It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
IMAGE: TO FILL THE TWO CHAIRHOLDERS POSITIONS, ÉTS MONTREAL IS SEEKING RESEARCHERS WHO ARE EXPERTS IN THE FIELD OF BUILDINGS AND INFRASTRUCTURE AND WHOSE WORK FOCUSES ON RESILIENCE CAPACITY AND ADAPTABILITY TO CLIMATE CHANGE.view more
CREDIT: ETS
To fill the two Chairholders positions, ÉTS is seeking researchers who are experts in the field of buildings and infrastructure and whose work focuses on resilience capacity and adaptability to climate change.
Canada Research Chair (Tier 1)
This Research Chair will receive CAN$ 200,000 in funding per year over a period of seven years, and is open to researchers whose achievements have had a significant impact on their field of expertise.
Candidates who wish to submit an application must be capable of proposing an original, innovative research program related to the adaptability of infrastructure and buildings to climate change and the reduction of their environmental footprints, along with their integration into a circular economy model.
In addition to the above-mentioned funding, which is intended to support the research work, an application for a $250,000 grant can be submitted to a major Canadian funding program to acquire equipment.
Deadline for submitting applications: April 30, 2023, at Midnight (Québec time).
The incumbent Chairholder of this Research Chair will benefit from CAN$ 100,000 in funding per year over a period of five years, and an additional yearly allowance of CAN$ 20,000 for the same period if the individual is a first-time Chairholder. The total amount of CAN$ 120,000 will contribute to the full funding of the Chairholder’s research work.
In addition to the above-mentioned funding, an application for a $140,000 grant can be submitted to a major Canadian funding program to acquire equipment.
Deadline for submitting applications: April 30, 2023, at Midnight (Québec time).
École de technologie supérieure is one of ten constituents of the Université du Québec network. It trains engineers and researchers who are recognized for their practical and innovative approach, the development of new technologies and their skill at transferring their knowledge to companies. Almost one-quarter of all engineers in Québec graduated from ÉTS, which boasts 11,000 students, including 2,650 at the graduate and post-graduate level. ÉTS specializes in applied training and research in engineering, and maintains a unique partnership with the business sector and with industry. For more information, please visit etsmtl.ca.
Putting a price tag on the amenity value of private forests
When it comes to venturing into and enjoying nature, forests are the people’s top choice – at least in Denmark. This is also reflected in the sales prices of properties with private forest. But beyond earnings potential, this first study of its kind, conducted by the University of Copenhagen, puts a price tag on the so-called amenity value of Danish private forests.
Forests have a nearly therapeutic effect on humans. Perhaps that is why eight out of ten of Danes have wandered in the woods over the last year and trends like forest bathing are gaining in popularity. Most people have probably experienced relaxing their shoulders, deepening their breathing, and found peace while being immersed in the deep, quiet tranquility of a forest.
While there is nothing novel about venturing into the woods to find peace of mind, the value of forests for Danes is fully intact. Studies by the Danish Outdoor Council and UCPH’s Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, among others, have shown that Danes prefer forest outings over trips to the beach or wandering open fields and meadows.
Forest owners are quite aware of this as well. A new study by researchers at the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Food and Resource Economics investigated the amenity value of private forest ownership. It turns out that there are good reasons to buy (or plant) private forest for anyone interested in increasing the quality of their and their family’s life – or increase their property value, as the amenity value is clearly reflected in the sales prices of rural properties.
"We see a fairly significant difference in the price of rural homes with and without forested areas larger than half a hectare. In fact, we see an increased value of DKK 25,000-75,000 per hectare of private forest, less the income opportunities from the forest," says Marie Lautrup of the Department of Food and Resource Economics, the study’s lead author.
Using large data sets, Lautrup and her colleagues were able to exclude other rural home factors that might otherwise explain their increased value, thereby excluding the forest's potential as a source of income from forestry, hunting leases, etc., from the equation.
"In this way, we isolated this intangible amenity value of private forests and put a price tag on it," says the researcher.
