A small-scale test for rapid assessment of the soil development potential in post-mining soils
- Authors: Bucka, Franziska , Pihlap, Evelin , Kaiser, Jara , Baumgartl, Thomas , Kögel-Knabner, Ingrid
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Soil and Tillage Research Vol. 211, no. (2021), p.
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: When ceasing brown coal mining activities, the restoration of the disturbed landscape is required, and a rapid development of functional soils is of utter importance for the rehabilitation of these areas. In order to accelerate soil development and rehabilitation, soils are designed or engineered by applying alternative approaches in order to construct a soil-like substrate, e.g., by mixing different substrates and organic carbon (OC) sources. We used a rapid and easy to perform laboratory approach to simulate the initial steps of soil development. We investigated the mixtures’ properties and the initial development of soil structure, in order to identify suitable soil mixtures for subsequent field trials. We tested six different mixtures composed of increasing complexity, based on the mixture used for a rehabilitation program at a coal mine in southern Australia. The components were overburden, fly ash, paper mulch, brown coal and plant litter. We performed a short-term laboratory incubation in regularly irrigated microcosms for forty days at constant water tension. Our results showed that the addition of fly ash to the overburden led to a higher moisture content. Fly ash together with paper mulch and brown coal improved nutrient supply and OC content, but led also to a very wide C/N ratio >95. The molecular composition of the paper mulch and brown coal OC shows the potential for long-term OC storage because of slow microbial degradation. Microbial activity, as measured by CO2 release, was high in all mixtures with litter addition, but only the additional presence of fly ash, brown coal and paper mulch led to a higher microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE). Soil structure formation, as measured by isolating water-stable aggregates, was induced in all mixtures and intensified in the presence of litter. In the mixtures with litter, there was a predominant formation of large macroaggregates (0.63−30 mm) which stored >80 % of the total OC. We suggest that the complex rehabilitation mixture indicates the potential for soil structure development within a short timeframe also in field scale, because the tested substrates are known to store moisture, deliver nutrients and OC for sustainable microbial growth. © 2021 Elsevier B.V.
Ancylostoma ceylanicum
- Authors: Colella, Vito , Bradbury, Richard , Traub, Rebecca
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Trends in Parasitology Vol. 37, no. 9 (2021), p. 844-845
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
Community structure and ecological responses to hydrological changes in benthic algal assemblages in a regulated river : application of algal metrics and multivariate techniques in river management
- Authors: Atazadeh, Ehsan , Gell, Peter , Mills, Keely , Barton, Andrew , Newall, Peter
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Environmental Science and Pollution Research Vol. 28, no. 29 (2021), p. 39805-39825
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The flow regime of the Wimmera River was substantially modified due to the construction of a water supply reservoir. Samples of diatoms and soft algae and measurements of water quality were analysed at ten sampling sites for 3 years (between February 2012 and November 2014) along the MacKenzie River, a tributary of the Wimmera River, in different seasons and under different flow regimes, to understand the spatial and temporal variation in the relationship between algal communities, water quality and stream condition. Baseline information on algal communities and water quality was collected during base flow conditions, while experiments on the effect of water releases on algal communities were based on flow regime variations (manipulated flow regimes), specifically on the algae community structure, water quality and ecosystem function. Algal species composition changed along the river under different flow regimes and different seasons. Under base flow, Bacillariophyta (diatoms) were more abundant upstream, and filamentous green algae were more abundant downstream. The results showed that the algal composition shifted downstream after water release events. Chlorophyta (green algae), Cyanophyta (blue-green algae) and Chrysophyta gradually increased from upstream to downstream under base flow conditions and before water releases, whereas diatoms were greater upstream and increased downstream after water releases. The results are presented to tailor discharge and duration of the river flows by amalgamation of consumptive and environmental flows to improve the condition of the stream thereby supplementing the flows dedicated to environmental outcomes. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
Convergence of social strategies in carrion breeding insects
- Authors: Charabidze, Damien , Trumbo, Stephen , Grzywacz, Andrze , Costa, James , Barton, Philip
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: BioScience Vol. 71, no. 10 (2021), p. 1028-1037
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Carrion is a highly ephemeral and nutrient rich resource, characterized by extreme biotic and abiotic stressors. We hypothesized that specific constraints of the carrion ecosystem, and especially its nutrient richness, ephemerality, and competition with microbes, have promoted the evolution of social behaviors in necrophagous insects. We show that group living is prevalent among early succession carrion breeding insects, suggesting that this trait has emerged as an adaptation to facilitate survival in the highly competitive environment of fresh carrion. We then highlight how developmental niche construction allows larvae to compete with microbes, efficiently feed on fresh cadavers, and rapidly reach maturity. We observed that larval societies and parental care are two different strategies responding to similar competitive and environmental constraints. We conclude that intra and interspecific competition on carrion are mitigated by social behavior. © 2021 The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Institute of Biological Sciences. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Philip Barton” is provided in this record**
Do primary rainforest tree species recruit into passively and actively restored tropical rainforest?
