Conservation implications of adaptation to tropical climates from a historical perspective

Tropical climates and the biodiversity associated with them have long interested natural historians. Alexander von Humboldt inspired a generation of scientists, such as Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace, to observe and study tropical ecosystems. More recently, the mid‐20th century saw Theodosius Dobzhansky and Daniel Janzen lay the foundations for studying adaptation to tropical climates. Now in the 21st century, we are beginning to realize the threats posed by current and future climate change to tropical populations which, despite relatively low levels of projected warming for low‐latitude regions, face potentially significant detrimental impacts. Building on the insights of researchers in decades and centuries past, improved understanding of tropical ecology, evolution and biogeography will help us to conceive how future global change will impact on biodiversity.     

Acid-sensing ion channel 3 mediates peripheral anti-hyperalgesia effects of acupuncture in mice inflammatory pain

Background  

Peripheral tissue inflammation initiates hyperalgesia accompanied by tissue acidosis, nociceptor activation, and inflammation mediators. Recent studies have suggested a significantly increased expression of acid-sensing ion channel 3 (ASIC3) in both carrageenan- and complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced inflammation. This study tested the hypothesis that acupuncture is curative for mechanical hyperalgesia induced by peripheral inflammation.     

Protein structure similarity from principle component correlation analysis

Background  

Owing to rapid expansion of protein structure databases in recent years, methods of structure comparison are becoming increasingly effective and important in revealing novel information on functional properties of proteins and their roles in the grand scheme of evolutionary biology. Currently, the structural similarity between two proteins is measured by the root-mean-square-deviation (RMSD) in their best-superimposed atomic coordinates. RMSD is the golden rule of measuring structural similarity when the structures are nearly identical; it, however, fails to detect the higher order topological similarities in proteins evolved into different shapes. We propose new algorithms for extracting geometrical invariants of proteins that can be effectively used to identify homologous protein structures or topologies in order to quantify both close and remote structural similarities.     

Stable isotopes of Lithosiini and lichens in Hong Kong show the biodindicator potential of lichenivorous moths

Urban landscapes provide unique environments for a wide variety of plants and animals, but their suitability may be limited by anthropogenic impacts such as pollution. We examined the potential utility of lichen and lichen-feeding moths as biodindicators of air pollution in Hong Kong by comparing carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) stable isotope values in lichens, lichenivorous and non-lichenivorous moths (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) and a moth outgroup (Lepidoptera: Geometridae). Our results show that stable isotope values for C and N were similar for lichens and lichen feeding moths, while non-lichen feeding moths formed a distinct group. In addition, we found consistent δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values across moth body parts, indicating that any portion of the specimen is suitable for isotopic fingerprinting. Our results highlight that lichen feeding moths may be useful for integrating signals of atmospheric nitrogen pollution and could therefore have utility in monitoring and quantifying air quality over time and space.     

Colors of night: climate–morphology relationships of geometrid moths along spatial gradients in southwestern China

Oecologia - Color lightness of insects is an important ecological trait affecting their performance through multiple functions such as thermoregulation, UV protection and disease resistance. The...     

Conditional random pattern model for copy number aberration detection

Background  

DNA copy number aberration (CNA) is very important in the pathogenesis of tumors and other diseases. For example, CNAs may result in suppression of anti-oncogenes and activation of oncogenes, which would cause certain types of cancers. High density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array data is widely used for the CNA detection. However, it is nontrivial to detect the CNA automatically because the signals obtained from high density SNP arrays often have low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), which might be caused by whole genome amplification, mixtures of normal and tumor cells, experimental noise or other technical limitations. With the reduction in SNR, many false CNA regions are often detected and the true CNA regions are missed. Thus, more sophisticated statistical models are needed to make the CNAs detection, using the low SNR signals, more robust and reliable.     