She hopes that the findings can be used by public authorities and lawmakers to target government support and incentives to establish and conserve private forest.
The bigger the forest, the greater its amenity value
Most forests in Denmark are owned by private landholders. Proprietorship is divided into many small forest owners and a few people who own a lot. According to Marie Lautrup, forest owners have a great influence on the landscape that Danes live and go about in. As such, it was interesting for her to investigate the values private forest owners attribute to their forests.
"Fortunately, we can see that private forest owners are like most people when it comes to forests. In particular, they love deciduous forests and their tall and thereby older trees. So, they have an incentive to manage their forest with the same interests in mind, and thus with the same values as the rest of society. So far so good," says Marie Lautrup.
But why do they have forest – is it just to make money? The researchers sought answers to this question as well. The conclusion was that forest holds great value for private owners, beyond its capital value.
"In fact, the figures in our study demonstrate that regardless of whether it is a small or a slightly larger forest, the sale price is characterized by a value attributed to it by the owner's pure joy of the forest, i.e., its perceived amenity value. We haven’t accounted for all forest sizes in the study, but based on the data we have, it seems that any increase in value follows forest size. The more, the better," says Marie Lautrup.
Can help increase Danish forest area
The researchers hope that politicians and public authorities will be able to use the study to target legislation on deductions and subsidies related to forest management and afforestation efforts.
For example, the results can be used to accelerate ordinary people's efforts to increase Denmark's forest area, because establishing small forests is a good investment.
"In Denmark, we have a political goal of reaching 20-25% forested area by the end of the 21st century. The remaining 5-10% can be obtained by encouraging private landowners to plant forests, among other things. Traditionally, it has been difficult to put the public subsidy pool to use," explains Marie Lautrup and continues:
"Those who receive forest subsidies tend to be the large forest owners. So, if you want to boost private forest development, you may need to get hold of the slightly smaller owners. Here, the study clearly shows that it creates value, both in terms of quality of life, but also financially, to become a small forest owner," she says.
Planting forests of a certain size in Denmark may also make them fall under the Danish Forest Act. The 1805 law prohibits forests from being cleared and came into being at a time when Denmark lacked wood to build warships, among other things.
According to Marie Lautrup, increasing the forested area of Denmark has several advantages. On the one hand, it will increase forest access for Danes, as private forests are open to all during daytime, so long as paths are used, except for in very small forests.
At the same time, it could play a role in Denmark's efforts to reduce atmospheric CO2, as trees are natural CO2 capturers.
Facts: What is amenity value?
Amenity value is something that cannot be immediately sold in a market, for example timber and hunting leases.
It can be understood as qualities in a place or environment that make it attractive to use, e.g. in connection with the importance of scenic surroundings for a home's sales value
Facts: Danes prefer forests
Forests have clearly occupied first place as a destination for outdoors life over the past 30 years, despite many other new types of leisure and experiences.
Studies conducted by the Danish Outdoor Council have also shown that forest trips and picnics are Danes' favorite experience in nature, ahead of, for example, visits to the beach and meadows. 78% of Danes visited forests over the past six months
According to a previous study by the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, approximatively 70 million visits are made by Danes to the forest annually – an average of 30-40 times per person.
About the study
The study is based on property registers, map data and accounting data, and shows correspondence – or correlation – between privately-owned forest and sales prices of rural properties, which reveal a measurable amenity value of private forest.
The researchers have analysed an increased amenity value per additional hectare of forest of DKK 25,000-75,000. And higher still for the smallest rural homes.
By statistically comparing similar rural homes, the researchers were able to identify the impact of a wide range of characteristics on rural home sales prices, including forested areas of at least half a hectare.
(Both data availability and the official definition of forest have placed constraints on the study — there must be more than half an acre of trees of a certain height before it counts in the statistics.)
In this way, the researchers concluded that forest has a significant positive impact on the sales price and been able to estimate the average value of an extra hectare of forest.
