Ecological indicators to capture the effects of fishing on biodiversity and conservation status of marine ecosystems

IndiSeas (“Indicators for the Seas”) is a collaborative international working group that was established in 2005 to evaluate the status of exploited marine ecosystems using a suite of indicators in a comparative framework. An initial shortlist of seven ecological indicators was selected to quantify the effects of fishing on the broader ecosystem using several criteria (i.e., ecological meaning, sensitivity to fishing, data availability, management objectives and public awareness). The suite comprised: (i) the inverse coefficient of variation of total biomass of surveyed species, (ii) mean fish length in the surveyed community, (iii) mean maximum life span of surveyed fish species, (iv) proportion of predatory fish in the surveyed community, (v) proportion of under and moderately exploited stocks, (vi) total biomass of surveyed species, and (vii) mean trophic level of the landed catch. In line with the Nagoya Strategic Plan of the Convention on Biological Diversity (2011–2020), we extended this suite to emphasize the broader biodiversity and conservation risks in exploited marine ecosystems. We selected a subset of indicators from a list of empirically based candidate biodiversity indicators initially established based on ecological significance to complement the original IndiSeas indicators. The additional selected indicators were: (viii) mean intrinsic vulnerability index of the fish landed catch, (ix) proportion of non-declining exploited species in the surveyed community, (x) catch-based marine trophic index, and (xi) mean trophic level of the surveyed community. Despite the lack of data in some ecosystems, we also selected (xii) mean trophic level of the modelled community, and (xiii) proportion of discards in the fishery as extra indicators. These additional indicators were examined, along with the initial set of IndiSeas ecological indicators, to evaluate whether adding new biodiversity indicators provided useful additional information to refine our understanding of the status evaluation of 29 exploited marine ecosystems. We used state and trend analyses, and we performed correlation, redundancy and multivariate tests. Existing developments in ecosystem-based fisheries management have largely focused on exploited species. Our study, using mostly fisheries independent survey-based indicators, highlights that biodiversity and conservation-based indicators are complementary to ecological indicators of fishing pressure. Thus, they should be used to provide additional information to evaluate the overall impact of fishing on exploited marine ecosystems.     

Distribution of Oriental and German cockroaches, Blatta orientalis and Blattella germanica (Dictyoptera), in the United Kingdom

Results are presented of a survey carried out by Rentokil Ltd on the distribution of the Oriental cockroach Blatta orientalis L. and the German cockroach Blattella germanica L. in the United Kingdom. The known ranges of both species are increased considerably by the findings of the survey, with several new vice-county records for Scotland (including the Western Isles), England and Wales. The frequency at which Blatta orientalis was observed in outdoor habitats may indicate that this species sometimes spreads to new areas without human assistance.     

Grassland birds and rotational-grazing in the northeast: Breeding ecology,survival and management opportunities

We studied long-term (2002–2009) demographics of bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) and savannah sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis) breeding in rotationally grazed systems in the northeastern United States. Both nest success (6–44% bobolink; 7–48% savannah sparrow) and annual productivity (0.43–2.83 bobolink; 0.70–2.35 savannah sparrow) varied annually. Predation (48%) and trampling by cows (32%) accounted for most failed nests. Annual adult apparent survival ranged from 23% to 85% and showed substantial variation by species and sex. Although grazing resulted in substantial loss of vegetative cover, savannah sparrows responded similarly to predation and grazing-induced nest failure (time to renest, distance moved between nests) and generally remained in the same paddock to renest. Minimum paddock size to accommodate one female within this rotation was 70 m × 70 m (0.49 ha), allowing a female to stay within a paddock and move (approx. 50 m) between nesting attempts. To balance pasturing objectives and birds' needs in paddocks first grazed before 25 June, managers in the Northeast should rest that paddock 42–50 days before the second grazing. © 2011 The Wildlife Society.     

Morphology and systematics of anthracomartidae (Arachnida: Trigonotarbida)

