Warsaw pride parade back after LGBT rights backlash and pandemic break

Issued on: 19/06/2021 -

People with rainbow flags cool off in a sprinkler ahead of the Equality Parade, the largest LGBT pride parade in Central and Eastern Europe, in Warsaw, Poland, on June 19, 2021. © Czarek Sokolowski, AP Photo

Text by:NEWS WIRES

The largest gay pride parade in central Europe took place again in Warsaw for the first time in two years after a pandemic-induced break — and amid a backlash in Poland and Hungary against LGBT rights.

Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski walked at the head of the Equality Parade on Saturday — a sign of support for LGBT rights by the liberal politician. Thousands of people joined the march and were cheered on by others waving rainbow flags from their apartment balconies.

But that level of acceptance is not universal in Poland, a heavily Catholic, largely conservative nation.

The joyful and colorful celebration was tinged with fear of what the future holds for the rights of gay men, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people after setbacks first in Russia and now in Hungary.

“The day of the parade is always a bitter-sweet moment for our community," said Rafal Wojtczak, a spokesman for the organizers. He described feelings of sadness and helplessness that LGBT people have not achieved rights like same-sex partnership or marriage in Poland, while also facing new threats.

The parade comes days after Hungary's parliament passed a law that makes it illegal to show any materials about LGBT issues to people under 18.

Hungary's conservative ruling party portrayed the law as an effort to fight pedophilia. But human rights groups see it as a cynical tool that will stigmatize and discriminate against LGBT people, and prevent youth from accessing critical information.

Poland's populist ruling party has taken a political direction very similar to that of Hungary under Prime Minister Viktor Orban in past years, pushing conservative policies and tightening ruling party control over courts and media. The European Union has denounced both these two member nations, accusing them of eroding democratic norms.

One prominent Polish activist, Bart Staszewski, carried a Hungarian flag in Saturday's march. He said it was a message to the EU to act in defense of LGBT people because he fears that “Poland will be next.”

A year ago, the Polish LGBT community faced a backlash from ruling conservative politicians, local communities and the church. In his successful bid for reelection against a challenge from Trzaskowski, President Andrzej Duda declared that “LGBT is not people; it's an ideology” while also claiming that it was “even more destructive” than communism.

A Polish archbishop warned of a “rainbow plague.” And dozens of local communities in Poland were passing resolutions against "LGBT ideology” in what was described as an attempt to protect the traditional family. These were strongly denounced by EU officials and a handful have since been rescinded.

“We’ve been through a very, very rough time, but at the same time we are going out in the streets and we are saying we are stronger and we are not going to give up,” said Miroslawa Makuchowska, vice director of Campaign Against Homophobia.

Wojtczak said “our community has been used in a political war.”

At the start of the march, some people chanted a vulgarity against Poland's ruling party.

This weekend’s Equality Parade comes 20 years since the event was first held in the Polish capital. It was banned twice in its early years by a conservative mayor, Lech Kaczynski, who feared it would promote homosexuality, and last year it was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Since the first event in 2001, Polish society has become largely more open on the issue of gay rights, shaped by EU membership and cultural influences from the West.

This year's parade was smaller than the one in 2019 due to some pandemic restrictions.

The true spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection is much greater than that observed by capturing only swab-diagnosed COVID-19 cases

EUROPEAN ALLIANCE OF ASSOCIATIONS FOR RHEUMATOLOGY

Research News

 

As part of the MAINSTREAM project, Favalli and colleagues conducted a seroprevalence cross-sectional study between 4th May and 16th June 2020toestimate the prevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in a large cohort of people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or spondyloarthritis (SpA) treated with biologic or targeted synthetic disease modifying anti rheumatic drugs (b/tsDMARDs) in a COVID-19 high-endemic area (Lombardy, Italy). Over this time, 300 people were tested for IgG, IgM and IgA antibodies against three viral antigens-nucleoprotein, spike protein, and the receptor-binding domain. These data were compared with those observed in the healthy population in the same period and region. Everyone taking part also completed a questionnaire to collect information about symptoms consistent with COVID-19, risk factors, and comorbidities.