They have deducted all income (e.g., timber production and hunting leases) to be left with a concrete value of the joy of forest ownership – or amenity value.
What are humans? What are animals? And what makes humans unique? The comparative psychologist Fumihiro Kano has set himself a life goal to answer those questions. On 28 February 2023 it was announced that the scientist from the Cluster of Excellence “Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour” (CASCB) at the University of Konstanz will receive the Manfred Fuchs Prize from the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities of the State Baden-Württemberg for his interdisciplinary work in animal behaviour research.
Fumihiro Kano wears a motion capture suit, eye tracking glasses, and holds a table tennis racket with markers in his hand. “I am interested in what animals see, feel, and think, and ultimately how humans, as one of the primate species, are unique in perception, cognition, and social behaviour,” he says and then starts to play table tennis in his lab. Fumihiro Kano has been a group leader at the CASCB since 2021. He started his career at Kyoto University and was enrolled at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and at the University of Oxford before coming to Konstanz. He describes himself not a passionate table tennis player, but the Japanese researcher thinks that everyone is able to play the sport. That is the reason he chose table tennis for an experiment.
How groups interact
Together with his Postdoctoral Researcher Prasetia Putra, Kano conducts a study where they want to unravel the underlying mechanism of human coordination in sports using behavioural and physiological modalities. “Sometimes groups coordinate nicely, sometimes they fail, but what is the secret behind it?” asks Kano. “So far, the individuals’ anticipation ability, movement coordination, and physiological difference is unknown,” he says.
Therefore, this study aims to fill those gaps by measuring an individual’s gaze direction, body movements, and heartbeat. Participants play table tennis in teams of two while wearing a motion capture suit as Kano does. Even the table tennis ball is marked. A motion caption camera system tracks the movements.
The focus is on micro behaviour
Overall, Fumihiro Kano concentrates on micro behaviour to map human and animal behaviour. His research species include birds, primates, and human adults. They target various collective behaviour, including team cooperation, vigilance, and collective foraging. “Basically, I just bring non-inversive cutting edge technologies to the field,” he says.
In another experiment, he focuses on group performances in pigeons, “a very social bird species,” as he says. While pigeons forage, they want to eat as much as possible. Nevertheless, they need to be attentive collectively, to be aware when a predator attacks them. “In our experiment, my PhD student Mathilde Delacoux and I created a situation where the pigeons see warning cue and we tried to find out the group performance during the pretended attack.”
Thanks to modern tracking technology, the research group knows precisely where each individual is looking at and if the individual has the head up or down while the pretended predator calls. The researchers conduct the experiment in the Imaging Barn, a collaborative project between the CASCB and the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior. It is a core facility for studying the dynamics of highly naturalistic interactions. Both experiments are still running, so they themselves are still curious about the results.
“In a highly creative way, Fumihiro Kano uses and extends state-of-the-art informatics methods as tracking and modelling to study cognition and behaviour of humans and different animal species, from birds to monkeys, from individuals to groups of humans and animals,” Oliver Deussen, speaker of the CASCB mentions.
Key facts
Fumihiro Kano will be awarded the Manfred Fuchs Prize of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities for his interdisciplinary work in animal behaviour research.
Fumihiro Kano is interested in what animals see, feel, and think, and ultimately how humans, as one of the primate species, are unique in perception, cognition, and social behaviour.
Caption: Table tennis experiment with Fumihiro Kano. For tracking his movements, he wears a motion-capture suit, eye-tracking glasses and holds a table tennis bat with marker dots in his hand.
Copyright: Elisabeth Böker, CASCB, University of Konstanz
U.S. birds’ Eastern, Western behavior patterns are polar opposites
Study analyzes avian cross-country biodiversity changes over a year
COLUMBUS, Ohio – There is much more to avian biodiversity in the United States than the number of different species living in a given region or community, but the diversity of birds’ ecosystem contributions – assessed through measures of their diet, body structure and foraging methods – are much tougher to study.
And with hundreds of species migrating south for the winter and north for summer breeding, birds’ ecosystem function patterns change over space and time – creating a serious analytical challenge.
