Heat tolerance of marine ectotherms in a warming Antarctica

Global warming is affecting the Antarctic continent in complex ways. Because Antarctic organisms are specialized to living in the cold, they are vulnerable to increasing temperatures, although quantitative analyses of this issue are currently lacking. Here we compiled a total of 184 estimates of heat tolerance belonging to 39 marine species and quantified how survival is affected concomitantly by the intensity and duration of thermal stress. Species exhibit thermal limits displaced toward colder temperatures, with contrasting strategies between arthropods and fish that exhibit low tolerance to acute heat challenges, and brachiopods, echinoderms, and molluscs that tend to be more sensitive to chronic exposure. These differences might be associated with mobility. A dynamic mortality model suggests that Antarctic organisms already encounter temperatures that might be physiologically stressful and indicate that these ecological communities are indeed vulnerable to ongoing rising temperatures.     

Alkalinity Tolerance of Woody Species Used in Bauxite Waste Rehabilitation, Western Australia

Glasshouse trials, using trickle irrigation and increasing levels of NaOH-induced alkalinity, identified species that could be expected to tolerate the high-pH conditions of bauxite processing waste residue sites. Of 29 taxa tested, the most tolerant were Casuarina obesa, Melaleuca lanceolata, M. armillaris, M. nesophila, Eucalyptus loxophleba, E. halophila, E. platypus, Tamarix aphylla, and a particular clone of E. camaldulensis; E. spathulata, E. tetragona, E. preissiana, E. gomphocephala, E. diptera, and E. occidentalis proved to be relatively sensitive to severe alkaline conditions. Tolerance appeared to relate to an ability to maintain root membrane function, nutrient uptake balance, and ultimately root tissue structure while under increasing levels of alkalinity stress. Species normally inhabiting alkaline soils tended to have increased growth rates in nutrient irrigation conditions between pH 8 and 10 compared with control plants irrigated with nutrient solutions of pH values near 7.4. However, once the irrigation solutions reached pH 12 and the buffering capacity of the soil appeared to be exceeded, the condition of susceptible plants rapidly declined and death followed. Sensitive plants initially showed symptoms related to nutrient deficiency, followed by wilting and death as the root systems failed. Field trial conditions in the bauxite residue impoundments at Kwinana, Western Australia, include soils with pH values as high as 11.00. In general, the relative survival and growth of seedlings after eight months were predicted by the response under glasshouse trial conditions. Appropriately designed stress trials can be important ecological techniques in choosing species most capable of surviving difficult environmental conditions in the rehabilitation of damaged landscapes.     

Serum concentrations of reproductively-related circulating steroid hormones in the free-ranging lemon shark,Negaprion brevirostris

Synopsis We have examined the concentrations of reproductively-related steroid hormones in 5 species of carcharhinid sharks, marine fishes possessing the unique attribute of placental viviparity. Measurements of serum estradiol, testosterone, progesterone, dihydrotestosterone, and corticosterone have provided baseline data for these hormones in both immature and adult male and female placental sharks. Our studies include: (1) changes in hormonal levels during maturation, (2) concentrations of circulating steroid hormones during peak breeding season, and (3) hormonal levels during gestation, including the collection of serial samples through and beyond birth from free-ranging lemon sharks. Our data suggest that steroids, important in regulating reproduction in higher mammals, are also essential in these cartilaginous fishes.     

