WHOI and NOAA release report on U.S. socio-economic effects of harmful algal blooms

WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION

Research News

 

IMAGE: WORKSHOP ON THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC EFFECTS OF MARINE AND FRESH WATER HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS IN THE UNITED STATES view more 

CREDIT: U.S. NATIONAL OFFICE FOR HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) occur in all 50 U.S. states and many produce toxins that cause illness or death in humans and commercially important species. However, attempts to place a more exact dollar value on the full range of these impacts often vary widely in their methods and level of detail, which hinders understanding of the scale of their socio-economic effects.

In order to improve and harmonize estimates of HABs impacts nationwide, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Center for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) and the U.S. National Office for Harmful Algal Blooms at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) convened a workshop led by WHOI Oceanographer Emeritus Porter Hoagland and NCCOS Monitoring and Event Response (MERHAB) Program Manager Marc Suddleson. Participants focused on approaches to better assess the socio-economic effects of harmful algal blooms in the marine and freshwater (primarily Great Lakes) ecosystems of the United States. The workshop proceedings report describes the group's objectives, and presents recommendations developed by 40 participants, mostly economists and social scientists from a range of universities, agencies, and U.S. regions. Their recommendations fall under two broad categories: those intended to help establish a socio-economic assessment framework, and those to help create a national agenda for HABs research.

"This has been a goal of the research and response communities for a long time, but coming up with a robust national estimate has been difficult, for a number of reasons, mainly related to the diversity of algal species and the wide variety of ways they can affect how humans use the oceans and freshwater bodies," said Hoagland. "This gives us a strong base on which to build the insight that will vastly improve our estimates."

Framework recommendations call for enhancing interagency coordination; improving research communications and coordination among research networks; integrating socioeconomic assessments into HAB forecasts and observing networks; using open-access databases to establish baselines and identify baseline departures; facilitating rapid response socio-economic studies; improving public health outcome reporting and visibility of HAB-related illnesses; fostering the use of local and traditional ecological knowledge to improve HAB responses; engaging affected communities in citizen science; and engaging graduate students in HAB socio-economic research.

Research agenda recommendations include elements necessary for addressing gaps in our understanding of the social and economic effects of HABs. They include a suggested approach for obtaining an improved national estimate of the economic effects of HABs; supporting rapid ethnographic assessments and in depth assessments of social impacts from HABs; defining socioeconomic impact thresholds for triggering more detailed studies of impacts (such as in the case of designated HAB events of significance); sponsoring research on the value of scientific research leading to improved understanding of bloom ecology; assessing the value of HAB mitigation efforts, such as forecasts, and control approaches and their respective implementation costs; and supporting research to improve HAB risk communication and tracking and to better understand the incidence, severity, and costs of HAB-related human illnesses.

"These recommendations give us a strong series of next steps to increase focus on HAB-related socio-economic research," said Don Anderson, director of the U.S. National Office for Harmful Algal Blooms. "The report is certain to spur increased collaborations that will provide a better understanding of the many complex socio-economic effects of HABs and provide the tools to increase the effectiveness of efforts to minimize impacts on society and the environment."

The detailed final proceedings report and more information about the workshop is available on the U.S. National HAB Office website.

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About Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is a private, non-profit organization on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, dedicated to marine research, engineering, and higher education. Established in 1930, its primary mission is to understand the ocean and its interaction with the Earth as a whole, and to communicate an understanding of the ocean's role in the changing global environment. WHOI's pioneering discoveries stem from an ideal combination of science and engineering--one that has made it one of the most trusted and technically advanced leaders in basic and applied ocean research and exploration anywhere. WHOI is known for its multidisciplinary approach, superior ship operations, and unparalleled deep-sea robotics capabilities. We play a leading role in ocean observation and operate the most extensive suite of data-gathering platforms in the world. Top scientists, engineers, and students collaborate on more than 800 concurrent projects worldwide--both above and below the waves--pushing the boundaries of knowledge and possibility. For more information, please visit http://www.whoi.edu

 

Researchers validate new technique for rapidly diagnosing herbicide-resistant weeds

A recent article in the journal Weed Science describes a new rapid 'leaf-disk assay' that uses chlorophyll fluorescence emissions to determine whether a weed is resistant to various systemic and contact herbicides

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS

Research News

 

WESTMINSTER, Colorado - April 07, 2021 - As the number of weed populations resistant to multiple herbicides continues to soar, it is clear that better tools are needed to help growers rapidly diagnose resistance issues. With more timely access to information, they can take earlier, proactive steps to keep resistant weeds from spreading.