A Hollywood drama of butterfly extirpation and persistence over a century of urbanization

Few long-term examples exist of wildlife population trends in urban environments despite the recent recognition of the importance of biodiversity in cities. Founded in 1896, Griffith Park’s over 1,700 ha in Los Angeles adjacent to Hollywood represent the largest municipal park in California. Through the 1920s, biologists studied the natural area with great interest but in the decades that followed, little fieldwork was conducted here as Los Angeles developed into a megacity surrounding the park. We combined thorough examination of Griffith Park historical field notes and specimen records (1900–1960) with recent field surveys (2011–2012) to determine (1) the extent of urbanization impacts on butterfly extirpation and persistence and (2) how butterfly traits and host plant relationships might be contributing to butterfly species status. Here we document multiple local butterfly extinctions in Griffith Park; 10 species or 18 % of the historically reconstructed community. Many of these species were lost early in the twentieth century, highlighting the importance of the historical record in understanding urban biodiversity patterns and trends. An analysis of larval host plant status and relationships suggests that a primary factor determining butterfly presence or extirpation is the abundance of the larval host plant in the park, in addition to host plant specificity. Despite these extirpations, we also found that the majority (over 80 %) of native butterfly species have persisted including species of conservation interest. While urban parks certainly suffer from surrounding anthropogenic pressure and impacts, this study also demonstrates the potentially high and underappreciated conservation and ecological value of urban parks.     

Ecophysiological variation across a forest‐ecotone gradient produces divergent climate change vulnerability within species

Climate change related risks and impacts on ectotherms will be mediated by habitats and their influence on local thermal environments. While many studies have documented morphological and genetic aspects of niche divergence across habitats, few have examined thermal performance across such gradients and directly linked this variation to contemporary climate change impacts. In this study, we quantified variation in thermal performance across a gradient from forest to gallery forest‐savanna mosaic in Cameroon for a skink species (Trachylepis affinis) known to be diverging genetically and morphologically across that habitat gradient. Based on these results, we then applied a mechanistic modelling approach (NicheMapR) to project changes in potential activity, as constrained by thermal performance, in response to climate change. As a complimentary approach, we also compared mechanistic projections with climate‐driven changes in habitat suitability based on species distribution models of forest and ecotone skinks. We found that ecotone skinks may benefit from warming and experience increased activity while forest skinks will likely face a drastic decrease in thermal suitability across the forest zone. Species distribution models projected that thermal suitability for forest skinks in coastal forests would decline but in other parts of the forest zone skinks are projected to experience increased thermal suitability. The results here highlight the utility of mechanistic approaches in revealing and understanding patterns of climate change vulnerability which may not be detected with species distribution models alone. This study also emphasizes the importance of intra‐specific physiological variation, and habitat‐specific thermal performance relationships in particular, in determining warming responses.     

Delayed population explosion of an introduced butterfly

1. The causes of lagged population and geographical range expansions after species introductions are poorly understood, and there are relatively few detailed case studies. 2. We document the 29-year history of population dynamics and structure for a population of Euphydryas gillettii Barnes that was introduced to the Colorado Rocky Mountains, USA in 1977. 3. The population size remained low (< 200 individuals) and confined to a single habitat patch (approximately 2.25 ha) to 1998. These values are similar to those of many other populations within the natural geographical range of the species. 4. However, by 2002 the population increased dramatically to > 3000 individuals and covered approximately 70 ha, nearly all to the south of the original site. The direction of population expansion was the same as that of predominant winds. 5. By 2004, the butterfly's local distribution had retracted mainly to three habitat patches. It thus exhibited a 'surge/contraction' form of population growth. Searches within 15 km of the original site yielded no other new populations. 6. In 2005, butterfly numbers crashed, but all three habitat patches remained occupied. The populations within each patch did not decrease in the same proportions, suggesting independent dynamics that are characteristic of metapopulations. 7. We postulate that this behaviour results, in this species, in establishment of satellite populations and, given appropriate habitat structure, may result in lagged or punctuated expansions of introduced populations.