Abstract: X‐ray microtomography (XMT) was applied to three species of the extinct arachnid order Trigonotarbida, hosted in siderite nodules from the late Carboniferous British Middle Coal Measures. All three, Cryptomartus hindi ( Pocock, 1911 ), Cleptomartus plautus ( Petrunkevitch, 1949 ) and Maiocercus celticus ( Pocock, 1902 ), belong to the family Anthracomartidae. As well as providing interactive three‐dimensional visualisations of their likely appearance in life, XMT study has resolved new morphological detail, yielding key data about the likely stance and habitus of these early arachnids. Similarities in the form of the carapace, eyes and coxosternal region between anthracomartids and the Devonian genus Palaeocharinus Hirst, 1923 are highlighted. Analogies in limb disposition are drawn between anthracomartids and modern crab spiders (Araneae: Thomisidae), which exhibit sit‐and‐wait style predatory behaviour. Anthracomartids are relatively common fossils at many Coal Measures localities. Although they appear to exhibit limited morphological variation, numerous genera and species have been proposed in the literature, often distinguished from each other on rather trivial characters. From our reconstruction of well‐preserved examples, we have resolved a number of common features likely to be present in a typical anthracomartid. Comparisons to this model suggest that the characters on which many anthracomartid genera are distinguished may be artefacts of preservation. We hence treat Promygale Fri?, 1901 , Brachylycosa Fri?, 1904 , Perneria Fri?, 1904 , Coryphomartus Petrunkevitch, 1945 , Cryptomartus Petrunkevitch, 1945 , Pleomartus Petrunkevitch, 1945 , Cleptomartus Petrunkevitch, 1949 and Oomartus Petrunkevitch, 1953 as junior synonyms of the type genus of the family, Anthracomartus Karsch, 1882 . Only the genera Brachypyge Woodward, 1878 and Maiocercus Pocock, 1911 are additionally retained. Within Anthracomartus, Cleptomartus planus Petrunkevitch, 1949 , Cryptomartus meyeri Guthörl, 1964 , Cleptomartus hangardi Guthörl, 1965 and Cryptomartus rebskei Brauckmann, 1984 are treated as junior synonyms of A. hindi Pocock, 1911 (all syn. nov.). Cleptomartus plautus Petrunkevitch, 1949 and Anthracomartus denuiti Pruvost, 1922 are treated as junior synonyms of A. priesti Pocock, 1911 (both syn. nov.).     

Structure-activity studies of a macrocyclic peptide inhibitor of histone lysine demethylase 4A

The combination of genetic code reprogramming and mRNA display is a powerful approach for the identification of macrocyclic peptides with high affinities to a target of interest. We have previously used such an approach to identify a potent inhibitor (CP2) of the human KDM4A and KDM4C lysine demethylases; important regulators of gene expression. In the present study, we have used genetic code reprogramming to synthesise very high diversity focused libraries (>10¹² compounds) based on CP2 and, through affinity screening, used these to delineate the structure activity relationship of CP2 binding to KDM4A. In the course of these experiments we identified a CP2 analogue (CP2f-7) with ～4-fold greater activity than CP2 in in vitro inhibition assays. This work will facilitate the development of more potent, selective inhibitors of lysine demethylases.     

Peptide therapeutics for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders

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Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence in goats,cats and humans in Russia

Toxoplasmosis, a most common zoonosis, is caused by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. However, there is little epidemiological information on T. gondii infections in humans and livestock animals in Russia. Therefore, in this study, the seroprevalence of T. gondii in goats in Russia was investigated. A total of 216 goats from 32 farms were investigated and 95 of them were seropositive for T. gondii. The difference in seroprevalence between the examined regions was not statistically significant. We next collected serum samples from 99 cats and 181 humans in Kazan city, the state capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, and examined their T. gondii seroprevalences. Thirty-nine of the 99 cat samples and 56 of the 181 human samples showed seropositivity. Logistical regression analysis revealed that the cat breeding history of the human subjects, but not their sex or age is a significant risk factor for T. gondii seropositivity. These findings suggest that the natural environment in Russia may be widely polluted with T. gondii oocysts shed by cats, and ingestion of these oocysts provides a major route for human infection with this parasite.     

Dynamically engaged smiling predicts cooperation above and beyond average smiling levels

Smiling has been conceptualized as a signal of cooperative intent, yet smiles are easy to fake. We suggest that contextually appropriate, dynamically engaged smiling imposes an attentional cost, thereby making engaged smiling a plausible “honest signal” of cooperative intent. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed data from 123 pairs of same-sex strangers having “getting-to-know-you” conversations who subsequently played a one-shot prisoner's dilemma together. We calculated the strength of engagement in smiling using a cross-lagged auto-regressive model for dyadic data. We found that when an individual's partner (the signaler) tended to smile in a more responsive way, that individual (the receiver) was more likely to cooperate. Conversely, when a signaler tended to smile in a less responsive way, the receiver was less likely to cooperate. These effects were present over-and-above the effects of average levels of smiling and self-reported liking, which also predicted likelihood of cooperation. However, dynamically engaged smiling did not predict cooperation on the part of the signaler, suggesting that receivers weight the importance of engagement more highly than they should, or even that engaged smiling might be a manipulative display. These results illustrate how conversational dynamics can influence evolutionary signaling.