Are long‐term widespread avian body size changes related to food availability? A test using contemporaneous changes in carotenoid‐based color

Recent changes in global climate have been linked with changes in animal body size. While declines in body size are commonly explained as an adaptive thermoregulatory response to climate warming, many species do not decline in size, and alternative explanations for size change exist. One possibility is that temporal changes in animal body size are driven by changes in environmental productivity and food availability. This hypothesis is difficult to test due to the lack of suitable estimates that go back in time. Here, we use an alternative, indirect, approach and assess whether continent‐wide changes over the previous 100 years in body size in 15 species of Australian birds are associated with changes in their yellow carotenoid‐based plumage coloration. This type of coloration is strongly affected by food availability because birds cannot synthesize carotenoids and need to ingest them, and because color expression depends on general body condition. We found significant continent‐wide intraspecific temporal changes in body size (wing length) and yellow carotenoid‐based color (plumage reflectance) for half the species. Direction and magnitude of changes were highly variable among species. Meta‐analysis indicated that neither body size nor yellow plumage color showed a consistent temporal trend and that changes in color were not correlated with changes in size over the past 100 years. We conclude that our data provide no evidence that broad‐scale variation in food availability is a general explanation for continent‐wide changes in body size in this group of species. The interspecific variability in temporal changes in size as well as color suggests that it might be unlikely that a single factor drives these changes, and more detailed studies of museum specimens and long‐term field studies are required to disentangle the processes involved.     

Do peptide-induced changes in feeding occur because of changes in motivation to eat?

The usual paradigm in which peptides are tested for their effect on food intake involves measuring intake of readily available food. In the lever press apparatus, the subjects must "work" to get food. Such work has traditionally been used as a means of measuring motivation. Mice were trained to press a lever for milk reinforcement. After achieving a stable level of performance, we tested the effects of gastrin-related peptide (GRP), bombesin (BBS) and cholecystokinin octapeptide (CCK-8) on lever pressing. All three peptides suppressed lever pressing for milk reinforcement. Prefeeding mice with milk increased the suppression of lever pressing to a greater extent in peptide-treated mice than in saline-treated mice. As the duration of prefeeding increased, lever pressing decreased. When mice were required to make more lever presses to obtain milk, both saline- and CCK-8-treated mice increased their lever pressing. However, saline-treated mice pressed at a higher rate than CCK-8-treated mice. Unlike the results obtained with saline and CCK-8, administration of a known gustatory adversant, lithium chloride, suppressed lever pressing to the same degree in mice fed or not fed prior to training. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that these peptides act as satiety agents.     

Is the large‐scale decline of the starling related to local changes in demography?

The decline of one farmland bird, the migratory European starling, has been attributed to both agricultural intensification and farmland abandonment and to factors operating both during the winter and during the breeding season. We analysed population data from thirty‐three Swedish nestbox colonies over more than two decades to determine if the national decline was caused by a common factor affecting all colonies or by local changes in the breeding grounds affecting starling colonies. We found that numbers of breeding starling had declined significantly, but at different rates in different colonies. The local population sizes were affected by previous years’ productivity at both national and local scales, suggesting that changes in habitat quality at both scales could affect local population trends. There were no long‐term trends in reproductive output, but fledgling production was lowest at intermediate years. The local population changes were positively related to local changes in reproductive output, but only when including complete nest‐failures. A relationship between population declines and low mean local productivity was the result of the association between population sizes and reproductive success over time, since decline rates of starlings were not related to the average success during the first part of the study, but to the average success during the later part of the study. The relationship between population change and changes in reproductive output was evident, but fledgling production showed negative density‐dependence. In conclusion this study suggests that the decline of the starling population in Sweden has been affected by processes at small spatial scales during the breeding season affecting reproductive success, but does not exclude an additional role for processes at large spatial scales or outside the breeding season.     

Can Antarctic lichens acclimatize to changes in temperature?

The Antarctic Peninsula, a tundra biome dominated by lichens and bryophytes, is an ecozone undergoing rapid temperature shifts. Such changes may demand a high physiological plasticity of the local lichen species to maintain their role as key drivers in this pristine habitat. This study examines the response of net photosynthesis and respiration to increasing temperatures for three Antarctic lichen species with different ecological response amplitudes. We hypothesize that negative effects caused by increased temperatures can be mitigated by thermal acclimation of respiration and/or photosynthesis. The fully controlled growth chamber experiment simulated intermediate and extreme temperature increases over the time course of 6 weeks. Results showed that, in contrast to our hypothesis, none of the species was able to down‐regulate temperature‐driven respiratory losses through thermal acclimation of respiration. Instead, severe effects on photobiont vitality demonstrated that temperatures around 15°C mark the upper limit for the two species restricted to the Antarctic, and when mycobiont demands exceeded the photobiont capacity they could not survive within the lichen thallus. In contrast, the widespread lichen species was able to recover its homoeostasis by rapidly increasing net photosynthesis. We conclude that to understand the complete lichen response, acclimation processes of both symbionts, the photo‐ and the mycobiont, have to be evaluated separately. As a result, we postulate that any acclimation processes in lichen are species‐specific. This, together with the high degree of response variability and sensitivity to temperature in different species that co‐occur spatially close, complicates any predictions regarding future community composition in the Antarctic. Nevertheless, our results suggest that species with a broad ecological amplitude may be favoured with on‐going changes in temperature.     