Overall, 65% of people taking part had RA, 23% had psoriatic arthritis, and 21% had ankylosing spondylitis. Most people were being treated with tumour necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi;57%), and the remainder were receiving abatacept (20%), interleukin-6 inhibitors (IL-6i;11%), or januskinase inhibitors (JAKi;5%).Of the 300 people, 4 had a prior diagnosis of COVID-19 defined by nasopharyngeal swab.

Immunoglobulin titres were evaluated resulting in 9%, 13.6%, and 13.3% positive patients for IgG, IgM and IgA, respectively, and there was no significant difference to the healthy population. Among seropositive patients, 55.3% were asymptomatic, 16% had minor and 19.6% major symptoms, 7.1% were hospitalized. No deaths or admission to intensive care occurred. IgM, IgG and IgA titres to the receptor binding domain of the virus were higher in patients with both minor and major symptoms compared with asymptomatic ones. No differences were found between seronegative and seropositive patients in relation to age, sex, rheumatic diagnosis, and treatment with cs- and b/tsDMARDs or corticosteroids. A relative increased risk was associated with obesity and presence of at least two comorbidities.

This study confirms that, even in a cohort of rheumatic patients, the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection is much greater than that observed by capturing only swab-diagnosed COVID-19 cases. The underlying rheumatic disease and ongoing therapy with b/tsDMARD does not seem to impact SARS-CoV-2 antibody positivity, which conversely seems to be associated to symptomaticCOVID-19 and presence of comorbidities.

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Personalized medicine, not X-rays, should guide forearm fracture treatment in older adults

The new findings will guide future treatments of distal radius fracture

MICHIGAN MEDICINE - UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

Research News

 

A decade-long study of the most common forearm fracture in older adults revealed that personalized medicine catering to a patient's individual needs and environment, not age or X-rays, should guide treatment options.

Led by a Michigan Medicine physician, the research team examined treatment outcomes over two years for patients who fractured their distal radius, the larger of two bones in the forearm. They found no one-size-fits all method for treating the fracture, which more than 85,000 Medicare beneficiaries sustain annually.

"Traditionally, surgeons look at these broken bones on X-rays, and they have to assess various ways of fixing it based off fracture anatomy and patient age," said Kevin Chung, M.D., study lead and Charles B. G. De Nancrede Professor of Surgery at Michigan Medicine. "However, in older patients, we determined that the patient-centered care in tailoring particular treatments to their needs, social environment and risk tolerance for surgery are all considerations in prescribing treatment."

The new study, published in JAMA Network Open and funded by the National Institutes of Health, covered more than 180 participants studied at more than 20 global medical centers over a 10-year period.

"For hand surgery, this is the most intense, collaborative effort to try and answer a 200-year puzzle about distal radius fractures in older adults," Chung said. "It is one of the most common fractures in the world for this patient population - you have parents and grandparents that will get this fracture. For the good of public health, we needed to answer this question."

Participants in the trial were randomized to receive one of three treatment strategies, including volar locking plates, external fixation, and pinning. Those who chose not to have surgery were treated with casting. Although participants treated with volar plating reported better ability to perform daily tasks early on in the follow-up period of the trial, that gap between plating and other methods disappeared at the six-month mark. All participants were satisfied with the outcomes at the study's conclusion.

"Surgeons need to know how to perform all the techniques available to treat distal radius fracture, rather than being so ingrained to using just the plating system because, now, most trainees are taught just that system," Chung said. "But there are so many fracture patterns that require one to have all the tools and skills necessary to make sure patients receive tailored treatment for their injuries."

The results show that the interaction between the surgeon, the patient and the patient's family is key because satisfaction of the patients demands a much more personal approach than the singular interest of fixing a broken bone, Chung said.

"We know that chronological age doesn't determine a patient's physiological age," he said. "When someone is 70 years old, they may be physiologically 40-50. Those patients have a need to get back to physical activities and independent living, so we should treat them more aggressively."