But two scientists from The Ohio State University have established what could be considered a baseline map of annual avian functional and species diversity patterns in the U.S., logging 11,000 code-running hours at the Ohio Supercomputer Center to produce their findings.
And what they found was a stunner: Functional diversity patterns in the West, where species and functional richness are both highest during the breeding season, are the polar opposite of what is seen in the East, where functional diversity is lowest when species richness is high. That pattern in the East is particularly puzzling because it means the overall diversity of birds’ ecosystem contributions are highest when a huge number of migratory species are gone.
“This tells us that, probably, migratory birds in the East versus the West have very different functional contributions to assemblages,” said lead author Marta Jarzyna, assistant professor of evolution, ecology and organismal biology at Ohio State.
“It suggests that resident birds in the East have a wider array of functional characteristics than migratory birds, and in the West, it’s the opposite: Migratory birds contribute more to functional richness than resident birds.”
The researchers used 2019 data from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s eBird Status and Trends, which provided seasonal abundance estimates for over 800 species. Beyond quantifying species richness, Jarzyna and Stagge also incorporated four characteristics to derive estimates of functional diversity: birds’ body mass, diet (ranging from bugs and rodents to nectar and seeds), foraging niche (in or near water or the ground, or in spaces among or above trees) and activity time, at night or during the day.
The collaboration with Stagge was key to incorporating the passage of time, Jarzyna said: As a hydrologist studying climate data, he was proficient in research techniques used to analyze seasonal variations.
Scientists have known for some time that knowledge of the functional richness birds bring to their communities tells us much more about biodiversity than a simple count of resident and migrating species, Jarzyna said.
“Different species obviously have different characteristics and different traits, and contribute in different ways to the community composition and ecosystem functioning,” she said.
“You can have 10 species in a community that just eat seeds, or 10 species in a community, five of which eat seeds and five of which eat insects. The community with more diverse attributes will have more functional diversity, even though in terms of species richness they might be exactly the same.”
To date, efforts to describe avian functional diversity have tended to focus only on one breeding season at a time – a summer in the Northern Hemisphere. This study is the first to take species and their traits’ differences into consideration as their abundances change across the country over all 12 months of a year.
By determining that functional diversity patterns in the East and West differ so dramatically, the researchers now have a much better handle on what is going on across the seasons – but lots of questions remain about why.
“Why is it in the East that in the winter, when we are seeing so many species leaving those regions, we see an increase in functional richness? It didn’t make a lot of sense that you would gain this other dimension of diversity while losing something else,” Jarzyna said. “It’s not the case in the West, where we are seeing both the highest species richness and highest functional richness in the summer.”
Though one could surmise that topography or climate have something to do with these differences, Jarzyna said there is no way to know for sure without further study.
“We still don’t even know about individual species’ contributions to functional diversity and whether there is, indeed, a difference between migratory and resident birds,” she said.
Having a better understanding of how functional diversity among birds – and other species – changes over space and, the researchers noted, time, in particular, is needed to inform forecasting, conservation and management of biodiversity.
“I would argue that we can’t conserve anything if we don’t understand where it is and what it is,” Jarzyna said. “It’s the first step to telling us, ‘this is what we’ve got, and this is how it’s changing.’ What we are going to do about it is the next step.”
Bald eagles are often touted as a massive conservation success story due to their rebound from near extinction in the 1960s.
But now a highly infectious virus may put that hard-fought comeback in jeopardy.
Published in Nature’s Scientific Reports, new research from the University of Georgia showed highly pathogenic avian influenza, also known as H5N1, is killing off unprecedented numbers of mating pairs of bald eagles.
“Even just one year of losses of productivity like we’ve documented regionally is very concerning and could have effects for decades to come if representative of broader regions,” said Nicole Nemeth, lead author of the study and an associate professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine. “There were nights where I couldn’t sleep based on what we were hearing and seeing. We have already lost unprecedented numbers of wild birds due to this virus in the U.S. and it appears here to stay.”
Less than half of Georgia bald eagle nests fledged one chick in 2022
The researchers found that just under half of bald eagle nests along coastal Georgia successfully fledged at least one eaglet in 2022. That’s 30% below average for the region.
The study also showed the success rate for nests was halved in one Florida county, dropping to 41% from an average of 86.5%. Another Florida county experienced a less dramatic but still concerning decrease from an average of approximately 78% to 66.7%.
“We had reports from people who faithfully monitor eagle nests year after year with these heartbreaking stories of an adult eagle found dead below their nest. Within a few days, often its mate and the chicks were also found dead below the nest. It is clear the virus is causing nest failures,” said Nemeth, who is part of the UGA-based Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study (SCWDS).
The collaboration is the first diagnostic and research service established specifically to investigate wildlife diseases.
Number of infected wild birds likely an undercount
The three dead eagles were found in Chatham, Glynn and Liberty counties in March.
At the time, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) had confirmed around 660 cases of the H5N1 virus in wild birds, only 11 of which were from Georgia.
That number has since skyrocketed to more than 6,200 reported cases across the country, according to the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
Those cases include a variety of vultures and other raptors, waterfowl like geese and ducks, as well as other aquatic birds like pelicans and herons, and even some songbirds, though they are less common victims of the virus. (Tens of millions of commercially farmed poultry have died or been culled due to risk of infection.)
“I think the number of wild bird cases is drastically underreported,” Nemeth said. “People will submit one snow goose, for example, and it will test positive for the virus. And then they’ll tell you, ‘Well, there are thousands of geese dying at the same site.’ But it only goes down as one infected bird.”
H5N1 doesn’t pose massive threat to humans but may to other species
The birds at biggest risk of infection are those that live in coastal or other aquatic areas inland or prey on other birds that do.
The virus can persist in water for over a year, given the proper conditions. While not a risk to people, birds can pick up the virus from spending time in the water and carry it to new locations through migration.
Raptors like eagles and vultures then catch the virus when they consume the infected birds.
“Worst case scenario, we get into a scary place with some of these bird species,” Nemeth said. “We could see a lot more decline in the numbers of eagles, raptors, waterfowl and other birds than what we’ve already seen. It could be devastating.”
Bears, red foxes and coyotes among animals infected with virus
Avian influenza has hopped species as well.
H5N1 has infected wild mammals such as red foxes, coyotes, racoons, seals, opossums and even some bears in North America. However, very few people have been infected with the virus in the U.S. and have recovered with minimal symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“A virus that can spread and be maintained as this virus can, it’s everywhere now,” Nemeth said. “We can’t contain the virus, and we can’t vaccinate wild birds. But we can document the losses and try to help conserve affected species and populations the best we can.”
The study was co-authored by the University of Georgia’s Mark Ruder, Rebecca Poulson and David Stallknecht. Additional co-authors include Robert Sargent of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Shawnlei Breeding of Audubon’s EagleWatch, Meaghan Evans, Jared Zimmerman, Rebecca Hardman, Mark Cunningham of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Samantha Gibbs of U.S. Fish & Wildlife.
IMAGE: ONLY 23 PERCENT OF STUDENTS WHO WERE CYBERBULLIED REPORTED IT TO AN ADULT AT THEIR SCHOOL, WHICH SHOWS THAT MANY INCIDENCES GO UNREPORTED.view more
CREDIT: FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY
Most adolescents and young adults have experienced bullying in some form, with about one-third of them experiencing cyberbullying, contributing to mental health concerns. Cyberbullying involves electronic communication such as texts, emails, online videos and social media, which has become increasingly problematic over the last few decades. Several reasons include the anonymity it allows, the fact that it is not as easily monitored, and that adolescents and young adults have easier access to devices.
“As primary-care physicians, it is our job to screen and evaluate things that can harm our patients,” said Jennifer Caceres, M.D., first author, senior associate dean for student affairs and admissions and an associate professor of medicine in FAU’s Schmidt College of Medicine. “Among these responsibilities includes screening for social media use, bullying, cyberbullying, mental health issues, as well as countless others.”
Caceres and Allison M. Holley, M.D., corresponding author and an assistant professor of family medicine in FAU’s Schmidt College of Medicine, point out that only half of health care providers who see pediatric patients were found to be consistently screening for bullying. They say this is partially because there aren’t many screening tools specifically designed for health care settings. Among the screening tools they recommend that are available for health care providers include the Revised Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire (R-OBVQ), the California Bullying Victimization Scale (CBVS), the Child Adolescent Bullying Scale (CABS) and the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center (MARC).
“It is staggering that only 23 percent of students who were cyberbullied reported it to an adult at their school, which shows that many incidences go unreported. This is another crucial reason why we need to screen patients as well as educate parents,” said Holley. “A screening tool of the providers’ choice should be worked into the work-flow of pediatric visits to ensure that screening is consistently done and results are addressed in a timely manner.”
“Physicians who work with children and teenagers must consider in their provision of care the significant emotional and psychological impact that mobile devices, social media platforms, and gaming environments can have,” said Hinduja. “Given that youth move seamlessly between their online and offline experiences - indeed, there is no longer a clear distinction - it is essential to assess health risks from not only the home, school and community, but from their electronic interactions as well.”
Caceres and Holley suggest that to screen for technology and social media use, physicians can easily ask parents or the patient themselves the following questions: “How many hours per day are spent on screens of any kind?” and “Is there a television or other device with Internet access in the bedroom?” To screen for cyberbullying or bullying of any kind, they say physicians also can ask patients if they feel safe at school, home and online, and if they have ever experienced bullying or cyberbullying either themselves or someone they know.
“In addition, physicians can ask about the many symptoms that could be warning signs of cyberbullying such as sleep disorders, mood disorders, eating disorders, suicidal thoughts, self-harm behaviors, academic problems, fatigue and headaches,” said Caceres. “Physicians can undergo training to detect bullying and ensure that their staff is trained appropriately.”
Caceres and Holley encourage establishing community contacts with groups and organizations such as local schools, law enforcement, mental health counselors specializing in trauma care, suicide prevention groups, as well as patient and family support groups that can provide services for prevention, screening, and victim support services, which also are crucial to helping patients. In addition, posters in the waiting room or exam rooms or helpline numbers can help to educate patients and their families on how to prevent and deal with cyberbullying.
“Parents also must teach their children about appropriate online behavior, set boundaries, and give clear guidelines with appropriate consequences for rule-breaking,” said Holley.
The authors suggest setting boundaries that include not posting personal information, not sharing login information such as usernames and passwords, not responding to inappropriate messages, turning off technology if these type of messages are received, and immediately reporting an incident to an adult.
“Cyberbullying, sextortion, digital dating abuse, digital self-harm, and other forms of victimization are occurring to a nontrivial degree among youth, and initiating nonjudgmental conversation among their experiences online will help to further positive adolescent development and functioning,” said Hinduja.
- FAU -
About the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine:
FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine is one of approximately 156 accredited medical schools in the U.S. The college was launched in 2010, when the Florida Board of Governors made a landmark decision authorizing FAU to award the M.D. degree. After receiving approval from the Florida legislature and the governor, it became the 134th allopathic medical school in North America. With more than 70 full and part-time faculty and more than 1,300 affiliate faculty, the college matriculates 64 medical students each year and has been nationally recognized for its innovative curriculum. To further FAU’s commitment to increase much needed medical residency positions in Palm Beach County and to ensure that the region will continue to have an adequate and well-trained physician workforce, the FAU Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine Consortium for Graduate Medical Education (GME) was formed in fall 2011 with five leading hospitals in Palm Beach County. The Consortium currently has five Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited residencies including internal medicine, surgery, emergency medicine, psychiatry, and neurology. The college’s vibrant research focus areas include healthy aging, neuroscience, chronic pain management, precision medicine and machine learning. With community at the forefront, the college offers the local population a variety of evidence-based, clinical services that treat the whole person. Jointly, FAU Medicine’s Primary Care practice and the Marcus Institute of Integrative Health have been designed to provide complete health and wellness under one roof.
About Florida Atlantic University: Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students across six campuses located along the southeast Florida coast. In recent years, the University has doubled its research expenditures and outpaced its peers in student achievement rates. Through the coexistence of access and excellence, FAU embodies an innovative model where traditional achievement gaps vanish. FAU is designated a Hispanic-serving institution, ranked as a top public university by U.S. News & World Report and a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.
Scientists have analysed chemicals in the skin of southern right whales to give new insights into the animals’ distribution, as well as long-term environmental changes in the Southern Ocean.
The scientists from the US, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, Europe, UK, and Aotearoa New Zealand measured the amounts of various carbon and nitrogen isotopes in 1002 skin samples taken between 1994 and 2020.
Concentrations of these isotopes vary between different marine locations and animals feeding in an area retain that isotopic fingerprint in their skin. It takes up to six months for the isotopes to show up in a whale’s skin and so scientists can pinpoint where the animals were six months earlier.
“Despite their large size, whales can be very hard to track,” says Professor Robert Harcourt, a marine scientist at Macquarie University, and one of the authors of the paper. “Using this technique, we have been able to piece together a map of where the southern right whales have travelled across the Southern Ocean.”
The study shows that over the years the whales’ foraging grounds have shifted reflecting the changing distribution of the whales’ prey. This change appears to be recent and driven by climate change.
Analysis of 2614 whale-catch records from 1792 to 1968 suggests that historical southern right whale foraging grounds were largely stable in mid-latitudes.
“These results suggest that climate change has driven recent shifts in the distribution of southern right whales,” Professor Harcourt says.
Not all populations have reacted uniformly.
The southern right whales in the South Atlantic Ocean and southwest Indian Oceans travel to Antarctic waters less often, probably as there are fewer krill there.
In the southwest Pacific, however, whales still head south at certain times of the year, suggesting krill are still plentiful in that ocean.
“An important aspect of this study is that it shows that climate change doesn’t mean one thing everywhere and it is causing different effects in different parts of the ocean,” says Dr Emma Carroll, from New Zealand’s University of Auckland Waipapa Taumata Rau, lead author of the paper.
“This could help prioritise areas where conservation efforts should be focused,” says Professor Harcourt.
“This study has shown the critical importance of understanding how wide-ranging animals are adapting their movements as climate change fundamentally alters ocean structure and where they may find their prey.
“Ongoing research includes satellite tracking of individual animals from the major populations along with continued tissue collection, further refining our understanding of important ocean regions for these magnificent ocean giants.”
Professor Harcourt led the Australian arm of the study, collaborating with researchers from 36 countries. The first author, Solène Derville, is from Oregon State University, the US and the French Institute of Research for Sustainable Development, Nouméa.
“This was a great global collaboration,” says Dr Carroll. “This sort of work is just not possible without the input of many people around the world.”
Those living in unstable housing conditions, such as hostels or informal dwellings and those who had not completed post-secondary studies were more likely to contract HIV in South Africa, according to a new study from McGill University. A team of researchers based at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) has reported survey results that show socioeconomic factors play a critical role in the detection, transmission, and treatment of HIV in regions of South Africa. “We found that factors such as education and dwelling situations still impact HIV infection,” said Cindy Leung Soo, a recent Master’s student who worked alongside principal investigator Nitika Pant Pai, MD, PhD, an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine. Researchers found that people who did not complete postsecondary education were 82% more likely to be infected with HIV compared to those with a postsecondary education. Women with lower levels of education were more likely to engage in having sex with multiple partners, where male participants who were living in less stable housing situations or who had lower levels of education were less likely to have recently sought testing. “It appeared that socioeconomic factors impacted their utilization of HIV services,” Leung Soo said.