A recent article in the journal Weed Science describes a new rapid "leaf-disk assay" that uses chlorophyll fluorescence emissions to determine whether a weed is resistant to various systemic and contact herbicides. In contrast to time-consuming and labor-intensive greenhouse screenings and population studies, leaf-disk assay results are available in about 48 hours.

In a recent research study, scientists were able to use the fluorescence technique to rapidly detect resistance to glyphosate, dicamba and fomesafen in broadleaf and grass weeds, including Palmer amaranth, waterhemp, kochia and goosegrass.

The assay clearly separated populations susceptible to herbicides from those that are highly resistant. It exhibited less sensitivity, though, in identifying populations with lower levels of resistance.

Though further work is needed to fine-tune the new test for greater precision, researchers say it holds great promise.

"In addition to the speed, the leaf-disk assay requires fewer technical skills," says Chenxi Wu, research scientist at Bayer CropScience. "That means more weed science labs will be able to use the technique to identify multiple resistances efficiently - helping growers take more immediate and informed actions."

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To learn more, read the article "A nondestructive leaf-disk assay for rapid diagnosis of weed resistance to multiple herbicides" online.

About Weed Science

Weed Science is a journal of the Weed Science Society of America, a nonprofit scientific society focused on weeds and their impact on the environment. The publication presents peer-reviewed original research related to all aspects of weed science, including the biology, ecology, physiology, management and control of weeds. To learn more, visit http://www.wssa.net.

 

New Forest Service assessment delivers research on invasive species

USDA FOREST SERVICE - NORTHERN RESEARCH STATION

Research News

 

IMAGE:  "INVASIVE SPECIES IN FORESTS AND RANGELANDS OF THE UNITED STATES: A COMPREHENSIVE SCIENCE SYNTHESIS FOR THE UNITED STATES FOREST SECTOR, " WAS RECENTLY RELEASED BY THE USDA FOREST SERVICE AS AN... view more 

CREDIT: USDA FOREST SERVICE

MADISON, WI, April 8, 2021 - USDA Forest Service scientists have delivered a new comprehensive assessment of the invasive species that confront America's forests and grasslands, from new arrivals to some that invaded so long ago that people are surprised to learn they are invasive.

The assessment, titled "Invasive Species in Forests and Rangelands of the United States: A Comprehensive Science Synthesis for the United States Forest Sector," serves as a one-stop resource for land managers who are looking for information on the invasive species that are already affecting the landscape, the species that may threaten the landscape, and what is known about control of invasive species.

"Understanding the ecology of invasive species, their dynamics and complex ecological, economic, and societal interactions is critical to improving management strategies and reducing impacts to native ecosystems," said Cynthia West, director of the Forest Service's Northern Research Station and the Forest Products Laboratory. "Tracking the science can be daunting, so Forest Service scientists and many partners have assembled a science synthesis that puts the latest research at land managers' fingertips."

The assessment covers invasive species of all taxonomic groups from insects and pathogens, to plants, vertebrates, and aquatic organisms that impact a diversity of habitats in forests, rangelands and grasslands of the United States. It presents the latest research on a wide range of natural science and social science fields that explore the ecology, impacts, and practical tools for management of invasive species. The scientific synthesis provides the cultural, economic, regulatory, and social context for addressing environmental challenges posed by invasive species. Geographically focused regional summaries highlight the most important invasive species and issues impacting all regions of the country.