Recruitment for a trial lasting 10 years proved difficult for the research team. The older people participating in this historic study, some struggling with transportation, wanted to help others, Chung said.

"It is difficult to participate in this trial because of the time and effort invested by the patients," he said. "These are special people. They contributed their lives for the science of helping other older patients who will suffer from this fracture. Their commitment is inspirational to us, which kept our research team going, despite overwhelming challenges. We are grateful to our study participants, the National Institutes of Health and the support of the American people."

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Paper cited/DOI: "Comparison of 24-Month Outcomes After Treatment for Distal Radius Fracture," JAMA Network Open. DOI: doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.12710

Researchers review data on reputed toxins thought to cause neurodegeneration

UNIVERSITY OF GUAM

a joint publication by University of Guam and University of British Columbia researchers.

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IMAGE: UNIVERSITY OF GUAM CYCAD BIOLOGIST BENJAMIN DELOSO INSPECTS SEEDS ON A CYCAS MICRONESICA PLANT AT THE MONTGOMERY BOTANICAL CENTER IN MIAMI. UNIVERSITY OF GUAM BIOLOGISTS COLLECTED GUAM SEEDS IN 2006... view more 

CREDIT: PHOTO BY MICHAEL CALONJE

Identifying the causes of human neurodegenerative diseases is a global research priority, warranting frequent reviews of the accumulating knowledge. In doing just that, biologists from the Plant Physiology Laboratory at the University of Guam and neuroscientists from the Experimental Medicine Program at The University of British Columbia have published an update on the reputed environmental toxins that have been suspected of being involved in mammal neurodegeneration. Their summary was published in April in the book Spectrums of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, which is available online from the publisher Wiley Blackwell.

A decades-long search for a dementia-causing toxin

Interest in the correlations between environmental toxins and neurodegeneration focused the world's magnifying glass on the island of Guam in the 1950s due to an unexpected increase in cases of neurodegenerative cases among the indigenous CHamoru population. The specific condition that temporarily affected Guam is known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-parkinsonism dementia (ALS-PDC) and known locally by the CHamoru term lytico-bodig.

A focus on this isolated cluster of cases led to decades of pursuit of causal toxins found in seeds of Guam's native cycad tree. These seeds were components of the local cuisine at the time, and increased reliance on this form of food starch during World War II was a plausible hypothesis to explain the increase in neurodegeneration cases shortly after the war.

Several factors likely coalesce

An ebb and flow of sequential disappointments has evolved since the 1950s because the identification of a single causal cycad toxin remains elusive.

But these disappointments have been countered by successes. It is now understood that several factors likely coalesce into a synchronized perfect storm to generate an unusual increase in localized neurodegenerative cases, such as what temporarily happened on Guam. These co-factors may include exposure to high doses of the environmental toxin by the most susceptible gender with the most susceptible genes at the most susceptible age, followed by a latency period before the neuronal damage begins to express itself.

The UOG-UBC collaboration has lasted more than two decades, and various members of the team have authored more than 100 journal articles on various aspects of cycad biology during that time. The toxicology of Guam cycad seeds was the subject of 14 of these publications.

"When I began collaborating with UOG, we had the benefit of building on the foundation of decades of research from Guam," said co-author Christopher Shaw, UBC neuroscientist. "We used the fact that no plant scientist had been directly involved in any of the previously published research to secure funds to revisit various issues concerning cycad seed toxins."

Difference between acute and slow-acting toxins

One of the many confusing aspects of this research is that acute toxins, which cause immediate poison reactions following cycad seed ingestion, are distinct from slow-acting toxins, which lead to neurodegeneration.

"The distinctions between these two forms of toxins are often confused, and scientists are constantly reminding the public that many years need to elapse after the exposure to a slow plant toxin before negative health outcomes develop," said Benjamin Deloso, a cycad biologist with UOG.

