GYA and 30 Young Academies and Associations release statement suggesting actionable steps to connect fundamental science with sustainable development

Statement during closing ceremony of IYBSSD underscores the pivotal role of fundamental science in achieving UN SDGs

Reports and Proceedings

GLOBAL YOUNG ACADEMY

 

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THE GYA AND 30 YOUNG ACADEMIES AND ASSOCIATIONS AROUND THE WORLD UNVEILED A STATEMENT DURING THE IYBSSD CLOSING CEREMONY SUGGESTING ACTIONABLE STEPS TO CONNECT FUNDAMENTAL SCIENCE WITH SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.

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GYA and 30 Young Academies and Associations release statement suggesting actionable steps to connect fundamental science with sustainable development during Closing Ceremony of IYBSSD meeting

 In a collective statement endorsed by 30 Young Academies and Associations, the Global Young Academy (GYA) underscored the pivotal role of fundamental science in achieving the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). The statement (link here) was delivered during the closing ceremony of the International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development (IYBSSD) at CERN in Switzerland on 15 December 2023.

The joint statement acknowledges the historical impact of fundamental science, citing examples such as the development of the life-saving COVID-19 vaccine and the roots of digital technology in fundamental research. Highlighting persistent challenges, the statement also sheds light on inequities within the research sector. Early- and mid-career researchers, particularly in low- to middle-income nations, face disadvantages, contributing to a global research density imbalance.

“We recognize that fundamental science is the bedrock of societal progress, and this statement reflects the unified voice of young scientists committed to shaping a sustainable future," stated GYA member Hiba Baroud (Vanderbilt University, United States), who was a member of the GYA team that drafted the statement. Hiba adds, "The widespread support from our peers underscores the significance of this call to action and reaffirms our collective commitment to driving meaningful change through research and innovation."

Despite these contributions, the appreciation and investment in fundamental science are on the decline worldwide, with a recent GYA report (Back to basics) revealing a shift towards applied research and demonstrating that researchers worldwide perceive a decline in support for fundamental science.

In response to these trends, the statement proposes actionable steps to connect fundamental science with sustainable development. Suggestions include supporting interdisciplinary research aligned with sustainable development goals, enhancing transitions from research to innovation, and addressing global inequities in research opportunities. The statement calls for global collaboration and urges stakeholders to recognize the profound significance of fundamental science in building a sustainable and equitable future.

What’s next?
As the IYBSSD draws to an end, the UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution proclaiming the period 2024-2033 as the International Decade of Science for Sustainable Development.
Link here: https://www.iybssd2022.org/en/un-general-assembly-proclaims-international-decade-of-science-for-sustainable-development/

 

Frontiers for Young Minds and CERN ‘SPARK’ big questions in health technology

The scientific articles are written by researchers who attended the 2022 SPARKS! Serendipity Forum at CERN

Business Announcement

FRONTIERS

 

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FRONTIERS FOR YOUNG MINDS AND CERN COLLECTION

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CREDIT: FRONTIERS

Frontiers for Young Minds, the award-winning, open-access scientific journal for kids, has published the first articles in a new collection in collaboration with CERN, one of the world’s largest centers for scientific research. The collection, entitled SPARK-ing big questions: what is the future of health technology?, addresses key questions on how ground-breaking health technologies and science can improve human health for future generations.  

The articles are written by researchers who attended the SPARKS! Serendipity Forum at CERN in 2022, an event for scientific and other experts to come together to collaborate, learn from each other, and address some of the complex problems facing society. As one of the largest laboratories hosting collaborative research in the world, and a leader in fields that increase our knowledge of the universe and impact our lives, including health, CERN offers a platform to host such multidisciplinary discussions and curate the serendipity that may bring about benefits to society. The collaboration between Frontiers for Young Minds and CERN enables the sharing of this information with young audiences in a way that is accessible for them. 

As part of the unique Frontiers for Young Minds process, the articles have been reviewed by kids aged 8-15 to make sure the concepts are understandable for their peers. All articles are freely available on the journal website.  

The first three articles in the collection are: 

• New Scientific Technologies: Navigating the Path of Right and Wrong, Juan Enriquez, Excel Venture Management, USA 
  This article explores the ethics of new technologies and how to ensure developing technologies are used to help, not harm, humans.  

• Doctors and Artificial Intelligence: Working Together for a Healthier Future, Jane Metcalfe, proto.life, USA 
  This article examines how artificial intelligence can analyze data to find patterns that humans can’t and optimize patient care using personalized medicine.   

• Medicine Gets Proactive: Prevention Is Better Than Cure, Michael Snyder and Ariel Ganz, Stanford University, USA 
  This article looks at how technology such as smartwatches and health-tracking apps can catch illnesses before humans get sick, an approach that could help humans live longer.  

New articles will be added to the collection in January 2024 to help young minds engage with the topics of health literacy, open science, and bioinformatics. Together, the collection of articles will help the next generation of scientists and engaged citizens to understand and grapple with the big questions which they will have to face in their own healthcare as people continue to live longer.  

To read the articles, visit the Frontiers for Young Minds website.  

Frontiers for Young Minds SPARK-ing the big questions

CREDIT

Frontiers

 

The unknown face of hydrogen

Peer-Reviewed Publication

INSTITUTE OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY OF THE POLISH ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

 

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BALANCE BETWEEN NOISE AND SIGNAL. RESEARCHERS AT THE IPC PAS HAVE RECONSTRUCTED A SIGNAL FOR HYDROGEN USUALLY CONSIDERED AN ARTIFACT. IMAGE CREDIT: GRZEGORZ KRZYZEWSKI

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CREDIT: SOURCE IPC PAS, GRZEGORZ KRZYZEWSKI

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a powerful tool that is widely used in many scientific fields, from analytical chemistry to medical diagnostics. However, regardless of its widespread use, there are still areas in which this very informative method cannot be employed because it is limited by its low sensitivity. Therefore, many efforts are being made to increase its sensitivity. One of the methods that is capable of enhancing NMR signals is a method called parahydrogen-induced polarization, which uses the unique property of one of the isomers of hydrogen molecules called parahydrogen, which can induce strong NMR signals in other molecules, including biologically relevant ones. Recently, researchers at the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IPC PAS) delved into the mystery of the fate of parahydrogen molecules associated with hyperpolarization, and they observed that parahydrogen molecules can be converted into orthohydrogen, which has an unusual NMR signal. The research presented here is a step forward in the study of hydrogen isomers.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) makes it possible to analyze the structures of even very complex molecules. Its fundamentals are based on the investigation of the behavior of the magnetic properties of nuclei, whose properties manifest themselves as magnetic moments of nuclei in atoms in the presence of a strong magnetic field. This interaction is, however, weak, and thus the investigation of this interaction is very difficult and requires expensive scientific equipment. In short, NMR is a very insensitive method. Therefore, researchers have been trying to enhance NMR sensitivity, and one of the most compelling methods to accomplish this utilizes the unique properties of hydrogen molecules. This molecule can exist in two forms: orthohydrogen (o-H2), with two spins oriented in the same direction, and parahydrogen (p-H2), with two spins oriented in the opposite direction. The uniqueness of parahydrogen molecules lies in the fact that their spin orientation, under specific conditions, can be utilized for NMR signal enhancement in other molecules. These specific conditions can be achieved via protocols in which parahydrogen interacts with other molecules, and this interaction is mediated by a catalyst. Because of this interaction, the NMR signal in the interacting molecules is enhanced. However, during this interaction, p-H2 spins are reoriented and o-H2 is created. In some cases, this conversion can lead to the creation of a very specific orthohydrogen molecule, which, when it is detected by NMR, its signal is manifested as a Partially Negative Line (PNL). Despite several reports in the literature mentioning the recording of PNL, its nature remains unexplained and is widely treated as an artifact that requires more in-depth investigation. Recently, researchers from the Institute of Physical Chemistry at the Polish Academy of Sciences, led by Prof. Tomasz Ratajczyk, in collaboration with researchers from the Institute of Physical Chemistry at the Technical University of Darmstadt and the Faculty of Chemistry at the University of Warsaw, have focused on this issue, and have invented a simple procedure that can be used for the generation of PNL signals. They discovered that PNL can be initiated in SABRE when simple ligands such as pyridine (Py) and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) are used, and this can be done with the simple iridium-based N-Heterocyclic Carbene (NHC) complexes used as catalysts. The experiments were performed in three deuterium-labeled solvents: methanol-d4, acetone-d6, and benzene-d6. In their work described in the Angewandte Chemie journal, they focused on the determination of the conditions that are necessary for the generation of PNL, presenting a hypothesis concerning the occurrence of such an effect as a prelude to further mechanistic studies of PNL.

“We decided to closely examine the interplay between the activation processes and the occurrence of PNL to hypothesize which transient species can be potentially concerned with uncommon PNL signals” – remarks Prof. Tomasz Ratajczyk

They recorded the PNL signal during the activation process of the catalyst, where the hyperpolarization of the ligands was increasing, and the intensity of the PNL signal was increasing, reaching a maximum, and then decreasing. Researchers discovered that the appearance of PNL is connected with the chemical processes that occur during pre-catalyst activation. By using a few solvents, they also discovered that PNL can be observed better when the activation process is slower.

The presented studies determined the specific conditions needed to easily induce the PNL effect using common hyperpolarization with the SABRE protocol for simple molecules like Py or DMSO, as well as conditions without any ligands. They also found an interesting relationship between PNL intensity and the SABRE hyperpolarization of Py and DMSO. It was noticed that the effect is present only during the initial hyperpolarization stage and fades with the progress of hyperpolarization efficiency. The unusual and uncommon signal during NMR studies can be a key point of research that can be used to investigate heretofore unknown hyperpolarization mechanisms.

 

 

Prof. Tomasz Ratajczyk adds: “We have also noticed an interesting correlation between the strength of the PNL effect and the efficiency of the SABRE hyperpolarization of Py and DMSO. More precisely, the PNL effect is present only during the activation stage, i.e., when hyperpolarization is not fully operating in the sample. The understanding of the conditions in which the PNL effect can be observed in a reproducible manner will facilitate a more thorough comprehension of the basic aspects of the SABRE mechanisms, which are crucial for the efficient hyperpolarization of biorelevant systems.”

 

Hydrogen is one of the most widely studied molecules, which has resulted in its chemistry being well understood. It can be used for studies of many compounds, making it a powerful tool in the investigation of many mechanisms and finding applications even in biomedicine. Nevertheless, some aspects of hydrogen chemistry still remain a mystery, and its properties can be quite surprising. The findings related to its utilization in hyperpolarization in NMR, which were discovered by researchers from IPC PAS, still need to be investigated further in order to determine the mechanisms behind the PNL signal. The results clearly show the importance of remaining curious, even about some things that are apparently well understood.

 

This work was financially supported by the National Science Centre in Poland, Grant No. OPUS 2016/21/B/ST4/02162 and No. OPUS 2021/41/B/ST4/01286, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, and German Research Foundation under contract Bu 911/22-2.

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DOI

10.1002/anie.202309188 

 

Role of cleaning fishes in conserving biodiversity distinguished with FLAD Science Award Atlantic 2023

 

Hawaiian cleaner fish (Labroides phthirophagus) - fotografia minha

CREDIT

José Ricardo Paula.

Grant and Award Announcement

FACULTY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF LISBON

 

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JOSÉ RICARDO PAULA, RESEARCHER AT THE Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon (PORTUGAL).

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CREDIT: JOSÉ RICARDO PAULA

José Ricardo Paula, researcher at the Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon (Portugal), will receive 300.000 euros in funding in three years to develop a project that aims to improve the understanding of the role of cleaning mutualisms in the conservation of Atlantic biodiversity, using emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence.

In the global ocean, there are several fish species, known as cleaners, that specialize in providing cleaning services to other fish, by removing parasites, dead tissue or food debris from the skin, scales or teeth of these “client fish”. How do these mutual cleaning interactions – cleaning mutualisms – influence the resilience, biodiversity, and ecosystem health in the Ocean?

That is the main question that the project ‘ATLANTICDIVERSA – Use emerging technologies to understand the role of cleaning mutualisms in Atlantic biodiversity conservation’, aims to address. It is coordinated by José Ricardo Paula, now distinguished with the 4th edition of the Science Award Atlantic attributed by the Luso-American Development Foundation (FLAD), and will be developed in partnership with Elizabeth Madin, researcher at the Hawai’i Institute of Marine Biology (University of Hawai’i).

An innovative approach

The research team aims to uncover the ecological roles of cleaning mutualisms in Atlantic ecosystems, understand their resilience to climate change and use this knowledge in conservation strategies, simultaneously promoting public involvement and education through technology in real-time.

“We know today, from localized experiments on the Australian Great Barrier Reef, that the removal of these mutualisms leads to ecosystem breakdown, to similar levels of overfishing. However, despite its importance, what we know comes only from a small location in Australia. We have no information for the Global Ocean, the Atlantic and even Portugal”, explains José Ricardo Paula.

In practice, the project will start by using citizen science to access global data –in particular, ReefLifeSurvey, a database collected by trained recreational divers in 55 different countries. This data will allow the researchers to grasp a global idea of the role of cleaning mutualisms in the global ocean.

Then, the research team will confirm whether the patterns observed globally are experimentally confirmed in five Atlantic locations: Algarve and Azores (Portugal), Cape Verde, Florida (USA) and Curaçao. “This confirmation will be attained through ecological manipulations, where we will remove key cleaner fish species and monitor the evolution of the ecosystem in the absence of these mutualisms”, adds José Ricardo Paula.

And here enters the artificial intelligence component of this project. Cleaning mutualisms tend to settle in small underwater territories called “cleaning stations” – biodiversity aggregating centers that can be used as a window into the ecosystem. The researchers will develop underwater film cameras coupled to computers prepared for artificial intelligence, and connected to the internet. “In addition to the obvious advantage of disseminating these images for education, thanks to an artificial intelligence algorithm, it will be possible to continuously measure the number and diversity of species present in these stations, allowing for the first real-time monitoring of marine ecosystems”, adds the researcher.

Besides understanding the relevance of these species, the researchers will study how resilient they are to future problems of climate change, such as increase in temperature, acidification of the oceans and loss of oxygen. That will be achieved by exposure to future water simulation systems, at the Guia Maritime Laboratory (Portugal). Understanding their resilience will also be important to understand the potential of using these species in conservation programs through reintroductions.

“This project could redefine ecological theories, potentially identifying cleaner fish as key species for conservation. The use of cameras integrated with artificial intelligence to monitor biodiversity will also establish a new standard in marine research”, concludes José Ricardo Paula.

About the award

The FLAD Science Award Atlantic is aimed at researchers working in Portugal aiming to develop a collaborative effort with researchers in the USA. For this 4th edition, the jury received about thirty applications, the largest number in the history of this award.

“The winner of the 4th edition of the FLAD Science Award Atlantic, José Ricardo Paula, is a young biologist whose marks of internationalization and cooperation already reveal a future scientific path of excellence in the study of environmental threats to ocean biodiversity. In cooperation with the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, it is proposed to use digital technologies and artificial intelligence to, together with marine biology, understand how specific mutual cleaning interactions between fish influence resilience, biodiversity and the health of ecosystems in the Atlantic Ocean”, says Elsa Henriques, member of the FLAD Executive Board.

With the creation of this award, FLAD intends to promote the new generation of Portuguese scientists, and support projects with a strong focus on obtaining practical results, such as the creation of engineering and technologies, which facilitate our understanding and exploration of Atlantic ecosystems.

 

Brief biography of José Ricardo Paula

José Ricardo Paula, PhD, is specialized in Behavioral Ecology and Evolution, working from the physiology and neurogenomics of animal behavior to the use of large ecological models and the development of artificial intelligence tools to study behavioral ecology.

He is the leader of the Behavioural Ecology and Evolution research group based at the Guia Maritime Laboratory (Cascais, Portugal), at MARE – Ciências ULisboa, and also the President of the Portuguese Society of Ethology.

Behavioural Ecology and Evolution research group, coordinated by José Ricardo Paula

CREDIT

José Ricardo Paula.

The ATLANTICDIVERSA project will be developed in partnership with Elizabeth Madin, researcher at the Hawai’i Institute of Marine Biology (University of Hawai’i).

CREDIT

Elizabeth Madin.

Coevolution helps Santa's reindeer feast after flight

Reindeer vision may have evolved to spot favorite food in the snowy dark of winter

Peer-Reviewed Publication

DARTMOUTH COLLEGE

 

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A REINDEER IN SVALBARD, NORWAY, GRAZES FOR LICHENS IN THE SNOW DURING THE LOW LIGHT OF WINTER.

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CREDIT: PHOTO BY ESPEN BERGERSEN

When Santa's exhausted reindeer finally set down their sleigh in the deep snow of the North Pole early Christmas morning, it's not Rudolph's radiant red nose that will help them find sustenance in the barren landscape.

Instead, researchers from Dartmouth and the University of St. Andrews in Scotland report that the eyes of Rudolph and his reindeer brethren may have evolved so that they can spot their favorite food during dark and snowy Arctic winters, according to a new study in the journal i-Perception.

The findings help explain the long-standing scientific mystery as to why reindeer can see light in the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum—and add intrigue to the smiling airborne ungulates popularized in the classic story by 1926 Dartmouth graduate Robert L. May.

"Reindeer are so cool, but many people think about them only at Christmas," Nathaniel Dominy, first author of the study and the Charles Hansen Professor of Anthropology at Dartmouth says. "Now is a good time to alert people to their extraordinary visual system."

Reindeer subsist primarily on reindeer moss, or Cladonia rangiferina, which isn't a moss but actually a species of algae-fungus fusion known as lichen. C. rangiferina forms thick crunchy carpets across northern latitudes and is so integral to the survival of reindeer that even its formal name stems from the scientific term for reindeer, Rangifer.

The researchers worked in the Cairngorms mountains in the Scottish Highlands, which host Britain's only reindeer herd—reintroduced from Scandinavia after being hunted to extinction locally—and more than 1,500 species of lichen. Despite these options, reindeer in the Cairngorms rely on C. rangiferina during the winter.

"A peculiar trait of reindeer is their reliance on this one type of lichen," Dominy says. "It's unusual for an any animal to subsist so heavily on lichens, let alone such a large mammal."

To the human eye, the white lichen is invisible against the snowy backdrop of an Arctic winter.

But Dominy and co-authors Catherine Hobaiter and Julie Harris from St. Andrews discovered that C. rangiferina and a few other lichen species that supplement the reindeer diet absorb UV light. Spectral data from the lichen and light filters calibrated to mimic reindeer vision revealed that these organisms appear to reindeer as dark patches against an otherwise brilliant landscape, making them easier to locate.

"Getting a visual approximation of how reindeer might see the world is something other studies haven't done before," says Dominy, who published a paper in 2015 on how Rudolph's red nose would've acted as an effective foglamp in the haze of winter.

"If you can put yourself in their hooves looking at this white landscape, you would want a direct route to your food," he says. "Reindeer don't want to waste energy wandering around searching for food in a cold, barren environment. If they can see lichens from a distance, that gives them a big advantage, letting them conserve precious calories at a time when food is scarce."

Previous research has shown that reindeer eyes change between summer and winter, Dominy says. Their tapetum—the light-enhancing membrane that gives many animals "shiny" eyes—transitions in winter from the golden color most animals have to a vivid blue that is thought to amplify the low light of polar winter.

"If the color of the light in the environment is primarily blue, then it makes sense for the eye to enhance the color blue to make sure a reindeer's photoreceptors are maximizing those wavelengths," Dominy says.

But the blue tapetum also lets up to 60% of ultraviolet light pass through to the eye's color sensors. That means that reindeer see the winter world as a shade of purple, similar to how a person would see a room with a black light—UV-reflecting surfaces such as snow shine brightly while UV-absorbing surfaces are starkly dark.

The researchers recount how scientists have sought to answer why the eyes of an Arctic animal that is active during the day would be receptive to the UV light that would be reflecting off of every snow-covered surface. But their study suggests that the answer is tied to what UV light doesn't reflect from—C. rangiferina and other bushy lichens.

Given the importance of lichens in the reindeer diet, the researchers report, it is possible that the animal's eyes are optimized to single out this food staple at the time of year it would be most difficult to find.

So, while the luminescent nose of the most famous reindeer of all "may light the way for Santa to see by," the researchers write, "it is Rudolph’s blue eyes that allow him to find dinner after a long Christmas season."

Because reindeer can see in the ultraviolet spectrum, their UV-absorbing food source, lichen , appears dark against the snowy Arctic landscape.

CREDIT

Nathaniel Dominy

JOURNAL

i-Perception

DOI

10.1177/20416695231218520 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

Reindeer and the quest for Scottish enlichenment

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

15-Dec-2023

 

Positive tipping points must be triggered to solve climate crisis

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF EXETER

Positive tipping points must be triggered if we are to avoid the severe consequences of damaging Earth system tipping points, researchers say.

With global warming on course to breach 1.5oC, at least five Earth system tipping points are likely to be triggered – and more could follow.

Once triggered, Earth system tipping points would have profound local and global impacts, including sea-level rise from major ice sheet melting, mass species extinction from dieback of the Amazon rainforest and disruption to weather patterns from a collapse of large-scale ocean circulation currents.

The new commentary – published in One Earth by researchers from the Global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter – says positive tipping points must be triggered to help reach the levels of decarbonisation required. 

“One reason for hope is that many of the tipping thresholds that are likely to be crossed first are so-called slow tipping systems, which can be briefly exceeded without a commitment to tipping,” said lead author Dr Paul Ritchie.

“However, rapid decarbonisation that minimises the distance of any overshoot and – even more importantly – limits the time spent beyond a threshold is critical for avoiding triggering climate tipping points.”

Dr Jesse Abrams said: “One mechanism for achieving the rapid decarbonisation levels required is ironically through positive tipping points, moments when beneficial changes rapidly gain momentum.”

The research team point to the sales seen in electric vehicles, particularly across Scandinavia, as evidence for the capability of human systems exhibiting positive tipping points.

Professor Tim Lenton added: “Under the correct enabling conditions, such as affordability, attractiveness and accessibility, Norway have managed to transition the market share of electric vehicles from under 10% to near 90% within a decade.”

The article is entitled: “Tipping points: Both problem and solution.”

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JOURNAL

One Earth

DOI

10.1016/j.oneear.2023.11.016 

ARTICLE TITLE

Tipping points: Both problem and solution

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

15-Dec-2023

 

Bats declined as Britain felled trees for colonial shipbuilding

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF EXETER

 

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A WESTERN BARBASTELLE

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CREDIT: ANTTON ALBERDI

Bat numbers declined as Britain’s trees were felled for shipbuilding in the early colonial period, new research shows.

The study, by the University of Exeter and the Bat Conservation Trust (BCT), found Britain’s Western barbastelle bat populations have dropped by 99% over several hundred years.

Animals’ DNA can be analysed to discover a “signature” of the past, including periods when populations declined, leading to more inbreeding and less genetic diversity.

Scientists used this method to discover the historic decline of Western barbastelles in Britain – and also analysed modern landscapes to see what helps and harms bats.

They found more genetic diversity among bats in areas rich in broadleaf woodland and diverse habitats.

Artificial light reduced connectivity between populations, probably because bats avoid areas with bright lighting, while rivers and woodlands increased connectivity.

“These bats usually roost in mature oak and beech trees, and move around every few nights – so they benefit from areas with substantial woodland cover,” said Dr Orly Razgour, from the University of Exeter.

“Our findings reveal that both the northern and southern British barbastelle populations have declined over several centuries, beginning about 500 years ago.

“This coincides with a period of widespread tree-felling to supply wood for colonial shipbuilding.

“It is likely that the decline we found was triggered by this loss of woodland – which has continued since that period.”

Barbastelles give birth in early summer, with mothers raising a single pup each year.

The species’ habit of moving frequently makes population surveys difficult, so the study provides a valuable update on their status (they are classified as “near threatened” globally, and “vulnerable” in the UK).

“Our findings  are used to inform the Natural England conservation status definition for the barbastelle, in turn influencing conservation decisions,” Dr Razgour said.

“While increasing coverage of mature trees is difficult, our findings highlight the need to protect existing woodlands and manage woodlands to increase roost availability for tree-roosting bats.”

Commenting on wider conservation in the UK, Dr Razgour added: “There is an urgent need to carry out similar studies for many other species so we can better understand the state of UK biodiversity and causes of decline.”

Dr Katherine Boughey, Head of Science & Monitoring at BCT, said: “This technique is a game changer for bat conservation.

“Until now, we have only been able to look at recent changes in populations, though anecdotal evidence suggests UK bat populations are at historic lows.

“Now we have evidence for the historic decline of barbastelle, and it has made an immediate impact.

“But we urgently need similar evidence for other bat species – and this study provides a way get it.”

The study was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Chapman Charitable Trust.

The paper, published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, is entitled: “Applying genomic approaches to identify historic population declines in European forest bats.”

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JOURNAL

Journal of Applied Ecology

DOI

10.1111/1365-2664.14540 

ARTICLE TITLE

Applying genomic approaches to identify historic population declines in European forest bats

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

14-Dec-2023