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Led by Therese Poland, a research entomologist and project leader with the Northern Research Station, the assessment is the product of 115 authors from the Forest Service, other federal and state agencies, and university, non-government organization and tribal land partners. The assessment is available to view or download at https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/61982

Research brief: Reflecting sunlight could cool the Earth's ecosystem

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

Research News

 

Published in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences, researchers in the Climate Intervention Biology Working Group -- including Jessica Hellmann from the University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment -- explored the effect of solar climate interventions on ecology.

Composed of climate scientists and ecologists from leading research universities internationally, the team found that more research is needed to understand the ecological impacts of solar radiation modification (SRM) technologies that reflect small amounts of sunlight back into space. The team focused on a specific proposed SRM strategy -- referred to as stratospheric aerosol intervention (SAI)) -- to create a sulfate aerosol cloud in the stratosphere to reduce a portion of incoming sunlight and radiation. In theory, this cloud could be controlled in size and location.

SAI is like placing tiny reflective particles in the atmosphere to bounce a portion of the solar radiation back to space, so that some of the radiation does not reach -- and warm -- Earth.

The team emphasizes that greenhouse gas emissions reduction and conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem functions must be the priority.

"We are just starting to consider the risks and benefits of geoengineering, and it's critical that we include ecosystems in cost-benefit studies", said Hellmann, director at the U of M Institute on the Environment. "We should only pursue geoengineering if its benefits strongly outweigh its downsides. Because our efforts to stem climate change are modest and slow, the case for considering geoengineering is growing, and this paper represents the ecologists chiming in to the geoengineering conversation."

The complexity of cascading relationships between ecosystems and climate under SAI -- in combination with the timing, amount, length and termination of SAI scenarios -- means that SAI is not a simple thermostat that turns down the heat a couple of degrees. Other potential effects of SAI include shifts in rainfall and increases in surface UV rays. While SAI might cool an overheated Earth, it would not be able to counter all of the effects of rising atmospheric CO2, such as halting ocean acidification.

"When we approach complex questions like these, there is a broad scale, theoretical understanding of the inherent patterns of biodiversity across the surface of Earth, but this understanding is often informed by finer-scale experiments that test the biological and physical mechanisms underlying those patterns," said Phoebe Zarnetske, study co-lead and an associate professor in Michigan State University's Department of Integrative Biology and the Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior program.

"I hope the paper can convince ecologists that research about nature's responses to solar geoengineering is not just important, but also interesting -- touching on core ecological questions about topics as varied as photosynthesis and animal migration," said U of M alum Shan Kothari, who contributed to the study during his time at the College of Biological Sciences before going to the University of Montreal.

Kothari said that an example of how other scientists can consider the study's findings is to contemplate the unique conditions resulting from solar geoengineering scenarios that may aid or impede the ability for ecosystems to store carbon. He added that such research could help the international community consider solar geoengineering with a stronger awareness of the potential risks and benefits involved.

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The study's co-lead is Jessica Gurevitch, an ecologist at Stony Brook University in New York. This research was funded by the National Science Foundation.

 

Crunching on coral

Research finds that coral predators exert a much larger influence on young coral than expected

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - SANTA BARBARA

Research News

IMAGE: A VARIETY OF REEF FISHES SWIM AMONG THE STAGHORN CORAL IN MO'OREA, FRENCH POLYNESIA AS A RESEARCHER SWIMS OVERHEAD. view more 

CREDIT: UC SANTA BARBARA

You might not think an animal made out of stone would have much to worry about in the way of predators, and that's largely what scientists had thought about coral. Although corallivores like parrotfish and pufferfish are well known to biologists, their impact on coral growth and survival was believed to be small compared to factors like heatwaves, ocean acidification and competition from algae.

But researchers at UC Santa Barbara have found that young corals are quite vulnerable to these predators, regardless of whether a colony finds itself alone on the reef or surrounded by others of its kind. The research, led by doctoral student Kai Kopecky, appears in the journal Coral Reefs.