Claims of cyanide poisoning inaccurate

Another benefit from the marathon pursuit of the causal cycad toxin is that an enormous body of literature has developed that uncovered which biomolecules are not at play. "This is how science works," Shaw said. "The aggressive empirical look at each candidate toxin was justified and refined the development of superseding hypotheses that were vigorously tested."

For example, cassava roots contain sugar-based molecules that liberate cyanide after ingestion by mammals, and cycad seeds contain similar molecules, but cycad seeds contain no free cyanide and the identified sugar-based cycad molecules in cycads are incapable of liberating toxic levels of cyanide following ingestion by mammals. The meticulous research revealed the claims of cyanide as a potential cycad toxin and that cycad seed consumption could cause cyanide poisoning were inaccurate.

"Throwing around fear-mongering buzzwords, like cyanide, is a classic example of a repetition of false information in order to drive a personal agenda," Deloso said. "There are even petitions being circulated that falsely claim that cycad plants contain cyanide in attempts to force retail nurseries to stop selling cycad plants to pet owners."

The research team contends that scientists are not immune from the mistake of repeating these sorts of false claims about cycads. This tends to happen when scientists get their information from the gray literature or online encyclopedia style websites that are not vetted by cycad experts.

The authors hope that one outcome of their new publication is a decline in the spread of false information about cycad poisoning, as these untruthful statements damage the international community's attempts to improve cycad conservation.

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Further Reading: Shaw, C.A. and T.E. Marler. 2021. The Lessons of ALS?PDC - Environmental Factors in ALS Etiology. p. 57-79. In: Spectrums of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119745532.ch4

CAPTION

Researchers process dried chips from the seeds of Guam's native cycad tree in preparation of foods for experimental mammal consumption. The status of knowledge about toxins in cycad seeds is discussed in a joint publication by University of Guam and University of British Columbia researchers.

CREDIT

Photo courtesy of University of British Columbia

Earlier flood forecasting could help avoid disaster in Japan

INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE, THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO

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IMAGE: RESEARCHERS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE DEVELOP A FLOOD FORECASTING SYSTEM THAT COULD HELP PROTECT PEOPLE AND PROPERTY DURING TYPHOONS view more 

CREDIT: INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE, THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO

Tokyo, Japan - In Japan, thousands of homes and businesses and hundreds of lives have been lost to typhoons. But now, researchers have revealed that a new flood forecasting system could provide earlier flood warnings, giving people more time to prepare or evacuate, and potentially saving lives.

In a study published this month in Scientific Reports, researchers from The University of Tokyo Institute of Industrial Science have shown that a recently developed flood forecasting system provides much earlier advance warnings of extreme flooding events than current systems. Floods are one of the most common natural disasters and are increasing in frequency. In 2019, Typhoon Hagibis swept across parts of Japan causing severe flooding that resulted in 86 deaths and approximately 400 billion dollars' worth of damage. Most urban areas in Japan lie within a floodplain and typhoons can result in rapid and dangerous flooding. Early warning systems can help people to prepare for imminent flooding, but people need sufficient time to do so.

"Current warning systems can provide accurate flooding predictions, but with only a few hours' notice" says lead author of the study Wenchao Ma. "Because people need more time to respond effectively to flood warnings, we investigated whether a newly developed flood forecasting system could accurately predict flooding locations with a longer lead time."

Flooding predictions in Japan are currently based on gauged upstream water levels. The new system is based on models of the land surface and river routes that used together can simulate the movement of water in floodplains. These models are combined with meteorological data like rainfall, temperature, and wind speed, and statistical analysis; the result is flood predictions for all rivers in Japan.

One of the main challenges with forecasting floods is a lack of data to validate the techniques used. During a disaster, collecting information about floods is challenging and can be dangerous. To overcome this issue, the team looked at the location and timing of dike breaks during Typhoon Hagibis. Dike breaks are a good indicator of which areas flooded during the typhoon and allowed the researchers to test the ability of the forecasting system to predict flood locations.