Mortality rates of desert vegetation during high-intensity drought at Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park,Central Australia

Precipitation variability and heatwaves are expected to intensify over much of inland Australia under most projected climate change scenarios. This will undoubtedly have impacts on the biota of Australian dryland systems. However, accurate modelling of these impacts is presently impeded by a lack of empirical research on drought/heatwave effects on native arid flora and fauna. During the 2018–2021 Australian drought, many parts of the continent's inland experienced their hottest, driest period on record. Here, we present the results of a field survey in 2021 involving indigenous rangers, scientists and national parks staff who assessed plant dieback during this drought at Ulur u-Kata Tjut a National Park (UKTNP), central Australia. Spatially randomized quadrat sampling of eight common and culturally important plants indicated the following plant death rates across UKTNP (in order of drought susceptibility): desert myrtle (Aluta maisonneuvei subsp. maisonneuvei) (91%), yellow flame grevillea (Grevillea eriostachya) (79%), Maitland's wattle (Acacia maitlandii) (67%), waxy wattle (A. melleodora) (65%), soft spinifex grass (Triodia pungens) (53%), mulga (A. aneura) (42%), desert oak (Allocasuarina decaisneana) (22%) and quandong (Santalum acuminatum) (0%). The sampling also detected that seedling recruitment was absent or minimal for all plants except soft spinifex, while a generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) indicated two-way interactions among species, plant size and stand density as important predictors of drought survival of adult plants. A substantial loss of biodiversity has occurred at UKTNP during the recent drought, with likely drivers of widespread plant mortality being extreme multi-year rainfall deficit (2019 recorded the lowest-ever annual rainfall at UKTNP [27 mm]) and record high summer temperatures (December 2019 recorded the highest-ever temperature [47.1°C]). Our findings indicate that widespread plant death and extensive vegetation restructuring will occur across arid Australia if the severity and frequency of droughts increase under climate change.     

Morphological and temporal variation in early embryogenesis contributes to species divergence in Malawi cichlid fishes

The cichlid fishes comprise the largest extant vertebrate family and are the quintessential example of rapid “explosive” adaptive radiations and phenotypic diversification. Despite low genetic divergence, East African cichlids harbor a spectacular intra- and interspecific morphological diversity, including the hyper-variable, neural crest (NC)-derived traits such as coloration and craniofacial skeleton. Although the genetic and developmental basis of these phenotypes has been investigated, understanding of when, and specifically how early, in ontogeny species-specific differences emerge, remains limited. Since adult traits often originate during embryonic development, the processes of embryogenesis could serve as a potential source of species-specific variation. Consequently, we designed a staging system by which we compare the features of embryogenesis between three Malawi cichlid species—Astatotilapia calliptera, Tropheops sp. ‘mauve’ and Rhamphochromis sp. “chilingali”—representing a wide spectrum of variation in pigmentation and craniofacial morphologies. Our results showed fundamental differences in multiple aspects of embryogenesis that could underlie interspecific divergence in adult adaptive traits. First, we identified variation in the somite number and signatures of temporal variation, or heterochrony, in the rates of somite formation. The heterochrony was also evident within and between species throughout ontogeny, up to the juvenile stages. Finally, the identified interspecific differences in the development of pigmentation and craniofacial cartilages, present at the earliest stages of their overt formation, provide compelling evidence that the species-specific trajectories begin divergence during early embryogenesis, potentially during somitogenesis and NC development. Altogether, our results expand our understanding of fundamental cichlid biology and provide new insights into the developmental origins of vertebrate morphological diversity.     

The legacy of forest logging on organic matter inputs and storage in tropical streams

Riparian forests play an important role in stream ecosystems, as they support biodiversity, reduce water erosion, and provide litter that fuels aquatic biota. However, they are affected by great array of anthropogenic threats (e.g., fire, logging, and organic pollution), which alter species composition and their physical structure. Although forest recovery after disturbance such as logging can take decades, the legacy of forest clear-cut logging on key processes in tropical riparian ecosystems is mostly unknown. Here, we investigated how litter inputs (leaves, twigs, and reproductive parts) and storage, key processes for carbon and nutrient recycling and for forest and stream biota, are influenced by riparian vegetation undergoing succession (after 28 years from logging) through the comparison of reference and logged forest sites in the Cerrado biome. Litterfall was overall similar between forest types, but litterfall of twigs was twofold higher at logged than reference sites. Similarly, litter inputs from the bank to the stream (i.e., lateral inputs) and streambed storage were 50–60% higher at logged than reference sites. The higher litterfall observed in logged forests could be related to higher proportion of tree species that are characteristic of primary and secondary successional stages, including fast-growing and liana species, which often are more productive and common in anthropogenic areas. Our results showed that the legacy impact of clear-cut logging, even if residual woody vegetation is maintained in riparian buffers, can shift the type, quantity, and seasonality of litter subsidies to tropical streams. This knowledge should be considered within the context of management and conservation of communities and ecosystem processes in the forest-stream interfaces.     

