A role for artificial night-time lighting in long-term changes in populations of 100 widespread macro-moths in UK and Ireland: a citizen-science study

The abundance of 100 of the most widespread species of macro-moth in the UK and Ireland was estimated from light-trap records reported to the UK and Ireland Garden Moth Scheme between 2005 and 2015. Recording sites were classified into low, medium and high night-time illumination categories by satellite imagery, into land-use types from the dominant use in the 1–2 km surrounding area, and by latitude. Most urban sites were in the group classified as having high night-time illumination. Comparison between medium and low night-time illuminated sites allowed differences between levels of illumination free from the effect of urbanization on moth abundance to be assessed. The medium and low night-time illuminated sites differed significantly in the frequency of grassland and arable land-use types and in geographic location with more grassland and north-western sites in the low-light category. After adjustment for these differences and for variations between taxonomic family groups, the medium to low night-time lighting abundance ratios explained a significant (P?<?0.001) 20% of the variance in long-term changes in moth abundance reported by the Rothamsted Insect Survey for the years 1968–2002. This is the first demonstration that artificial night-time lighting has had, in combination with other factors, a significant influence on levels of abundance of moth populations.     

Declines in moth populations stress the need for conserving dark nights

Given the global continuous rise, artificial light at night is often considered a driving force behind moth population declines. Although negative effects on individuals have been shown, there is no evidence for effects on population sizes to date. Therefore, we compared population trends of Dutch macromoth fauna over the period 1985–2015 between moth species that differ in phototaxis and adult circadian rhythm. We found that moth species that show positive phototaxis or are nocturnally active have stronger negative population trends than species that are not attracted to light or are diurnal species. Our results indicate that artificial light at night is an important factor in explaining declines in moth populations in regions with high artificial night sky brightness. Our study supports efforts to reduce the impacts of artificial light at night by promoting lamps that do not attract insects and reduce overall levels of illumination in rural areas to reverse declines of moth populations.     

Using remote cameras to validate estimates of nest fate in shorebirds

Nest survival is a key demographic parameter, yet little effort has been made to improve the accuracy of field‐based methods for assigning nest fates to shorebird nests. We used remote cameras to validate estimates of nest fate from field methods and to assess variation in accuracy of nest‐fate assignment for Snowy Plover Charadrius nivosus in Utah, USA. We correctly identified the fates of 84% of nests in the field, and photos from camera monitoring revealed incorrect assignments for 22% of successful nests and 7% of depredated nests. Traditional field methods could be improved by checking nests more frequently when hatching date nears and spending additional time searching for eggshell evidence, especially when nests are in areas susceptible to weather disturbance.     

Taxonomic and nomenclatural notes on Syrrhopodon gaudichaudii Mont. (Calymperaceae) and S. hawaiicus Müll.Hal.

Syrrhopodon gaudichaudii Mont. is lectotypified and its key features are discussed. A neotype is designated for Syrrhopodon hawaiicus Müll.Hal. and the taxon is placed in synonymy with S. gaudichaudii. A key to the species of Syrrhopodon occurring in the Hawaiian Islands is provided.     

Exploring the Validity of Proposed Transgenic Animal Models of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common, behavioral, and heterogeneous neurodevelopmental condition characterized by hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention. Symptoms of this disorder are managed by treatment with methylphenidate, amphetamine, and/or atomoxetine. The cause of ADHD is unknown, but substantial evidence indicates that this disorder has a significant genetic component. Transgenic animals have become an essential tool in uncovering the genetic factors underlying ADHD. Although they cannot accurately reflect the human condition, they can provide insights into the disorder that cannot be obtained from human studies due to various limitations. An ideal animal model of ADHD must have face (similarity in symptoms), predictive (similarity in response to treatment or medications), and construct (similarity in etiology or underlying pathophysiological mechanism) validity. As the exact etiology of ADHD remains unclear, the construct validity of animal models of ADHD would always be limited. The proposed transgenic animal models of ADHD have substantially increased and diversified over the years. In this paper, we compiled and explored the validity of proposed transgenic animal models of ADHD. Each of the reviewed transgenic animal models has strengths and limitations. Some fulfill most of the validity criteria of an animal model of ADHD and have been extensively used, while there are others that require further validation. Nevertheless, these transgenic animal models of ADHD have provided and will continue to provide valuable insights into the genetic underpinnings of this complex disorder.     

Discovery of Mcl-1 inhibitors based on a thiazolidine-2,4-dione scaffold

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Efficient inference of paternity and sibship inference given known maternity via hierarchical clustering

Pedigree and sibship reconstruction are important methods in quantifying relationships and fitness of individuals in natural populations. Current methods employ a Markov chain‐based algorithm to explore plausible possible pedigrees iteratively. This provides accurate results, but is time‐consuming. Here, we develop a method to infer sibship and paternity relationships from half‐sibling arrays of known maternity using hierarchical clustering. Given 50 or more unlinked SNP markers and empirically derived error rates, the method performs as well as the widely used package Colony, but is faster by two orders of magnitude. Using simulations, we show that the method performs well across contrasting mating scenarios, even when samples are large. We then apply the method to open‐pollinated arrays of the snapdragon Antirrhinum majus and find evidence for a high degree of multiple mating. Although we focus on diploid SNP data, the method does not depend on marker type and as such has broad applications in nonmodel systems.