"The system was very effective," explains Kei Yoshimura, senior author. "In fact, we found that the model accurately predicted flooding at 91% of broken dike locations." Importantly, the system also predicted floods with a 32-hour lead time - a notable improvement on the current system. This extra time could be helpful for disaster preparation and making decisions about evacuation.

As the frequency of flooding is likely to increase in the future, forecasting systems that produce accurate and timely flood warnings are urgently needed in Japan, and the rest of the world.

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The article, "Applicability of a nationwide flood forecasting system for Typhoon Hagibis 2019," was published in Scientific Reports at DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-89522-8

About Institute of Industrial Science (IIS), the University of Tokyo

Institute of Industrial Science (IIS), the University of Tokyo is one of the largest university-attached research institutes in Japan.

More than 120 research laboratories, each headed by a faculty member, comprise IIS, with more than 1,000 members including approximately 300 staff and 700 students actively engaged in education and research. Our activities cover almost all the areas of engineering disciplines. Since its foundation in 1949, IIS has worked to bridge the huge gaps that exist between academic disciplines and realworld applications.

Dragonflies: Species losses and gains in Germany

Some dragonfly and damselfly species suffer from habitat loss and degradation, while many species benefit from improved water quality and warmer climate

GERMAN CENTRE FOR INTEGRATIVE BIODIVERSITY RESEARCH (IDIV) HALLE-JENA-LEIPZIG

Research News

IMAGE: CALOPTERYX VIRGO BREEDS IN RIVERS AND STREAMS AND HAS BEEN INCREASING SINCE 1980 IN GERMANY. THIS INCREASE IS REFLECTING A RECOVERY FROM THE IMPACTS OF PAST WATER POLLUTION. view more 

CREDIT: ANDRE GÜNTHER

Germany is a hotspot for dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata) species in Europe, owing to the range of habitats and climates that it provides. While many recent and mostly small-scale studies suggest long-term declines of insect populations in different parts of Europe, studies of freshwater insects - including dragonflies and damselflies - suggest that some species have increased in occurrence. Researchers of iDiv, FSU and UFZ have now provided a nationwide analysis of the occurrence and distribution of dragonflies and damselflies in Germany between 1980 and 2016. For this, they analysed over 1 million occurrence records on 77 species from different regional databases, most of which were collected by citizen scientists and collated by the natural history society of German-speaking odonatologists (GdO).

Habitat loss threatens species of standing waterbodies

The researchers found both losses and gains, but are concerned about the decline of species using standing water habitats. Decreases were observed in 29% of species, mainly in cold-adapted species that prefer standing water habitats such as bogs and fens. Many of these species are already threatened with extinction. These species rely on small or shallow water bodies, which have been vulnerable to droughts and lower groundwater levels. "These species are suffering a lot from habitat loss and degradation. Here, we are still facing serious conservation challenges," said first author Dr Diana Bowler from iDiv, FSU and UFZ.

Overall, the analysis suggests that cold-adapted habitat specialists of standing water habitats are likely to be most vulnerable to further environmental change, including climate change.

By contrast, the study results show increases in the occurrence of 45% of all species, in general, warm-adapted species. "Formerly rare species such as Crocothemis erythraea and Erythromma viridulum have become much more common across Germany," said Diana Bowler. "These species prefer warmer temperatures and so their increase in Germany is most probably an outcome of long-term climate change."

Among the winners were also running-water species, which signals the conservation success that can be achieved by better environmental management. "The increase of these species reflects a recovery from the impacts of past water pollution and the almost complete destruction of natural floodplains," said Klaus-Jürgen Conze, chair GdO. In Germany, projects to improve freshwater quality and river restoration were initiated in the 1990s and the EU Water Framework Directive was adopted in 2000.

A large share of the data was collected by citizen scientists and natural history societies, such as the GdO. "Our study highlights the great value of these monitoring efforts for assessing changes in species' occurrences. We found some signs of accelerating declines in the last decade, which highlights the need to support the efforts of these societies in the future," said senior author Prof Aletta Bonn from UFZ, FSU and iDiv.