- Authors: Pohlman, Catherine , Tng, David , Florentine, Singarayer
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Forest Ecology and Management Vol. 496, no. (2021), p.
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Restoring tropical rainforests is becoming increasingly urgent. However, in most restoration plantings it is not possible to include the full suite of species found in the original rainforest. Full recovery of species composition thus depends on the dispersal and recruitment of species that are not planted. In many restoration projects, however, recruitment is dominated by a low diversity of regionally-abundant pioneer species and species with small, easily dispersed seeds. These species are characteristic of secondary rainforest and do not include the far more diverse suite of species characteristic of the original, primary rainforest. Such primary rainforest species are usually more vulnerable to the effects of fragmentation than disturbance-adapted pioneers and thus are of greater conservation concern, as well as being required for the full recovery of many important ecosystem functions. As restoring ecosystem processes is one of the central goals of restoration, this raises the question of which, if any, of the available rainforest restoration methods may be used to promote the recruitment of primary rainforest species. We compared the species composition and functional group composition of recruited trees and shrubs in a 25-year-old restoration experiment with those of the originally planted trees, and with nearby primary rainforest and secondary rainforest reference sites in an area of upland rainforest in north-eastern Australia. Our objective was to compare the performance of four commonly-used restoration methods: (i) unassisted (passive) regeneration, (ii) Pioneer Monoculture plantings, (iii) Framework Method plantings, and (iv) Maximum Diversity plantings. The species composition and functional group composition of recruited individuals within all treatments were similar to those of secondary rainforest and highly dissimilar to both primary rainforest and plantations. Pioneer species, species with small, biotically-dispersed diaspores, and canopy trees were over-represented among both recruited individuals and in secondary rainforest. Conversely, climax species, species with large, biotically-dispersed diaspores, species with abiotically-dispersed diaspores, and understorey trees were under-represented among both recruited individuals and secondary rainforest. Restoration treatments had little effect on the species or functional group composition of recruited individuals. Our results indicate that species from nearby primary rainforest almost completely failed to recruit into any of the restoration treatments. We argue that this failure was most likely due to the absence of frugivores able to disperse larger diaspores from both secondary forest and restored forest in our study site. Further direct management intervention will be required to restore primary rainforest plant species to restored forests in this region. © 2021 Elsevier B.V.
