Changes in maximal cardiorespiratory capacity and submaximal strain while exercising in cold

Sixteen subjects were exposed to varying climatic conditions (20 to −20 °C) while exercising with different intensities from light to maximal. The results indicate that maximal cardiorespiratory capacity is lowered and submaximal strain is increased when ambient working temperature decreases. This means that the individual strain caused by a given submaximal workload may be significantly higher in cold as compared to thermoneutral environment due to cooling, use of additional clothing or their combination.     

Genome-wide exploration reveals distinctive northern and southern variants of Clonorchis sinensis in the Far East

Clonorchis sinensis is a carcinogenic liver fluke that causes clonorchiasis—a neglected tropical disease (NTD) affecting ~35 million people worldwide. No vaccine is available, and chemotherapy relies on one anthelmintic, praziquantel. This parasite has a complex life history and is known to infect a range of species of intermediate (freshwater snails and fish) and definitive (piscivorous) hosts. Despite this biological complexity and the impact of this biocarcinogenic pathogen, there has been no previous study of molecular variation in this parasite on a genome-wide scale. Here, we conducted the first extensive nuclear genomic exploration of C. sinensis individuals (n = 152) representing five distinct populations from mainland China, and one from Far East Russia, and revealed marked genetic variation within this species between “northern” and “southern” geographical regions. The discovery of this variation indicates the existence of biologically distinct variants within C. sinensis, which may have distinct epidemiology, pathogenicity and/or chemotherapic responsiveness. The detection of high heterozygosity within C. sinensis specimens suggests that this parasite has developed mechanisms to readily adapt to changing environments and/or host species during its life history/evolution. From an applied perspective, the identification of invariable genes could assist in finding new intervention targets in this parasite, given the major clinical relevance of clonorchiasis. From a technical perspective, the genomic-informatic workflow established herein will be readily applicable to a wide range of other parasites that cause NTDs.     

Experimental simulation of environmental warming selects against pigmented morphs of land snails

In terrestrial snails, thermal selection acts on shell coloration. However, the biological relevance of small differences in the intensity of shell pigmentation and the associated thermodynamic, physiological, and evolutionary consequences for snail diversity within the course of environmental warming are still insufficiently understood. To relate temperature‐driven internal heating, protein and membrane integrity impairment, escape behavior, place of residence selection, water loss, and mortality, we used experimentally warmed open‐top chambers and field observations with a total of >11,000 naturally or experimentally colored individuals of the highly polymorphic species Theba pisana (O.F. MÜller, 1774). We show that solar radiation in their natural Mediterranean habitat in Southern France poses intensifying thermal stress on increasingly pigmented snails that cannot be compensated for by behavioral responses. Individuals of all morphs acted neither jointly nor actively competed in climbing behavior, but acted similarly regardless of neighbor pigmentation intensity. Consequently, dark morphs progressively suffered from high internal temperatures, oxidative stress, and a breakdown of the chaperone system. Concomitant with increasing water loss, mortality increased with more intense pigmentation under simulated global warming conditions. In parallel with an increase in mean ambient temperature of 1.34°C over the past 30 years, the mortality rate of pigmented individuals in the field is, currently, about 50% higher than that of white morphs. A further increase of 1.12°C, as experimentally simulated in our study, would elevate this rate by another 26%. For 34 T. pisana populations from locations that are up to 2.7°C warmer than our experimental site, we show that both the frequency of pigmented morphs and overall pigmentation intensity decrease with an increase in average summer temperatures. We therefore predict a continuing strong decline in the frequency of pigmented morphs and a decrease in overall pigmentation intensity with ongoing global change in areas with strong solar radiation.     

Geospatially structured biodiversity information as a component of a regional biodiversity clearing house

To function effectively, the international biodiversity Clearing HouseMechanism (CHM), based on the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), needs tobe rooted at the regional and local levels. This article presents an example ofhow stakeholders of regional data and information can be encouraged to formnetworks linked to national biodiversity focal points (NFPs). We pay specialattention to exploiting the geospatial properties of biodiversity data andinformation, and demonstrate how data and information can best be filtered,classified and labelled to facilitate geographically based information retrievalon the Internet. The geocodability of bibliographic reports proved to be poor,indicating an urgent need to reconsider the geographical properties ofbiodiversity information under production. Also, it is useful to utilisenetworking processes with information from fields other than biodiversity wheninitiating the network. Finally, we present and discuss problems of integrityand interoperability of data, and also the process of biodiversity informationproduction from the point of view of general information theory and innovationsoffered by modern information technology.     

Physical Sheltering and Liming Improve Survival and Performance of Mountain Birch Seedlings: A 5-Year Study in a Heavily Polluted Industrial Barren

Denuded landscapes adjacent to big polluters represent an extremely harsh environment for plants due to a unique combination of soil toxicity and physical stress. In a 5‐year experiment we tested whether survival and performance of seedlings of Mountain birch (Betula pubescens ssp. czerepanovii) planted in two barren sites around the nickel–copper smelter at Monchegorsk, northwestern Russia, can be enhanced by physical sheltering and how large the supposed benefits to survival and performance are in relation to liming. Seedling performance was assessed by measuring growth parameters and chlorophyll fluorescence. Physical sheltering was found to be beneficial in some conditions: when soil characteristics were not so harsh as to cause 100% mortality, sheltering increased both survival and performance of birch seedlings. Although the benefits of liming on seedling performance and survival were stronger than the benefits of sheltering, sheltering may still have its uses in restoration when large‐scale liming is not applicable, for example, when the ecological side effects of liming are to be avoided.