This study was financed inter alia by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG; FZT-118) as part of "sMon - Biodiversity Trends in Germany". sMon is an iDiv synthesis project to bring together exemplary data sets on a variety of taxa and habitats to explore the possibilities for, and limitations of the analysis of changes in biodiversity. Based on this, prospects for future monitoring programmes in Germany are to be determined. sMon brings together government representatives from all federal states, scientists and members of various professional associations

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CAPTION

Sympetrum danae prefers standing water bodies including bogs. Populations have been declining in Germany.

CREDIT

Frank Suhling

 

Apps 'valuable tool' for patients during pandemic

New research found technology has been particularly important during global pandemic

ANGLIA RUSKIN UNIVERSITY

Research News

 

That is the conclusion of new research published in the journal Geriatrics, which examined studies on several "telehealth" applications - smartphone apps used by patients and healthcare professionals to manage their condition.

Researchers found that smartphone apps and telehealth initiatives have the potential to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of healthcare systems and patients' quality of life in relation to pain management

The authors also emphasise that user involvement in development and construction of smartphone apps and telehealth initiatives is vital to enhance acceptability and usability.

However, the study also advised that enhanced systems, policies and procedures are needed in order to prevent unethical use of health data across the health system.

According to the United Nations, the global population of over 65s is growing at a faster rate than any other age group. The population of older adults is expected to be at 1.5 billion by 2050.

Co-author Dr Antonio Bonocaro, Senior Lecturer in Adult and Acute Care Nursing at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said: "Chronic pain is a significant cause of disability. The current COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted normal healthcare delivery, making it harder for people to physically access services, and even in normal times, healthcare services are under increasing strain.

"Our research found there is considerable potential for apps to actively support older people with their pain management and also improve communication with health professionals when physical services are unobtainable. They are cheap, informal, and popular.

"However, telehealth apps are mostly produced without getting users involved in the developmental process. The need for information sharing, education, and self-administration of pain relief is almost completely neglected.

"Data protection is a big concern for patients. The importance of data privacy and confidentiality should be acknowledged, and encryption and password-protected access to any data is important."

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Phytoplankton -- the discovery of a missing link

LUDWIG-MAXIMILIANS-UNIVERSITÄT MÜNCHEN

Research News

 

Biologists have identified a family of algae as a living missing link in the microscopic domain.

Over the course of evolutionary time, marine microorganisms have undergone an immense range of diversification. This applies in particular to the group known as dinophytes. Also known as dinoflagellates, these unicellular algae can account for a significant fraction of the phytoplankton in the oceans, and their ecological and economic significance is correspondingly high. A team of researchers led by Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich biologist Professor Marc Gottschling now reports the identification of a missing link between the two major phylogenetic groups of dinophytes, which sheds new light on the evolution of these organisms.

Many dinophytes are characterized by a bipartite protective structure called a theca, which consists of cellulosic plates synthesized in specialized vesicles that lie immediately below the plasma membrane. The patterning of the plates is often species- and group specific. In the new study, Gottschling and his colleagues focused on a monoclonal dinophyte strain that had been assigned to the Cladopyxidaceae. Using a combination of morphological analysis by electron microscopy and genetic characterization (by ribosomal RNA sequencing), they discovered - much to their surprise - that its phylogenetic position reveals it to be a 'missing link' between the two major groups of thecate dinophytes - the Gonyaulacales and the Peridiniales. In addition, the study showed that this dinophyte represents a new genus and species, which they named Fensomea setacea in honor of the micropaleontologist Robert A. Fensome.

"Missing links have made many important contributions to the understanding of evolution," Gottschling points out. "Among the best known examples among macrofauna are the Urvogel Archaeopteryx and the coelacanth (Latimeria). But the recognition and documentation of a living missing link in the microscopic domain is also highly significant." Up to now, the Cladopyxidaceae have been classified within the Gonyaulacales, while other Dinophyceae with a comparable hyposome were assigned to the Peridiniales." Thanks to the recognition of this missing link, we have now shown that these are misaassignments," says Gottschling. Based on our work the two large groups can now be morphologically defined in a more coherent manner, which clarifies their evolutionary history. The modern Cladopyxidaceae are most probably quite similar to the last common ancestor of all dinophytes, which originated about 200 million years ago. They are the last suvivors of a group that was much more abundant during the times of the dinosaurs."