Effect of contamination and purity priming on attitudes to vaccination and other health interventions : a randomised controlled experiment
- Authors: Bryden, Gabrielle , Rockloff, Matthew , Browne, Matthew , Unsworth, Carolyn
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Vaccine Vol. 39, no. 45 (2021), p. 6653-6659
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The objective of this experiment is to assess whether priming for contamination and purity causes a change in attitudes to health interventions, including vaccination, and complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs). An online priming experiment was conducted with four between-subject experimental conditions including photos of: 1) biological contamination, 2) chemical contamination, 3) pure environments, such as pristine landscapes, and 4) hazard signs/icons indicating physical threats. Two control conditions included photos of neutral scenes and neutral icons, whereby experimental groups were compared against the related control groups (photograph for conditions 1–3 and neutral icons for condition 4). Subjects were randomly assigned to one of the six conditions, and after exposure to the images they were asked to rate 10 conventional and alternative health interventions for effectiveness and safety, as well being assessed for disgust sensitivity using the reduced-item DPSS-R [10]. A total of 642 adults completed the experiment. Exposure to primes did not cause a differential change in ratings of health interventions. Nevertheless, higher levels of sensitivity to disgust were associated with lower ratings of the effectiveness of MMR vaccination, tetanus injection, antibiotics, and surgery; and higher levels of sensitivity to disgust were associated with higher ratings of effectiveness of vitamins/minerals. In conclusion, this online experiment did not find an experimental effect of priming for contamination and purity on subjects’ ratings of the safety and effectiveness of conventional and alternative health interventions. This indicates that attitudes to these health interventions are not influenced by a temporary increase in the salience of feelings of contamination or purity. However, individual differences in disgust sensitivity are related to their attitudes to vaccination and CAM interventions. © 2021 Elsevier Ltd
Laboratory experimental study of the evaporation and mechanical behaviour of deposited tailings
- Authors: Zheng, Binbin , Wang, Jiahe , Zhang, Dongming , Zhao, Lei , Wang, Wensong
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Environmental Science and Pollution Research Vol. 28, no. 47 (2021), p. 67565-67576
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Surface deposition has been widely used in the mining industry to manage mill tailings. Tailings are generally discharged in the form of a slurry into tailings ponds. The slurried tailings are deposited in layers that undergo complex processes, e.g. evaporation, desiccation and consolidation. The evaporation of the deposited tailings controls their geotechnical engineering behaviour, which is necessary to characterise the physical properties. In this study, a constant temperature device was employed in evaporation tests to investigate two classes of deposited tailings, and the effects of the initial concentration, particle size, exposure area and deposited layer thickness on the evaporation processes were analysed. The test results showed four stages in the evaporation processes of deposited coarse and fine tailings. Dewatering of the deposited tailings occurred during the first two stages, which were keys to improving the desiccation efficiency of the tailings in the pond. The exposure area and deposited layer thickness also had a considerable influence on evaporation. The evaporation rate increased with the exposure area and layer thickness. Direct shear tests were performed to measure the shear strength of intact tailings during evaporation and used to determine the variation law of the mechanical properties of the test tailings. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
Uncovering genetic mechanisms of hypertension through multi-omic analysis of the kidney
- Authors: Eales, James , Jiang, Xiao , Xu, Xiaoguang , Prestes, Priscilla , Charchar, Fadi
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Nature Genetics Vol. 53, no. 5 (2021), p. 630-637
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The kidney is an organ of key relevance to blood pressure (BP) regulation, hypertension and antihypertensive treatment. However, genetically mediated renal mechanisms underlying susceptibility to hypertension remain poorly understood. We integrated genotype, gene expression, alternative splicing and DNA methylation profiles of up to 430 human kidneys to characterize the effects of BP index variants from genome-wide association studies (GWASs) on renal transcriptome and epigenome. We uncovered kidney targets for 479 (58.3%) BP-GWAS variants and paired 49 BP-GWAS kidney genes with 210 licensed drugs. Our colocalization and Mendelian randomization analyses identified 179 unique kidney genes with evidence of putatively causal effects on BP. Through Mendelian randomization, we also uncovered effects of BP on renal outcomes commonly affecting patients with hypertension. Collectively, our studies identified genetic variants, kidney genes, molecular mechanisms and biological pathways of key relevance to the genetic regulation of BP and inherited susceptibility to hypertension. © 2021, Crown.
