily due to underlying liver disorders such as cirrhosis that determines treatment approach and efficacy. Activated hepatic stellate cells (A-HSCs) are the key cell types involved in hepatic fibrosis/cirrhosis. A-HSCs are important constituents of HCC tumor microenvironment (TME) and support tumor growth, chemotherapy resistance, cancer cell migration, and escaping immune surveillance. This makes A-HSCs an important therapeutic target in hepatic fibrosis/cirrhosis as well as in HCC. Although many studies have reported the role of A-HSCs in cancer generation and investigated the therapeutic potential of A-HSCs reversion in cancer arrest, not much is known about inactivated or quiescent HSCs (Q-HSCs) in cancer growth or arrest. Here we report that Q-HSCs resist cancer cell growth by inducing cytotoxicity and enhancing chemotherapy sensitivity. We observed that the conditioned media from Q-HSCs (Q-HSCCM) induces cancer cell death through a caspase-independent mechanism that involves an increase in apoptosis-inducing factor expression, nuclear localization, DNA fragmentation, and cell death. We further observed that Q-HSCCM enhanced the efficiency of doxorubicin, as measured by cell viability assay. Exosomes present in the conditioned media were not involved in the mechanism, which suggests the role of other factors (proteins, metabolites, or microRNA) secreted by the cells. Identification and characterization of these factors are important in the development of effective HCC therapy.     

Identification and Characterisation CRN Effectors in Phytophthora capsici Shows Modularity and Functional Diversity

Phytophthora species secrete a large array of effectors during infection of their host plants. The Crinkler (CRN) gene family encodes a ubiquitous but understudied class of effectors with possible but as of yet unknown roles in infection. To appreciate CRN effector function in Phytophthora, we devised a simple Crn gene identification and annotation pipeline to improve effector prediction rates. We predicted 84 full-length CRN coding genes and assessed CRN effector domain diversity in sequenced Oomycete genomes. These analyses revealed evidence of CRN domain innovation in Phytophthora and expansion in the Peronosporales. We performed gene expression analyses to validate and define two classes of CRN effectors, each possibly contributing to infection at different stages. CRN localisation studies revealed that P. capsici CRN effector domains target the nucleus and accumulate in specific sub-nuclear compartments. Phenotypic analyses showed that few CRN domains induce necrosis when expressed in planta and that one cell death inducing effector, enhances P. capsici virulence on Nicotiana benthamiana. These results suggest that the CRN protein family form an important class of intracellular effectors that target the host nucleus during infection. These results combined with domain expansion in hemi-biotrophic and necrotrophic pathogens, suggests specific contributions to pathogen lifestyles. This work will bolster CRN identification efforts in other sequenced oomycete species and set the stage for future functional studies towards understanding CRN effector functions.