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Climate warming can influence fungal communities on oak leaves across the growing season

STOCKHOLM UNIVERSITY

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IMAGE: VIEW INSIDE ONE OF THE THREE HEATED CAGES IN THE EXPERIMENT. view more 

CREDIT: MARIA FATICOV

Climate warming plays a larger role than plant genes in influencing the number and identity of fungal species on oak leaves, especially in autumn. Recently published in the journal New Phytologist, this research by ecologists sheds light on how warming and tree genes affect the dynamics of fungal communities across the season.

"One of our major findings was that elevated temperature decreased the number of fungal species and changed their community composition, especially in the late season" says Maria Faticov, a researcher at the Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences (DEEP) at Stockholm University.

Plants host thousands of microscopic organisms and leaves are no exception. Leaves harbour a large diversity of microorganisms including fungi, bacteria and, less frequently, archaea. Fungi are among the most diverse groups of microorganisms living on leaves. Some of these microscopic fungi cause disease, others can promote plant growth and defend leaves against biotic and abiotic stresses, and still others play an important role in leaf senescence and decomposition.

Climate is one of the main factors influencing fungal development, either directly or indirectly, by triggering plant defences.

"From earlier studies, we know that the number of fungal species and their abundance change as leaves age and the season progresses from spring to autumn. What we do not know is what role climate warming and plant genetic variation play in shaping fungal communities across the growing season" says Ayco Tack, associate professor at the Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University.

To answer this question, researchers took on a challenging project - they built 6 identical cages in a field to the north of Stockholm, each cage the size of a small living room. Scientists put 132 young oak trees into the cages that represented 5 different genotypes. Half of the cages were heated from May to October using ceramic heaters. The remaining ones were left as control and did not have heaters in them. The temperature in the heated cages was increased by ca 2°C to mimic the global temperature increase predicted by scientists to occur by the end of the century. Researchers collected leaves in the early, middle and late growing season and used DNA sequencing to find out which fungi had colonised the leaves. This way they could compare the changes in fungal community structure between the control and warming treatment and also among oak genotypes.

"We observed that fungal community composition drastically changed from spring to autumn, with yeasts increasing in relative abundance and fungal pathogens decreasing. Interestingly, while experimental warming had a major impact on the fungal community, oak genotype explained only a minor part of the variation in the number of fungal species and their composition" says Maria Faticov.

These findings suggest that warming is one of the most important environmental factors shaping fungal community development during the growing season and emphasizes how profound the effects of ongoing climate change may be to plant health and ecosystem functioning.

Researchers did not link the observed change in fungal community structure under warming with plant health and ecosystem functioning. More detailed long-term experiments are needed to predict how changes in the fungal community under climate warming will influence the plants they live on and their surrounding environment.

"In future studies, it will be interesting to investigate how these changes in the number of fungal species and their abundances under warmer climate impact such important processes as plant health, leaf senescence and litter decomposition" says Maria Faticov.

CAPTION

An illustration of oak leaves and fungi.

CREDIT

Maria Faticov

About the study:

The study was published in New Pythologist: https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nph.17434

Co-authors of the study include Ahmed Abdelfattah, Institute of Environmental Biotechnology in Graz; Tomas Roslin, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala; Corinne Vacher, INRAE, University of Bordeaux in France; Peter Hambäck, Stockholm University; Guillaume Blanchet, University of Sherbrooke in Canada, Björn Lindahl, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala and Ayco Tack, Stockholm University.

Contact information:

Maria Faticov, researcher at the Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences (DEEP) at Stockholm University

CAPTION

Photo shows the process of setting up the experiment: more than dozens of oak trees representing 5 different genotypes were brought to the field north of Stockholm.

CREDIT

Maria Faticov