GCNA interacts with spartan and topoisomerase II to regulate genome stability
- Authors: Dokshin, Gregoriy , Davis, Gregory , Sawle, Ashley , Eldridge, Matthew , Nicholls, Peter , Gourley, Taylin , Romer, Katherine , Molesworth, Luke , Tatnell, Hannah , Ozturk, Ahmet , de Rooij, Dirk , Hannon, Gregory , Page, David , Mello, Craig , Carmell, Michelle
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Developmental Cell Vol. 52, no. 1 (2020), p. 53-68.e6
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: GCNA proteins are expressed across eukarya in pluripotent cells and have conserved functions in fertility. GCNA homologs Spartan (DVC-1) and Wss1 resolve DNA-protein crosslinks (DPCs), including Topoisomerase-DNA adducts, during DNA replication. Here, we show that GCNA mutants in mouse and C. elegans display defects in genome maintenance including DNA damage, aberrant chromosome condensation, and crossover defects in mouse spermatocytes and spontaneous genomic rearrangements in C. elegans. We show that GCNA and topoisomerase II (TOP2) physically interact in both mice and worms and colocalize on condensed chromosomes during mitosis in C. elegans embryos. Moreover, C. elegans gcna-1 mutants are hypersensitive to TOP2 poison. Together, our findings support a model in which GCNA provides genome maintenance functions in the germline and may do so, in part, by promoting the resolution of TOP2 DPCs. DNA topoisomerases help unwind DNA but occasionally get trapped, resulting in DNA-protein crosslinks (DPCs). DPCs damage DNA and threaten genomic integrity. Dokshin et al. find that GCNA protein family complements standard DPC processing machinery in resolving topoisomerase II DPCs to ensure heritable genome stability and germline immortality. © 2019 Elsevier Inc.
- Description: We thank S. Cheloufi, D. Bellott, D. Durning, L. Okumura, L. Teitz, and members of the Page and Mello labs for advice and discussion. We thank E. Spooner for mass spectrometry and K. Igarashi for technical assistance. We thank P. Boag and R. Pocock for access to microscopes and technical advice. Some strains provided by the CGC were supported by NIH ( P40 OD010440 ) and the International C. elegans Gene Knockout Consortium . This work was supported by the Life Sciences Research Foundation to M.A.C.; American Cancer Society 129916-PF16-232-RMC to G.A.D.; and NIH grants (R37 GM058800 and P01 HD078253 ) to C.C.M. G.J.H. is supported by Cancer Research UK and by a Royal Society Wolfson Research Professorship. D.C.P. and C.C.M. are Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators.
Identifying a surrogate metric for monitoring the population status of a secretive habitat specialist, the heath skink Liopholis multiscutata, in south-eastern Australia
- Authors: Brown, Geoff , Robertson, Peter , Fanson, Ben
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Austral Ecology Vol. 45, no. 2 (2020), p. 206-214
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Threatened species that exist in small isolated populations are vulnerable to extinction processes, so effectively monitoring the trajectory of such populations will help determine the most appropriate management actions to combat extinction threats. In this study, we aimed to track the population status of the fossorial heath skink Liopholis multiscutata that is listed as threatened in Victoria, south-eastern Australia, and exists there as a few small and highly disjunct populations, by using an appropriate surrogate population monitoring metric. This secretive lizard is a habitat specialist, is highly localised in Victoria and lives in warrens in semi-arid heathland or mallee on large dunes. Survey data, which included every warren and their constituent burrows, as well as an assessment of whether each burrow was ‘active’, were collected for the four known Victorian populations in 2007 and annually during 2014–2018 inclusive. We compared five population indices per monitoring site: number of active warrens (NAW), number of active burrows (NAB), population area for 80% of active warrens (PA80), percentage of warrens that were active (PAW) and average number of active burrows per active warren. The heath skink currently occurs in small populations (8–46 active warrens) and these populations have typically declined over recent years. NAW was the most robust metric; NAB and PA80 did not reveal strong temporal trends. PAW indicated that inactive warrens and burrows persist less than a year and hence may provide information about recent (within months) population changes. It is imperative to establish a material link between the effective monitoring of small, vulnerable populations and the implementation of management actions that benefit such populations. Here, NAW could be used as a long-term monitoring tool to provide an estimate of the minimum population size of the heath skink at a site. Its use would also ensure continuity in monitoring approaches for the Victorian populations. © 2019 Ecological Society of Australia
Influence of elements of climate change on the growth and fecundity of Datura stramonium
- Authors: Chadha, Aakansha , Florentine, Singarayer , Javaid, Muhammad , Welgama, Amali , Turville, Christopher
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Environmental Science and Pollution Research Vol. 27, no. 28 (2020), p. 35859-35869