Kopecky and his co-authors were curious how corals can reemerge following large disturbances like cyclones and marine heatwaves, which periodically devastate the reefs of Mo'orea, French Polynesia, where the research was conducted.

"Mo'orea is prone to big heat shocks, storm waves, cyclones and predatory sea star outbreaks," said co-author Adrian Stier, an associate professor in the Department of Ecology Evolution & Marine Biology and one of Kopecky's advisors. "It just wipes the slate clean in terms of coral death. And sometimes, just a few years later, you can swim around and see thriving life. We're still really curious about what allows these ecosystems to bounce back."

Scientists had implicated predators in shaping coral population dynamics, but there hadn't really been many direct studies. "People who study coral reefs have thought a lot about the supply of new babies coming from elsewhere, or limitation by the amount of nutrients, or competition with algae as important drivers of coral recovery," Stier continued. "But there hasn't been as much done on the importance of predators as a limiting factor."

After reviewing the literature on coral growth, mortality and predation, Kopecky decided to focus on the effects predation and density had on young coral colonies.

He planted small nubbins of Pacific staghorn coral at various locations on the reef either alone, in a group of four, or in a group of eight. Some of these groups were protected by metal cages, while others were left exposed. For the unprotected coral, Kopecky sought to determine whether high density increased or decreased predation on the staghorn. For the protected groups, he was curious how density influenced coral growth.

The researchers found that protection was key to these small corals' futures. After 30 days out on the reef, nearly all of the unprotected nubbins had been completely consumed. In fact, density had virtually no effect on this outcome.

The researchers let the experiment run for an entire year. When they returned, virtually none of the unprotected specimens remained. On the other hand, the caged corals had outgrown their accommodations by year's end.

"The corals that were protected grew all the way into the upper corners of the cages and were poking little branches out," Kopecky recalled. "They formed a cube of coral inside the cages, whereas the ones that were exposed to predators were just barely hanging on."

Coral are not typically fast-growing organisms, but staghorn coral grows quickly, giving it a competitive edge following disturbances that remove large amounts of coral. But according to Kai, staghorn coral are like the popcorn chicken of the reef: irresistible to a hungry corallivore.

The protected corals grew so quickly that Kai had to adopt a different way to measure them, because at a certain point the nubbins fused, and he could no longer unscrew their base plates to measure them in the lab.

So, if there's no protection in numbers for these tasty staghorns, how do they ever survive their infancy?

The corals benefit from the protection of fish like the Dusky farmerfish, which farms algae on the reef. These farmer fish doggedly defend their territories, offering protection to any small coral that happens to settle in their range, Kopecky explained. And while algae and coral are often considered archenemies -- with the former able to outcompete the later -- by munching on their crops, the farmer fish keep the algae in check. This enables the coral to get through the stage where they're vulnerable to predation.

In fact, researchers rarely see staghorn corals in large colonies absent the protection of these fishy farmers, Kopecky added.

The authors thought density would have some effect on predation. "I think it just turns out that this coral is so tasty that predators simply mowed everything down," Stier remarked.

The team is considering running a similar experiment with cauliflower coral, which is more robust and slower-growing than the staghorn. Hopefully it's also slightly less scrumptious, as well.

"When these pufferfish eat enough, you can see their bellies weighted down by the coral rocks that are in their stomachs," Stier said. "I mean, they're oddly shaped fish to begin with; they're already having a hard time swimming without that ballast, but this makes it extra tricky."

"It really is a cartoonish dynamic," Kopecky added.

Staghorn coral is widely used in reef restoration efforts, especially in the Caribbean where this and a related species (elkhorn coral) are endangered. In fact, before joining UC Santa Barbara, Kopecky spent several months working as a coral restoration technician on the U.S. Virgin Islands.

"I had an opportunity to see coral restoration in action, but also see some of the limitations associated with it," Kopecky said. "And then I was able to go and conduct research, like this experiment, that can feed back into and inform how restoration might be improved."

Getting out-planted coral nubbins through this vulnerable life stage presents a major bottleneck to restoration efforts, Kopecky explained. He has already received feedback on the study from people engaged in coral reef restoration expressing how relevant his findings are to their work.