Plenty of rooftops with few neighbours occupied by young breeding Yellow-legged Gulls (Larus michahellis): Does this occur at the expense of their health condition?

Gulls, as largely flexible opportunistic individuals, have been increasingly breeding in many cities around the world, but it is still unclear whether urban habitats are of equal or higher quality than traditional natural habitats or represent an ecological trap with immediate reproductive benefits but longer-term detrimental consequences to health. Here we present a study of breeding parameters (nest density, egg dimensions, clutch size, hatching success and adult body condition) and physiological parameters (erythrocyte sedimentation rate, heterophil/lymphocyte ratio, haemoglobin concentration and measurements of oxidative stress) as indicators of the general health condition of Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis adults and chicks from natural and urban colonies. Yellow-legged Gulls in the largest urban area (Porto) laid smaller eggs and clutches, showed a significantly lower occurrence of inflammatory processes in chicks, and showed a slower early chick growth than in the natural colony of Deserta. This suggests that urban gulls might be facing important trade-offs between the advantages of breeding in lower density urban colonies, with fewer intraspecific interactions and a lower disease transmission probability, and the disadvantages of having an anthropogenic diet usually lower in nutritional value.     

Molecular Characterization and Mapping of Murine Genes Encoding Three Members of the Stefin Family of Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors

Stefins or Type 1 cystatins belong to a large, evolutionarily conserved protein superfamily, the members of which inhibit the papain-like cysteine proteinases. We report here on the molecular cloning and chromosomal localization of three newly identified members of the murine stefin gene family. These genes, designated herein as mouse stefins 1, 2, and 3, were isolated on the basis of their relatively increased expression in moth-eaten viable compared to normal congenic mouse bone marrow cells. The open reading frames of the stefin cDNAs encode proteins of approximately 11.5 kDa that show between 50 and 92% identity to sequences of stefins isolated from various other species. Data from Southern analysis suggest that the murine stefin gene family encompasses at least 6 and possibly 10-20 members, all of which appear to be clustered in the genome. Analysis of interspecific backcross mice indicates that the genes encoding the three mouse stefins all map to mouse chromosome 16, a localization that is consistent with the recent assignment of the human stefin A gene to a region of conserved homology between human chromosome 3q and the proximal region of mouse chromosome 16.     

Synaptic repression at crayfish neuromuscular junctions. II. Evidence for calcium involvement

The inability of synaptic junctions to generate normalsized postsynaptic potentials under normal physiological conditions was studied at crayfish neuromuscular synapses. Synaptic repression in the superficial flexor muscle system of the crayfish was induced by surgery: the nerve was cut in the middle of the target field, and the lateral muscle fibers were removed. After this surgery, the remaining medial synapses were unable to generate normal-sized junction potentials (jp) over the medial muscle population. In an attempt to study the mechanism underlying this response, we varied the extracellular calcium concentration of the Ringers solution bathing the preparation, in both repressed and control animals, while monitoring the size of the same junction potential. The junction potential generated by the spontaneous activity of the nerve increased in size with increasing calcium concentrations in control animals, but failed to do so in repressed animals, that is, changes in external calcium concentrations did not affect repressed synapses. However, in the presence of the calcium ionophore A23187, control and repressed synapses both show an increase in the junction potential sizes they generate. Our data suggest that calcium is involved in the mechanisms that underlie synaptic repression in this crustacean neuromuscular system. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.