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: In this study, the performance of Datura stramonium, an invasive weed of soybean and solanaceous crops, was examined under different elements of climate change. Experiments conducted in CO2 chambers at ambient CO2 (400 ppm) and elevated CO2 (700 ppm) levels under both well-watered and drought conditions exhibited the fertilization effect of elevated CO2. This was, however, limited by drought. Clearly, growth of D. stramonium will be significantly enhanced by enriched atmospheric CO2 concentration under well-watered conditions, producing taller plants with greater biomass and higher seed output. Glasshouse experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of different soil moisture regimes (100%, 75%, 50% and 25% water-holding capacity (WHC)) on the growth and fecundity of D. stramonium. Plants grown in 75% WHC had the highest plant height (15.24 cm) and shoot diameter (4.25 mm). The lowest leaf area (305.91 mm2), fresh weight (14.48 g) and dry weight (4.45 g) were observed in 25% WHC conditions. The ability of D. stramonium plants to grow and complete their life cycle with high seed output, even under limited water availability, shows the weedy nature of this species which is well adapted to survive future inhospitable climatic conditions. Radiant heat treatment on the plants indicated that temperatures of 120 °C and above for more than 180 s were enough to kill the plants, suggesting that thermal weeding or wildfires will be adequate to act as a circuit breaker on the D. stramonium invasion cycle, thus allowing other control measures to be engaged for greater control. © 2020, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
New gene selection algorithm using hypeboxes to improve performance of classifiers
- Authors: Bagirov, Adil , Mardaneh, Karim
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Bioinformatics Research and Applications Vol. 16, no. 3 (2020), p. 269-289
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The use of DNA microarray technology allows to measure the expression levels of thousands of genes in one single experiment which makes possible to apply classification techniques to classify tumours. However, the large number of genes and relatively small number of tumours in gene expression datasets may (and in some cases significantly) diminish the accuracy of many classifiers. Therefore, efficient gene selection algorithms are required to identify most informative genes or groups of genes to improve the performance of classifiers. In this paper, a new gene selection algorithm is developed using marginal hyberboxes of genes or groups of genes for each tumour type. Informative genes are defined using overlaps between hyberboxes. The results on six gene expression datasets demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is able to considerably reduce the number of genes and significantly improve the performance of classifiers. © 2020 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.
Rainforest, woodland or swampland? Integrating time, space and culture to manage an endangered ecosystem complex in the Australian wet tropics
- Authors: Lynch, A. , Ferrier, Asa , Ford, A. J. , Haberle, Simon , Rule, Stephen , Schneider, Larissa , Zawadzki, A. , Metcalfe, Daniel
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Landscape Ecology Vol. 35, no. 1 (2020), p. 83-99
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Context: Transdisciplinary research is important where information from multiple fields is required to develop ecologically and culturally appropriate environmental planning that protects local conservation and socio-cultural values. Objectives: Here, we describe research to inform ecosystem restoration and conservation of Chumbrumba Swamp within the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, Australia. Many such open wetlands in the region have been degraded through agriculture and pastoral production, but there has been little research into their status, history and conservation needs. Methods: The recent to pre-European settlement history of the site was explored, along with spatial variation of vegetation communities at the site, and these data integrated with historical and ethnographical information on the site and its cultural values. Results: The botanical and palaeoecological analyses showed that Chumbrumba Swamp comprises a unique and highly sensitive ecosystem mosaic with high biodiversity. An endangered ecosystem complex, 82 vascular plant species, several disjunct or endemic taxa, and species at new northern range limits were recorded within its 20 ha area. The site comprises a stable swamp site with fringing woodland and rainforest that has persisted for around 5000 years. European settlement overlaid changes in the vegetation from disturbance (e.g. fire, clearing, grazing). However, fire also affected the swamp site during pre-European times. Conclusions: Historical and ethnographic information contextualised the biophysical data and confirmed the cultural importance of the site and the dynamic interactions between ‘people and nature’. These results have been used to inform environmental restoration and validate the importance of a transdisciplinary and precautionary approach to planning wetland restoration and conservation. © 2019, Springer Nature B.V.