"When you protect these young, vulnerable corals from predators, the amount of growth is substantially higher than when they're not protected," Kopecky said. "It's clear that coral predators can really shape whether young corals actually reach the size where they're no longer vulnerable to predation."

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Study demonstrates the need to monitor the bit area of event horses

UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI

Research News

 

IMAGE: THE OBJECT OF THE CURRENT STUDY WAS EVENT HORSES, THAT IS HORSES WHICH COMPETE IN EVENTS COMPOSED OF THREE PHASES: SHOW JUMPING, DRESSAGE AND A CROSS-COUNTRY TEST. view more 

CREDIT: THEOTHERKEV / PIXABAY

In a study conducted at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, bit-related lesions were observed in half of the event horses examined after competitions. Since most oral lesions are not accompanied by bleeding outside the mouth, the bit area should be monitored.

It was found that event horses that wear thin or thick bits in events had a greater risk of moderate or severe oral lesions compared to horses wearing medium-sized bits, while straight bits were associated with lesions in the bars of the horse's mouth.

"Our recommendation is to use a jointed bit of moderate thickness, that is 14 to 17 millimetres, if the size of the mouth is not known, paying particular attention to the handling of mares and both warmblood and coldblood event horses. They were seen to have a greater risk of mouth lesions compared to geldings and ponies," says doctoral student and veterinarian Kati Tuomola from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki.

"Since most mouth lesions are not evidenced as bleeding outside the mouth, the bit area should be monitored, and event organisers should carry out systematic oral inspections," Tuomola adds.

The research group has previously investigated oral lesions in trotters. The object of the current study was event horses, that is horses which compete in events composed of three phases: show jumping, dressage and a cross-country test. The study was conducted in cooperation with the Equestrian Federation of Finland, and participation in it was voluntary.

"As many as 95% of the equestrians invited for the study wanted their horse to participate, for which we are thankful," says a pleased Tuomola.

For the study, 208 randomly selected horses which were 4 to 19 years old were examined in eight events organised in western Finland in 2018 and 2019. The front part of the horses' mouths was examined after a cross-country test, the last phase of the events. A total of 127 of the horses were warmbloods, 52 coldbloods and 29 ponies. Of the 208 horses examined, 52% had lesions in the bit area. Bruises were found in 39% of the horses and wounds in 19%. Among the group, 48% had no acute lesions, while 22% had mild, 26% moderate and 4% severe lesions. Blood was observed inside the mouth of one horse.

Consequently, event horses had fewer and less severe lesions than the trotters studied earlier.

"The field scoring system developed by Kati Tuomola in her doctoral thesis makes it possible to conduct comparative studies of different groups of horses, something that was previously impossible," says Professor Anna Valros from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki.

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Genomes of the earliest Europeans

Ancient genomes shed new light on the earliest Europeans and their relationships with Neandertals

MAX-PLANCK-GESELLSCHAFT

Research News

 

IMAGE: THE NICHE 1 SECTOR (LEFT) AND THE MAIN SECTOR (RIGHT) DURING THE EXCAVATIONS OF BACHO KIRO CAVE, BULGARIA, IN 2016. THE CEMENT AREA IN THE FOREGROUND WAS PREVIOUSLY EXCAVATED IN... view more 

CREDIT: MPI-EVA/ NIKOLAY ZAHERIEV

An international research team has sequenced the genomes of the oldest securely dated modern humans in Europe who lived around 45,000 years ago in Bacho Kiro Cave, Bulgaria. By comparing their genomes to the genomes of people who lived later in Europe and in Asia the researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, show that this early human group in Europe contributed genes to later people, particularly present-day East Asians. The researchers also identified large stretches of Neandertal DNA in the genomes of the Bacho Kiro Cave people, showing that they had Neandertal ancestors about five to seven generations back in their family histories. This suggests that mixture with Neandertals was the rule rather than the exception when the first modern humans arrived in Europe.