Phospholipid-induced structural changes to an erythroid β spectrin ankyrin-dependent lipid-binding site

The region of β-spectrin that is responsible for interactions with ankyrin was shown to comprise an ankyrin-sensitive lipid-binding site. Structural studies indicate that it exhibits a mixed 3₁₀/α helical conformation and is highly amphipathic. These features together with the distinctively conserved sequence of the lipid-binding site motivated us to explore the mechanism of its interactions with biological membranes. A series of singly and doubly spin-labeled erythroid β-spectrin-derived peptides was constructed, and the spin-label mobility and spin-spin distances were analyzed via electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and two different calculation methods. The results indicate that in β-spectrin, the lipid-binding domain, which is part of the 14^th segment, has the topology of typical triple-helical spectrin repeat. However, it undergoes significant changes when interacting with phospholipids or detergents. A mechanism for these interactions is proposed in this paper.     

Response of phytoplankton communities to salinity changes – a mesocosm approach

The response of natural phytoplankton communities, originating from oligohaline brackish water systems, to salinity changes (3–12 PSU) has been studied in small-scale mesocosms. Simultaneously, their reaction on iron manipulations was tested. The experiments, each lasting 7 days, were repeated three times at different dates. Treatments were evaluated with respect to biomass development (Chl a concentration), photosynthesis behaviour, and rough taxonomic composition. The investigated phytoplankton communities were dominated by cyanobacteria. Salt addition was not effective for overall phytoplankton biomass development. Filamentous cyanobacteria, however, were promoted by NaCl enrichments. Dark yield and non-photochemical quenching of fluorescence (NPQ) analyses revealed differences for treatments in dependence on iron supplements. Iron partially seemed to dampen the effects of salt shocks, and iron addition reduced both, capacity and irradiance dependency of NPQ, irrespective of the NaCl treatment.     

Following the water? Landscape‐scale temporal changes in bat spatial distribution in relation to Mediterranean summer drought

Understanding how the spatial distribution of ecological resources shapes species’ diversity and abundance in human‐modified landscapes is a central theme in conservation biology. However, studies often disregard that such patterns may vary over time, thereby potentially missing critical environmental constraints to species persistence. This may be particularly important in highly mobile species such as bats, which are able to track temporal variations in spatial resource distribution. Here we test the hypothesis that bats in Mediterranean landscapes are strongly affected by the progressive reduction in water availability during the seasonal summer drought. We analyzed the effects of landscape composition and structure on bat diversity and activity, during pregnancy, lactation, and postlactation periods, and identified the most influential variables within and across periods. Water bodies showed the strongest positive effect on bats, followed by riparian habitats and areas with steeper (>30%) slopes. However, while during pregnancy, there were only small landscape effects, these increased during lactation and postlactation, highlighting a progressively stronger association with water habitats during the summer drought. The spatial projection of habitat models showed that the landscape distribution of bat diversity and activity hotspots changed markedly over time. During pregnancy, the spatial pattern of hotspot distribution was weakly defined, while during lactation and particularly postlactation, there was a concentration of hotspots along permanently flowing watercourses. Our study highlights that permanently flowing watercourses are critical for bat conservation in Mediterranean landscapes, calling for measures to counteract their ongoing degradation due in particular to climate change, water abstraction and damming. More generally, our study underlines the importance of considering the temporal dimension in habitat selection studies, without which there is the risk of overlooking the importance of habitats that are key for species persistence only at certain times of the year.     

Do changes in feed intake or ambient temperature cause changes in cattle rumen temperature relative to core temperature?

A technique was developed to monitor and describe the relationship between core body temperature (T_c) and rumen temperature (T_rum) in cattle. This relationship was assessed in cattle subjected to varying environmental temperatures and subsequent variations in dry matter and water intake. Increasing the environmental wet bulb temperature (WBT) from ambient conditions (approximately 15 °C WBT) to mild heat stress conditions (25 °C WBT) caused an increase in both T_c and T_rum with significant decreases in feed intake and increases in water consumption. Despite increases in both T_c and T_rum, reductions in dry matter intake, and an increase in water consumption, the relationship between T_c and T_rum did not change.     

Age-related changes in the behavioural response of honeybees to <Emphasis Type="Italic">Apiguard</Emphasis><Superscript>®</Superscript>, a thymol-based treatment used to control the mite <Emphasis Type="Italic">Varroa destructor</Emphasis>

The parasitic mite Varroa destructor is responsible for heavy losses in honey bee colonies and represents a major threat to the beekeeping industry. Essential oils offer an attractive alternative to the use of synthetic chemicals for the control of varroa. Amongst them, thymol appears to be particularly promising. However, treatments using thymol as their active substance, such as the gel formulation Apiguard ^®, are suspected to have adverse effects on honey bee colonies. In this study, laboratory assays are used to investigate the effects of Apiguard ^® exposure on honey bee behaviour. Our results reveal that honey bee responses to this anti-varroa treatment change with honey bee age. While 2-day-old bees respond neutrally to Apiguard ^®, older bees generally avoid the Apiguard ^® gel. Responses of forager bees were particularly striking. Foragers appear to be repelled by Apiguard ^®. Touching their antennae with Apiguard ^® induces robust fanning behaviour. Our data suggest, however, that forager bees exposed to Apiguard ^® in the hive can become habituated to this treatment. These results offer interesting new perspectives on the effects of Apiguard ^® on honey bee behaviour and serve to highlight age-related changes in honey bee responses to gustatory, as well as olfactory cues.     

Liver cancer-associated changes to the proteome: what deserves clinical focus?

Introduction: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is recognized as the fifth most common neoplasm and currently represents the second leading form of cancer-related death worldwide. Despite great progress has been done in the understanding of its pathogenesis, HCC represents a heavy societal and economic burden as most patients are still diagnosed at advanced stages and the 5-year survival rate remain below 20%. Early detection and revolutionary therapies that rely on the discovery of new molecular biomarkers and therapeutic targets are therefore urgently needed to develop precision medicine strategies for a more efficient management of patients.

Areas covered: This review intends to comprehensively analyse the proteomics-based research conducted in the last few years to address some of the principal still open riddles in HCC biology, based on the identification of molecular drivers of tumor progression and metastasis.

Expert commentary: The technical advances in mass spectrometry experienced in the last decade have significantly improved the analytical capacity of proteome wide studies. Large-scale protein and protein variant (post-translational modifications) identification and quantification have allowed detailed dissections of molecular mechanisms underlying HCC progression and are already paving the way for the identification of clinically relevant proteins and the development of their use on patient care.     

What's going to be on the menu with global environmental changes?

Ongoing anthropogenic change is altering the planet at an unprecedented rate, threatening biodiversity, and ecosystem functioning. Species are responding to abiotic pressures at both individual and population levels, with changes affecting trophic interactions through consumptive pathways. Collectively, these impacts alter the goods and services that natural ecosystems will provide to society, as well as the persistence of all species. Here, we describe the physiological and behavioral responses of species to global changes on individual and population levels that result in detectable changes in diet across terrestrial and marine ecosystems. We illustrate shifts in the dynamics of food webs with implications for animal communities. Additionally, we highlight the myriad of tools available for researchers to investigate the dynamics of consumption patterns and trophic interactions, arguing that diet data are a crucial component of ecological studies on global change. We suggest that a holistic approach integrating the complexities of diet choice and trophic interactions with environmental drivers may be more robust at resolving trends in biodiversity, predicting food web responses, and potentially identifying early warning signs of diversity loss. Ultimately, despite the growing body of long-term ecological datasets, there remains a dearth of diet ecology studies across temporal scales, a shortcoming that must be resolved to elucidate vulnerabilities to changing biophysical conditions.     

How does the longevity of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sasa kurilensis</Emphasis> ramets respond to a light gradient? An analysis of ontogenetic changes to hydraulic resistance and carbon budget within a ramet

We investigated how Sasa kurilensis ramet longevity differs under three light conditions. Ramet longevity is an important factor affecting the abundance of ramet populations and their biomass. The objectives of this study were to clarify: (1) whether ramet longevity varies spatially along a gradient of light conditions; (2) whether physiological functions, including water transport in culms, change with ontogenesis; (3) whether ramet longevity is associated with the most effective turnover for gaining a carbon profit within a ramet following a cost-benefit model or is affected by other factors such as death caused by a decline in physiological function. We analyzed S. kurilensis ramet longevity, hydraulic resistance, photosynthetic rate, and carbon content. We then estimated the ramet carbon budget. The longevity of S. kurilensis ramets was 2.8–4.5 years in Beneath-patch plots, 5.8–8.7 years in Edge-patch plots, and 1.6–2.2 years in Open-patch plots. Although leaf photosynthetic activity was stable, the instantaneous photosynthetic rate decreased during clear days in the open area. This may have been due to increased ramet hydraulic resistance. The rotation period of the most efficient carbon budget quantified by ecophysiological measurements was consistent with ramet longevity in Open-patch (2 years) and Edge-patch (5 years) sites. Meanwhile, the longevity of ramets grown under canopies was inconsistent with the cost-benefit model rules for a carbon budget because the carbon gain was low throughout the ramet life span.     

Temperature‐driven changes in the diet preference of omnivorous copepods: no more meat when it's hot? A response to Winder et al.

The study of environmental impact on feeding preferences of omnivores is a rapidly growing field. Here, we show that the criticism put forward in a comment on our original study is largely unfounded.     

Pricklier with the proper predator? Predator‐induced small‐scale changes of spinescence in Daphnia

Phenotypic plasticity in defensive traits is a common response of prey organisms to variable and unpredictable predation regimes and risks. Cladocerans of the genus Daphnia are keystone species in the food web of lentic freshwater bodies and are well known for their ability to express a large variety of inducible morphological defenses in response to invertebrate and vertebrate predator kairomones. The developed defenses render the daphnids less susceptible to predation. So far, primarily large‐scale morphological defenses, like helmets, crests, and tail‐spines, have been documented. However, less is known on whether the tiny spinules, rather inconspicuous traits which cover many Daphnia’s dorsal and ventral carapace margins, respond to predator kairomones, as well. For this reason, we investigated two Daphnia species (D. magna and D. longicephala) concerning their predator kairomone‐induced changes in dorsal and ventral spinules. Since these small, inconspicuous traits may only act as a defense against predatory invertebrates, with fine‐structured catching apparatuses, and not against vertebrate predators, we exposed them to both, an invertebrate (Triops cancriformis or Notontecta maculata) and a vertebrate predator (Leucaspius delineatus). Our results show that the length of these spinules as well as spinules‐covered areas vary, likely depending on the predator the prey is exposed to. We further present first indications of a Daphnia species‐specific elongation of the spinules and an increase of the spinules‐bearing areas. Although we cannot exclude that spinescence is altered because it is developmentally connected to changes in body shape in general, our results suggest that the inducible alterations to the spinule length and spinules‐covered areas disclose another level of predator‐induced changes in two common Daphnia species. The predator‐induced changes on this level together with the large‐scale and ultrastructural defensive traits may act as the overall morphological defense, adjusted to specific predator regimes in nature.     

Drinking water microbiology — from measurement to management

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Nitrogen enrichment modifies plant community structure via changes to plant–soil feedback

We tested the hypothesis that N enrichment modifies plant-soil feedback relationships, resulting in changes to plant community composition. This was done in a two-phase glasshouse experiment. In the first phase, we grew eight annual plant species in monoculture at two levels of N addition. Plants were harvested at senescence and the effect of each species on a range of soil properties was measured. In the second phase, the eight plant species were grown in multi-species mixtures in the eight soils conditioned by the species in the first phase, at both levels of N addition. At senescence, species performance was measured as aboveground biomass. We found that in the first phase, plant species identity strongly influenced several soil properties, including microbial and protist biomass, soil moisture content and the availability of several soil nutrients. Species effects on the soil were mostly independent of N addition and several were strongly correlated with plant biomass. In the second phase, both the performance of individual species and overall community structure were influenced by the interacting effects of the species identity of the previous soil occupant and the rate of N addition. This indicates that N enrichment modified plant-soil feedback. The performance of two species correlated with differences in soil N availability that were generated by the species formerly occupying the soil. However, negative feedback (poorer performance on the soil of conspecifics relative to that of heterospecifics) was only observed for one species. In conclusion, we provide evidence that N enrichment modifies plant-soil feedback relationships and that these modifications may affect plant community composition. Field testing and further investigations into which mechanisms dominate feedback are required before we fully understand how and when feedback processes determine plant community responses to N enrichment.     

Are the changes in collagen caused by chronical X-irradiation similar to aging?

It has been shown that in the skin of chronically irradiated rats the proportion of collagen type III as compared to collagen type I is increased; on the other hand, no changes in the overall proportion to collagen were observed in the skin. It appears that the increased proportion of collagen type III in chronically irradiated rats is responsible for the decreased solubility of cutaneous collagen in these animals. Concomitantly, indirect evidence was accumulated for the presence of an additional cross-link in type III collagen, present only when irradiated animals served as the collagen source. This cross-link is located subterminally as long as it is not removed by limited pepsin digestion. It was concluded that the physiological decrease in solubility and the decrease in solubility observed in chronically irradiated animals have a different molecular background.