River management and environmental water allocation in regulated ecosystems of arid and semi-arid regions – a review
- Authors: Atazadeh, Ehsan , Barton, Andrew , Shirinpour, Mozhgan , Zarghami, Mahdi , Rajabifard, Abbas
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Fundamental and Applied Limnology Vol. 193, no. 4 (2020), p. 327-345
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Rivers make a significant contribution in providing goods and services for human well-being. Today, many rivers and streams have been heavily regulated to ensure adequate provision of water resources for anthropogenic uses. Riverine ecosystems, especially those in arid and semi-arid regions, are experiencing severe stress due to the increasing demands on the ecosystem services they provide, coupled with anthropogenic catchment-scale impacts and factors associated with natural and human-induced climate variability and change. In this paper, the various flow components in regulated riverine ecosystems and the methods to determine environmental flows are reviewed. The review also focuses on the concurrent developments of eco-hydrological models and on the new opportunities for improving environmental flows of rivers by sustainably adjusting consumptive flows to fine-tune environmental flows and maximize the ecological benefit. In fact, the present paper highlights the role of consumptive flows, towards improving environmental flows, which has largely been neglected by river scientists and water managers. Indeed, consumptive flows can provide an opportunity to improve and support environmental flows in regulated riverine ecosystems. Addressing these challenges may aid water management efforts in finding sustainable solutions in riverine ecosystems by balancing environmental/ecological and human water requirements. © 2020 E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart, Germany.
Using the past to manage the future: the role of palaeoecological and long-term data in ecological restoration
- Authors: Manzano, Saul , Julier, Adele. C. M. , Dirk, Cherie. J. , Razafimanantsoa, Andriantsilavo. , Samuels, Ighshaan , Petersen, Hana , Gell, Peter , Hoffman, M. Timm , Gillson, Lindsey
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article , Opinion article
- Relation: Restoration Ecology Vol. 28, no. 6 (2020), p. 1335-1342
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Global change in its various expressions has impacted the structure and function of ecosystems worldwide, compromising the provision of fundamental ecosystem services and creating a predicament for the societies that benefit from them. Restoration ecology plays a key role in securing ecological integrity and societal well-being, and hence represents a global priority. However, human perception seldom goes back to the beginning of significant ecosystem degradation, making ecosystem assessment and restoration practices difficult. Long-term data, historical records, and paleoecological information can increase our understanding of ecological responses to natural or anthropogenic impacts and can directly contribute to the understanding and design of effective restoration practices. Here, examples from different ecosystems (drylands, grasslands, shrublands, savannas, forests, coastal environments, and wetlands) brought together from around the world illustrate (1) how to develop appropriate restoration references under the current uncertain global change scenario; (2) how long-term perspectives on drivers of change can help to identify critical ecological elements, thus contributing to defining restoration goals; and (3) how to incorporate information from the past as guidance for present interventions and landscape management. The building of community and the specificity of paleoecological and historical records of ecological change over time will be key in facilitating the translation of long-term information into the living process of ecological restoration practice. © 2020 Society for Ecological Restoration
Emerging threats and persistent conservation challenges for freshwater biodiversity
- Authors: Reid, Andrea , Carlson, Andrew , Creed, Irena , Eliason, Erika , Gell, Peter , Johnson, Pieter , Kidd, Karen , MacCormack, Tyson , Olden, Julian , Ormerod, Steve , Smol, John , Taylor, William , Tockner, Klement , Vermaire, Jesse , Dudgeon, David , Cooke, Steven
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Biological Reviews Vol. 94, no. 3 (2019), p. 849-873