Last year, a research team led by researchers from the National Institute of Archaeology with Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Germany, reported the discovery of modern human remains found in direct association with the Initial Upper Palaeolithic stone tools at the site of Bacho Kiro Cave in Bulgaria. The oldest individuals found in the cave were directly radiocarbon dated to between 43,000 and 46,000 years ago. They are thus the earliest known dispersal of modern humans across the mid-latitudes of Eurasia.

Mateja Hajdinjak and colleagues have now sequenced the genomes of five individuals found at the Bacho Kiro Cave. Four individuals are between 43,000 to 46,000-years-old and were found together with stone tools belonging to the Initial Upper Palaeolithic, the earliest culture associated with modern humans in Eurasia. An additional individual found in the cave is around 35,000-years-old and found with stone tools of a later type. It was previously thought that bearers of the Initial Upper Palaeolithic died out without contributing genetically to modern humans arriving later. However, the researchers now show that the oldest Bacho Kiro Cave individuals, or groups closely related to them, contributed genes to present-day people. Surprisingly, this contribution is found particularly in East Asia and the Americas rather than in Europe where the Bacho Kiro Cave people lived. These genetic links to Asia mirror the links seen between the Initial Upper Palaeolithic stone tools and personal ornaments found in Bacho Kiro Cave and tools and ancient jewelry found across Eurasia to Mongolia.

CAPTION

Second lower molar of a modern human found in Bacho Kiro Cave in the Main sector associated with the Initial Upper Palaeolithic stone tools. Genome-wide data from this individual indicates that he had a Neandertal ancestor less than six generations before he lived. Another human fragment from the same individual was found in the Layer I in the Niche 1 area of the cave.

CREDIT

MPI-EVA/ Rosen Spasov

Genetic differences between individuals

Importantly, the later 35,000-year-old individual found in Bacho Kiro Cave belonged to a group that was genetically distinct from the earlier inhabitants of the cave. This shows that the earliest history of modern humans in Europe may have been tumultuous and involved population replacements.

The earliest people at Bacho Kiro Cave lived at a time when Neandertals were still around. The researchers therefore scanned their genomes for fragments of Neandertal DNA. "We found that the Bacho Kiro Cave individuals had higher levels of Neandertal ancestry than nearly all other early humans, with the exception of a 40,000-year-old individual from Romania. Crucially, most of this Neandertal DNA comes in extremely long stretches. This shows that these individuals had Neandertal ancestors some five to seven generations back in their family trees" says Mateja Hajdinjak.

Although only a handful of genomes from modern humans who lived at the same time in Eurasia as some of the last Neandertals have been recovered, nearly all of them have recent Neandertal ancestors. "The results suggest that the first modern humans that arrived in Eurasia mixed frequently with Neandertals. They may even have become absorbed into resident Neandertal populations. Only later on did larger modern human groups arrive and replace the Neandertals" says Svante Pääbo, who coordinated the genetic research.

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Red deer have personality and it is related to their dominance behavior

UNIVERSITY OF TURKU

Research News

 

IMAGE: TWO MALE RED DEERS FIGHTING view more 

CREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF TURKU

An international team of researchers has studied individual differences in the behaviour of red deer. They found that several observed behaviours form a personality component, which they labelled "Confidence/Aggressiveness".

As is commonly known, individual people behave consistently different from each other and these kinds of consistent differences in behaviour are called personality. Studies on species other than humans, from insects to elephants, have found that personalities are widespread in nature.

The team consists of researchers from the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, the University of South Bohemia, Czech Republic, the University of Vienna, Austria, and the University of Turku, Finland and is led by Bruno Esattore from the Department of Ethology at the Institute of Animal Science in Prague. The team of researchers studied personality of red deer with a newly developed questionnaire, as well as observed their behaviours.

The researchers identified a single personality component related to Confidence/Aggressiveness. Interestingly, some of the behaviours making up this component were linked with dominance behaviour in red deer. The study has just been published in Behavioural Processes.

- Many personality studies have focused on primates, rodents, birds, field crickets or fish. Despite of their well-studied biology and increasing popularity in the farming sector, the personality structure of one of Europe's most iconic mammals, the red deer, has until now been unknown, says the lead author of the study Bruno Esattore.

The personality data were collected by using a novel questionnaire for which experienced observers rated 15 behaviours on a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 meaning the deer shows this behaviour "Almost never" and 5 meaning "Most of the time".

- We think it is extremely interesting that inter-individual differences which have been so far overlooked or even regarded as distracting are those that eventually make the difference when trying to identify the personality of these animals, states Doctoral Candidate Laura Saggiomo from the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences of the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague.

- These findings are exciting, but of course, they are not the final picture of how personality manifests in red deer, says Postdoctoral Researcher Vedrana Šlipogor from the Department of Zoology of the University of South Bohemia in Budweiss, Czech Republic.

The team put lots of care into the making of the questionnaire, however, for a majority of the 15 behaviours the observers did not agree very well on their ratings of the deer.

- This was an unexpected result and shows that we have to be careful with our behavioural descriptions and to consider observer perceptions when using questionnaire ratings of animal behaviour for scientific studies, Šlipogor further states.

The team then linked these findings with observations of the dominance interactions of the male deer in their bachelor groups.

- We found no relationship between deer's dominance and personality, but dominance was related to some of the rated behaviours, showing our personality questionnaire captured some biologically meaningful variation, says Bruno Esattore.

Studies on animals kept in zoos or different facilities or farms have shown that knowing the individual characteristics or personalities of animals can help to implement the best strategy in guaranteeing their welfare.

- Personality has not been largely considered in welfare management decisions, but lately it is receiving more and more attention. We believe that studies like ours can help to add to the improvement of animal management and welfare, concludes Martin Seltmann from the Department of Biology at the University of Turku.

Genome sequencing reveals a new species of bumblebee

UPPSALA UNIVERSITY

Research News

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IMAGE: THE NEWLY DISCOVERED BOMBUS INCOGNITUS LOOKS IDENTICAL TO ANOTHER SPECIES, BOMBUS SYLVICOLA. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY WHICH ONE OF THE TWO IS SEEN IN THIS PHOTO. view more 

CREDIT: JENNIFER GEIB

While studying genetic diversity in bumblebees in the Rocky Mountains, USA, researchers from Uppsala University discovered a new species. They named it Bombus incognitus and present their findings in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution.

Bumblebees are vital for agriculture and the natural world due to their role in plant pollination. There are more than 250 species of bumblebee, and they are found mainly in northern temperate regions of the planet. Alarmingly, many species are declining due to the effects of climate change, and those with alpine and arctic habitats are particularly threatened. However, the full diversity of bumblebee species in these environments is still unknown.

Matthew Webster's research group at Uppsala University, together with colleagues in the USA, studied genetic diversity in bumblebees in the Rocky Mountains, Colorado by collecting hundreds of samples and sequencing their genomes. Surprisingly, the data revealed the presence of a new species, which was indistinguishable in appearance to the species Bombus sylvicola, but clearly distinct at the genetic level. The authors named this species Bombus incognitus.

By comparing the genomes of Bombus sylvicola and Bombus incognitus, the team were able to learn about how this new species formed. They found signals consistent with gene flow between the species during their evolution. They also identified parts of chromosomes that are incompatible between species, which act as genetic barriers to gene flow and were likely important in causing the species to separate.

These results indicate that the number of bumblebee species in arctic and alpine environments may be larger than previously thought. It is possible that mountainous terrain is conducive to speciation. Cold-adapted populations could become isolated at high altitudes during periods of warming in their evolutionary history, leading to the formation of new species. It is also possible that additional genome sequencing of bumblebees will reveal even more cryptic species that have so far gone undetected.

CAPTION

The newly discovered Bombus incognitus looks identical to another species, Bombus sylvicola. It is impossible to say which one of the two is seen in this photo.

CREDIT

Jennifer Geib

CAPTION

The newly discovered Bombus incognitus looks identical to another species, Bombus sylvicola. It is impossible to say which one of the two is seen in this photo.

CREDIT

Jennifer Geib

 

Scientists discover two new species of ancient, burrowing mammal ancestors

120-million-year-old animals evolved "scratch-digging" traits independently

AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

Research News

 

IMAGE: THIS PORTRAIT SHOWS THE TRITYLODONTID FOSSIOMANUS SINENSIS (UPPER RIGHT) AND THE EUTRICONODONTAN JUECONODON CHENI IN BURROWS; BOTH LIVED THE EARLY CRETACEOUS JEHOL BIOTA (ABOUT 120 MILLION YEARS AGO), NORTHEASTERN CHINA,... view more 

CREDIT: © CHUANG ZHAO

Paleontologists have discovered two new species of mammal-like, burrowing animals that lived about 120 million years ago in what is now northeastern China. The new species, described today in the journal Nature, are distantly related but independently evolved traits to support their digging lifestyle. They represent the first "scratch-diggers" discovered in this ecosystem.

"There are many hypotheses about why animals dig into the soil and live underground," said lead author Jin Meng, a curator in the American Museum of Natural History's Division of Paleontology. "For protection against predators, to maintain a temperature that's relatively constant--not too hot in the summer and not too cold in the winter--or to find food sources like insects and plant roots. These two fossils are a very unusual, deep-time example of animals that are not closely related and yet both evolved the highly specialized characteristics of a digger."

The fossil mammaliamorph species--predecessors to mammals--were discovered in the Jehol Biota, which represents the Early Cretaceous epoch, about 145 to 100 million years ago. One is a mammal-like reptile called a tritylodontid and is the first of its kind to be identified in this biota. About a foot in length, it was given the name Fossiomanus sinensis (Fossio, "digging" and manus "hand;" sinensis, "from China"). The other is named Jueconodon cheni (Jue, "digging"--Chinese pinyin--and conodon "cuspate tooth"; cheni for Y. Chen, who collected the fossil). It is a eutriconodontan, a distant cousin of modern placental mammals and marsupials, which were common in the habitat. It is about 7 inches long.

Mammals that are adapted to burrowing have specialized traits for digging. The researchers found some of these hallmark features--including shorter limbs, strong forelimbs with robust hands, and a short tail--in both Fossiomanus and Jueconodon. In particular, these characteristics point to a type of digging behavior known as "scratch digging," accomplished mainly by the claws of the forelimbs.

"This is the first convincing evidence for fossorial life in those two groups," Meng said. "It also is the first case of scratch diggers we know about in the Jehol Biota, which was home to a great diversity of life, from dinosaurs to insects to plants."

The animals also share another unusual feature: an elongated vertebral column. Typically, mammals have 26 vertebrae from the neck to the hip. However, Fossiomanus had 38 vertebrae--a staggering 12 more than the common state--while Jueconodon had 28. To try to determine how these animals got their elongated trunks, the paleontologists turned to recent studies in developmental biology, finding that the variation could be attributed to gene mutations that determine the number and shape of the vertebrae in the beginning of the animals' embryotic development. Variation in vertebrae number can be found in modern mammals as well, including in elephants, manatees, and hyraxes.

CAPTION

Reconstruction of Fossiomanus senensis and Jueconodon cheni

CREDIT

ZHAO Chuang

Other authors on the study include Fangyuan Mao from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the American Museum of Natural History, Chi Zhang from the Chinese Academy of Sceinces, and Cunyu Liu from the Beipiao Pterosaur Museum of China.

This study was supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, grant no.s 41688103 and 42072002; the Chinese Academy of Sciences Strategic Priority Research Program, Youth Innovation Promotion Association, and 100 Young Talents Program; and the Kalbfleisch Fellowship of the American Museum of Natural History's Richard Gilder Graduate School.

Study DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03433-2

CAPTION

Holotype specimens of Fossiomanus senensis and Jueconodon cheni

CREDIT

MAO Fangyuan

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