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: In the 12 years since Dudgeon et al. (2006) reviewed major pressures on freshwater ecosystems, the biodiversity crisis in the world's lakes, reservoirs, rivers, streams and wetlands has deepened. While lakes, reservoirs and rivers cover only 2.3% of the Earth's surface, these ecosystems host at least 9.5% of the Earth's described animal species. Furthermore, using the World Wide Fund for Nature's Living Planet Index, freshwater population declines (83% between 1970 and 2014) continue to outpace contemporaneous declines in marine or terrestrial systems. The Anthropocene has brought multiple new and varied threats that disproportionately impact freshwater systems. We document 12 emerging threats to freshwater biodiversity that are either entirely new since 2006 or have since intensified: (i) changing climates; (ii) e-commerce and invasions; (iii) infectious diseases; (iv) harmful algal blooms; (v) expanding hydropower; (vi) emerging contaminants; (vii) engineered nanomaterials; (viii) microplastic pollution; (ix) light and noise; (x) freshwater salinisation; (xi) declining calcium; and (xii) cumulative stressors. Effects are evidenced for amphibians, fishes, invertebrates, microbes, plants, turtles and waterbirds, with potential for ecosystem-level changes through bottom-up and top-down processes. In our highly uncertain future, the net effects of these threats raise serious concerns for freshwater ecosystems. However, we also highlight opportunities for conservation gains as a result of novel management tools (e.g. environmental flows, environmental DNA) and specific conservation-oriented actions (e.g. dam removal, habitat protection policies, managed relocation of species) that have been met with varying levels of success. Moving forward, we advocate hybrid approaches that manage fresh waters as crucial ecosystems for human life support as well as essential hotspots of biodiversity and ecological function. Efforts to reverse global trends in freshwater degradation now depend on bridging an immense gap between the aspirations of conservation biologists and the accelerating rate of species endangerment.
Semiannual versus annual influenza vaccination in older adults in the tropics : An observer-blind, active-comparator-controlled, randomized superiority trial
- Authors: Young, Barnaby , Sadarangani, Sapna , Haur, Sen , Yung, Chee , Barr, Ian , Connolly, John , Chen, Mark , Wilder-Smith, Annelies
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Clinical Infectious Diseases Vol. 69, no. 1 (2019), p. 121-129
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background. Antibody titres and vaccine effectiveness decline within 6 months after influenza vaccination in older adults. Biannual vaccination may be necessary to provide year-round protection in the tropics, where influenza circulates throughout the year. Methods. Tropical Influenza Control Strategies (TROPICS1) was a single-center, 1:1 randomized, observer-blinded, active-comparator- controlled, superiority study in 200 community-resident adults aged ≥65 years. Participants received a standard-dose trivalent inactivated influenza vaccination (IIV3) at enrollment, and either tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis vaccination or IIV3 6 months later. The primary outcome was the proportion of participants with haemagglutination-inhibition (HI) geometric mean titre (GMT) ≥1:40 1 month after the second vaccination (month 7). Secondary outcomes included GMTs to month 12, the incidence of influenza- like illness (ILI), and adverse reactions after vaccination. Results. At month 7, the proportion of participants with an HI tire ≥1:40 against A/H1N1 increased by 21.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] 8.6-33.4) in the semiannual vaccination group. This proportion was not significantly higher for A/H3N2 (4.3, 95% CI -1.1-10.8) or B (2.1, 95% CI -2.0-7.3). Semiannual vaccination significantly increased GMTs against A/H1N1 and A/H3N2, but not B, at month 7. Participants receiving a repeat vaccination of IIV3 reported a significantly lower incidence of ILI in the 6 months after the second vaccination (relative vaccine effectiveness 57.1%, 95% CI 0.6-81.5). The frequency of adverse events was similar after the first and second influenza vaccinations. Conclusions. Semiannual influenza vaccination in older residents of tropical countries has the potential to improve serological measures of protection against infection. Alternative vaccination strategies should also be studied.
An antarctic biogeographical anomaly resolved: the true identity of a widespread species of Collembola
- Authors: Greenslade, Penelope
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Polar Biology Vol. 41, no. 5 (2018), p. 969-981
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Springtails and mites are the most abundant and species rich micro arthropods in the Antarctic and species tend to be short-range endemics. It was thought that the Springtail (Collembola), Friesea grisea (Schäffer) was an exception. It was described briefly nearly 150 years ago from South Georgia and has not been redescribed from the type locality since. However, published localities include the South Shetland Islands, the Antarctic Peninsula, Enderby Land, Marguerite Bay and South and North Victoria Land suggesting that it is unusually widespread. Recent sequence data have indicated that some Antarctic populations could be putative species but individuals were allegedly morphologically identical. No sequence data were available for South Georgian specimens. These results suggested that a new examination of the South Georgian species’ morphology was needed in order to resolve the anomalous biogeographic patterns. I here redescribe F. grisea from South Georgia and show that it has subtle morphological characters that distinguish it from Antarctic individuals allowing it to be unambiguously distinguished from all known Antarctic populations. Consequently, Friesea antarctica is taken out of synonymy with F. grisea. These results emphasise the endemism of Antarctic faunas and allows more targeted conservation planning, especially for short-range endemic species located in likely refugia during glacial periods. Descriptions of putative species from the Continental populations are currently in progress. A new Friesea species from South Georgia, F. fantaba, is also described here. The genus Friesea is now the most species-rich genus of terrestrial arthropods in both the Antarctic and subantarctic and includes twelve species.
Cognitive behavior therapy for older adults with insomnia and depression : A randomized controlled trial in community mental health services
- Authors: Sadler, Paul , McLaren, Suzanne , Klein, Britt , Harvey, Jack , Jenkins, Megan
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sleep Vol. 41, no. 8 (2018), p. 1-12
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Study Objectives: To investigate whether cognitive behavior therapy was effective for older adults with comorbid insomnia and depression in a community mental health setting, and explore whether an advanced form of cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia produced better outcomes compared to a standard form of cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia. Methods: An 8-week randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted within community mental health services, Victoria, Australia. Seventy-two older adults (56% female, M age 75 ± 7 years) with diagnosed comorbid insomnia and depression participated. Three conditions were tested using a group therapy format: cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia (CBT-I, standard), cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia plus positive mood strategies (CBT-I+, advanced), psychoeducation control group (PCG, control). The primary outcomes were insomnia severity (Insomnia Severity Index) and depression severity (Geriatric Depression Scale). Primary and secondary measures were collected at pre (week 0), post (week 8), and follow-up (week 20). Results: CBT-I and CBT-I+ both generated significantly greater reductions in insomnia and depression severity compared to PCG from pre to post (p < .001), which were maintained at follow-up. Although the differences between outcomes of the two treatment conditions were not statistically significant, the study was not sufficiently powered to detect either superiority of one treatment or equivalence of the two treatment conditions. Conclusion: CBT-I and CBT-I+ were both effective at reducing insomnia and depression severity for older adults. Mental health services that deliver treatment for comorbid insomnia with cognitive behavior therapy may improve recovery outcomes for older adults with depression. Trial Registration: Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR); URL: https://www.anzctr.org.au; Trial ID: ACTRN12615000067572; Date Registered: December 12, 2014.
Environmental factors associated with the foliage cover of invasive fairy grass (Lachnagrostis filiformis) in Victoria, Australia
- Authors: Gosney, Kate , Florentine, Singarayer
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Environmental Science and Pollution Research Vol. 25, no. 2 (2018), p. 1350-1358
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Fairy grass (Lachnagrostis filiformis) is an Australian native grass that has recently become a major concern for rural communities. Its dried inflorescences are blown by the wind and build up against fences and buildings, becoming a severe fire hazard. Understanding the ecology of fairy grass and its impacts on rural communities is relevant to its management. Four dry lake beds in Western Victoria were selected to determine if environmental factors, such as lake, location, direction, altitude and road type and the covariates of pH, soil salinity, soil moisture and distance to nearest road, are related to the presence of fairy grass. The ‘lake’ factor was the only environmental parameter that was significantly associated with the presence of this weed. © 2017, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany.