Sunday, August 04, 2024

Monarch butterflies need help, and a little bit of milkweed goes a long way

Field Museum

Monarch on milkweed — image:
Monarch butterfly on a milkweed flower.
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Credit: Photo by Mark and Michelle Rogovin

Monarch butterflies, with their striking orange and black wings, are some of the most recognizable butterflies in North America. But they're in trouble. Monarch caterpillars can only eat the leaves of milkweed, a native wildflower. As milkweed has disappeared, so have the monarchs, to the point that they're at risk of extinction. Research shows that planting milkweed in home gardens can add significant monarch habitat to the landscape. In a new study in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, researchers and community scientists monitored urban milkweed plants for butterfly eggs to learn what makes these city gardens more hospitable to monarchs. They found that even tiny city gardens attracted monarchs and became a home to caterpillars.

“In this study, we found that monarchs can find the milkweed, wherever the milkweed is, even if it’s in planters on balconies and rooftops,” says Karen Klinger, a Geographic Information Systems analyst in the Keller Science Action Center at the Field Museum and the study’s lead author. “Milkweed gardens can be in all shapes and sizes, and any milkweed garden can contribute habitat for monarchs.”

Monarch butterflies have one of the most unusual and demanding migration patterns of any insect. The eastern population of monarchs starts the year in Mexico, and they move up across North America in the spring and summer. “As they travel, they lay their eggs, and when those adults die, the next generation continues the migration northward. They will make it all the way to southern Canada, and at the end of summer, a new super generation is born that migrates all the way south and survives through the winter,” says Klinger.

Since it takes multiple generations of milkweed-eating caterpillars to get the monarch population from Mexico to Canada each year, the monarchs rely on milkweed plants throughout their migration path. “There used to be wild milkweed growing along farmland in the Midwest, but now farmers use pesticides that kill the milkweed. As a result, a lot of the habitat for monarchs in the Midwest has disappeared,” says Klinger.

Monarch populations have declined along with the disappearance of milkweed; in recent years, they’ve been a candidate for endangered species status by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. “ If we don’t do anything soon, monarchs are going to be in serious trouble,” says Aster Hasle, a lead conservation ecologist at the Field Museum’s Keller Science Action Center and a co-author of the paper.

Since so much of the rural milkweed that monarchs used to rely on has disappeared, scientists have wondered if milkweed gardens in urban areas might be able to bridge the gap. “There was a call for all hands on deck, to plant milkweed across all sectors of the landscape, but people discounted urban areas, because if you look at some mapping of urban areas, it looks like it’s completely developed, with no availability for milkweed plants,” says Klinger.

Klinger was a co-author of a 2019 study led by Field Museum scientists that showed that even “concrete jungles” have room for milkweed plants, in people’s yards, alleyways, and rooftops.

The new study led by Klinger is a follow-up to this earlier work. “With our 2019 study, we found that a lot of the spaces where milkweed could grow was inaccessible to scientists-- we couldn't go into people's backyards, and look at their milkweed, so there was a lot of milkweed that we can't account for,” says Klinger. “But we also found that there was a lot of enthusiasm among residents to plant milkweed and support monarchs. So based on that, we did a community science project that became the basis of this new paper.”

Klinger and Hasle worked with volunteers around Chicagoland to monitor milkweed plants in their yards and neighborhoods for monarch butterflies laying their eggs on the plants and caterpillars eating the milkweed leaves.

“We wanted to answer the question of, how well do these urban milkweed gardens actually support monarch butterflies? Everybody always wants to know, what should I plant? What species of milkweed, how many plants, how big of a garden? There are so many questions to answer, so we were hoping that we could use this project and the data from it to start answering those questions.”

Klinger and Hasle trained over 400 community scientist volunteers on how to monitor their milkweed for monarch eggs and caterpillars, which they reported back to the researchers. Over the course of four years, the team collected 5,905 observations of monarch activity on 810 patches of milkweed in Chicagoland. This paper analyzed a portion of this data from 2020-2022.

“We encouraged participants who had planters on balconies, who had planters on rooftop decks, and we saw some of the most amazing things,” says Klinger. “There was one participant who had a planter set on the condominium roof that had five large caterpillars in one photo.”

Based on these observations, the researchers found several overarching trends about what makes for a successful milkweed garden. “There are several native species of milkweed, and we found that common milkweed was very prevalent in people’s gardens and was really key, both in terms of whether monarchs laid their eggs there, and how many they laid,” says Klinger. “Also, kind of surprisingly, that older, more established milkweed plants did a lot better, they were more likely to see eggs than younger plants.” In addition, having a variety of blooming plants was also key for monarchs to lay more eggs on milkweed, as it provided lots of nectar for the adults.

However, while a garden with lots of native milkweed and other flowering plants left to grow year after year might be the best way to help monarchs, the researchers noted that every little bit helps. “Plant the species that works the best for you and your garden,” says Klinger. As of July 24, 2024, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed into law the Mobilizing Our Neighborhoods to Adopt Resilient Conservation Habitats (MONARCH) Act, which restricts HOAs from prohibiting native plantings and provides financial and technical assistance for establishing native and pollinator-friendly gardens.

While monarchs are just one small species of insect, they're indicative of the big-picture health of the ecosystems they live in. “Because they cross this big landscape from Mexico to Canada, monarchs are an important indicator of what's happening across a big area,” says Hasle. “Monarchs need a lot of the things that other insects need, like blooming flowers, so what’s good for monarchs is good for other pollinators too. And we’re in the midst of a global insect decline, so it’s important to help.”

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Milkweed garden in an alley behind a garage.

Credit

Photo by Imeña Valdes.

Milkweed garden in an alley behind a garage.

Credit

Photo by Imeña Valdes.

Monarch eggs on a milkweed plant.

Credit

Photo by Ursula Alvarado-Miller

Journal

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution

Article Title

Characteristics of Urban Milkweed Gardens that Influence Monarch Butterfly Egg Abundance

Article Publication Date

31-Jul-2024

The role of subtropical savannas in carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation

KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.

image:
Measurements made on the trees. BD: BASAL DIAMETER; BH: BREAST HEIGHT(1.30 m); dbh: diameter at breast height; h: height; stem(S), and morphological inversion point(MIP)
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Credit: Baietto, A., et al.

Savannas are a mixture of patches of trees and shrubs combined with an herbaceous understory. This biome significantly contributes to the global carbon stock and climate change mitigation. In Uruguay, subtropical wooded savannas account for around 100,000 hectares, with a relevant portion restricted to soils with high sodium content. Unfortunately, these savannas have suffered repeated events of illegal clear felling for harvesting wood products and being replaced by crop and livestock grazing systems. Despite this, few studies provide information regarding the distribution of carbon stored in the different components and the soil.

In this context, a recent study published in the journal Forest Ecosystems offers insights into mathematical relationships (allometric equations) for estimating the above-ground biomass of trees and shrubs and the carbon stock distribution among the different ecosystem components (soil, trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants). The study’s authors, from Uruguay and Spain, found allometric equations for the most frequent tree species and shrub genera, allowing them to estimate the above-ground biomass of these components with high accuracy. To achieve this, a set of measurements was carried out on the trees (see the image) and shrubs.

“The measurements on the trees did not require their complete destruction, which is significant given the environmental and legal restrictions against cutting them down,” explains Andrés Baietto, lead and corresponding author of the study. “For the shrubs and herbaceous plants, destructive sampling methods were applied.”

To obtain the carbon stock, the team performed laboratory analyses to transform the above-ground biomass estimation into carbon stock records. Finally, soil sampling in depth was carried out to estimate the organic carbon contained in it.

The authors confirmed that subtropical wooded savannas associated with sodic soils contain substantial amounts of carbon, with the soil holding the highest proportion. Their results highlight the importance of the studied cover as a carbon sink.

“The role of the soil as the most crucial component is particularly relevant because the carbon retained in it is highly susceptible to being released if subtropical wooded savannas are replaced by crop and livestock grazing systems,” adds Baietto. “This substitution usually leads to a significant increase in carbon dioxide emissions, one of the main greenhouse gases responsible for global warming. Therefore, conserving subtropical wooded savannas associated with sodic soils could be a relevant practice for reducing carbon dioxide emissions in a climate change context.”

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Contact the author: Forest Department, Faculty of Agronomy, University of the Republic, Montevideo, PO 12900, Uruguay abaietto@fagro.edu.uy

The publisher KeAi was established by Elsevier and China Science Publishing & Media Ltd to unfold quality research globally. In 2013, our focus shifted to open access publishing. We now proudly publish more than 100 world-class, open access, English language journals, spanning all scientific disciplines. Many of these are titles we publish in partnership with prestigious societies and academic institutions, such as the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC).

Journal

Forest Ecosystems

DOI

10.1016/j.fecs.2024.100216

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Carbon stock estimation in halophytic wooded savannas of Uruguay: An ecosystem approach

Children who miss breakfast are less happy in life

Regularity of morning meal strongly associated with life satisfaction – new study

Anglia Ruskin University

Children who frequently miss breakfast have lower life satisfaction than those who regularly eat a morning meal, according to a study of nearly 150,000 young people across the world.

The research, published in the BMC Nutrition Journal, was led by Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) and Universidad de las Americas, and shows a nearly linear relationship between higher frequency of eating breakfast and greater life satisfaction in children and adolescents aged between 10 and 17 years old across 42 countries including Britain.

The highest life satisfaction score was identified in participants who had breakfast daily, whereas the lowest life satisfaction score was observed in children who never had breakfast.

Among the 42 countries studies, children who ate breakfast every day in Portugal had the highest levels of life satisfaction. In contrast, the lowest life satisfaction scores were found in children from Romania who never ate breakfast, indicating potential socio-economic factors also influencing the results.

Amongst children who ate breakfast every day, children in England had the fifth lowest mean life satisfaction scores, behind only Romania, Hungary, Germany and Austria.

Senior author Lee Smith, Professor of Public Health at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said: “Our study was wide-ranging and found a consistent association between frequency of breakfast and life satisfaction, and there are several potential reasons for this. There have been previous studies that show low mood among adolescents who have not eaten breakfast and also higher instances of anxiety, stress and depression.

“Moreover, consuming an adequate breakfast provides the necessary energy and nutrients for optimal cognitive functioning and enhances concentration, memory, and learning ability.

“Another reason could be the mix of vitamins and minerals that we get from our daily breakfast, and not regularly getting those may result in lower life satisfaction over time. A regular routine that includes breakfast can also bring structure and a positive tone to the rest of the day.

“Results did show some inconsistencies between countries, which might be influenced by diverse cultures and lifestyles and socio-economic factors. However despite this, our results show that in all the countries examined, reported life satisfaction is overall higher in those who eat breakfast daily than in those who never eat breakfast.”

The full, open access paper can be read here.

Journal

BMC Nutrition

DOI

10.1186/s12937-024-00979-5

Method of Research

Data/statistical analysis

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Is the frequency of breakfast consumption associated with life satisfaction in children and adolescents? A cross-sectional study with 154,151 participants from 42 countries

What’s the weather like in the deep sea?

New Nature Geoscience study shows variable behavior of currents in the deep sea.

MARUM - Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen

image:
Organic and inorganic particles that sink from the ocean surface into the deep sea are also known as marine snow. Many environmental parameters are stored in them, which can be used to reconstruct the climate of the past, among other things. Photo: MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen
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Credit: MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen

The seafloor is the final destination for all sorts of particles, like sand, mud, organic carbon that provides food for seafloor organisms, and even pollutants. Accumulations of these particles in the deep sea are used to reconstruct past climates, natural hazards and ocean conditions; providing valuable archives of past change that extend far beyond historical records. The lead scientist on the project, Dr Mike Clare of National Oceanography Centre (NOC) explains: “It is important to understand the behavior and pathways of currents that operate in the deep sea, in order to determine pathways of natural and human-made particles and make sense of those records preserved in deposits.”

He adds: “However, there have been very few direct measurements made of currents that flow across the seafloor in deep waters. Most are made high above the seafloor, over short timescales, and only at individual locations. Until now we have not understood how dynamic seafloor currents can be in the deep sea.”

A new study that involved researchers from the UK, Canada, Germany and Italy analyzed data from the most extensive array of sensors yet deployed in the deep sea to determine the variability in seafloor currents over four years. Thirty-four deep sea moorings were deployed in up to 2.5 km water depths, equipped with high-frequency Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers – like an underwater speed camera to measure seafloor currents. Previous models suggested that these currents would be continuous and steady, but the new results provided big surprises. Currents sped up and slowed down, sometimes reversed direction completely, and were steered in different directions locally by the irregular seafloor relief.

“These are the first measurements of deep-sea currents across such a large area, long duration and so close to the seafloor. This makes them extremely valuable as they will help improve our models for reconstructing past changes related to climate change in the ocean” said Professor Elda Miramontes of MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences and Faculty of Geosciences at the University of Bremen, co-author of the study.

The study’s lead author, Dr Lewis Bailey (formerly of NOC and now at University of Calgary) said “The ocean bottom currents offshore Mozambique are far more variable than we expected. Just like currents in the upper ocean, their intensity changes between seasons and can even flip backwards and forwards over the course of several hours”.

Dr Ian Kane of University of Manchester, and a co-author of the study commented “Seeing how these currents behave is a bit like observing the weather in Manchester – always changing and often surprising. But observing change in the deep sea is really challenging and, until now, we have had a poor understanding of what background conditions are like in the deep-sea.”

The lead scientist on the project, Dr Mike Clare of NOC, added: “The deep sea can be extremely dynamic and this study underlines the importance of sustained observations, which provide critical information on understanding the ocean. More detailed observations are critical for understanding the important role bottom currents play in transporting sediment, carbon and pollutants across our planet”.

STOP DEEP SEA MINING!!!

Bottom currents measured with moorings show how even small-scale topography strongly steers and funnels flows near the seafloor.

Journal

Nature Geoscience

DOI

10.1038/s41561-024-01494-2

Article Title

Highly variable deep-sea currents over tidal and seasonal timescales.

Atmospheric rivers shape long-term changes in arctic moisture variability

Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Sea ice — image:
Melting ice in the Arctic Ocean.
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Credit: OUYANG Zhangxian

Recent decades have seen rapid warming in the Arctic, known as Arctic amplification, which has impacted the Arctic's cryosphere and ecosystems and influenced global weather and climate through changes in atmospheric circulation. According to the Clausius-Clapeyron relationship, higher temperatures lead to increased water vapor in the atmosphere. This additional moisture, besides being a greenhouse gas, contributes to further Arctic warming through related feedback mechanisms.

Atmospheric rivers (ARs) are narrow, transient corridors of intense water vapor transport, responsible for about 90% of poleward moisture movement despite only making up about 10% of atmospheric activity. Predominantly occurring in mid-latitudes, ARs transport warm, moist air toward polar regions. However, during summer, when Arctic moistening is most significant, the drivers behind changes in ARs and their contributions to long-term water vapor variability are not well understood.

A recent study published in Nature Communications by an international team of scientists from China, the USA, Chile, and Belgium has shed light on this issue. The study discovered a strong spatiotemporal connection between ARs and variables such as specific humidity, circulation, and temperature across different time scales, suggesting that similar physical mechanisms regulate them. Notably, long-term changes in Arctic summer moisture due to ARs cannot be entirely attributed to human-induced climate change, according to model responses. The study found that low-frequency large-scale atmospheric circulation in the Arctic significantly influences AR activity.

“In recent decades, ARs have been transporting more water vapor to the Arctic, a phenomenon previously linked to global warming and Arctic amplification. However, this study found that internal variability, rather than anthropogenic forcing, is the primary driver of this change,” said Prof. Qinghua DING from University of California, Santa Barbara, the study's corresponding author.

After isolating the moisture changes attributed to ARs, the study revealed that since 1979, ARs have contributed to over 36% of the increase in Arctic summer water vapor trends. This contribution is particularly significant in areas where AR activity has markedly increased, such as western Greenland, northern Europe, and eastern Siberia, where it exceeds 50%.

“While ARs are generally seen as stochastic extreme atmospheric phenomena driven by synoptic scale systems, they play a crucial role in modulating Arctic water vapor variability and shaping long-term changes in Arctic summer moisture,” said Dr. WANG Zhibiao from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the study's lead author.

Journal

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-024-49857-y

Article Title

Role of atmospheric rivers in shaping long term Arctic moisture variability

Scientists identify the predictability limit of oceanic mesoscale eddy tracks in the South China Sea

Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Oceanic mesoscale eddies (OMEs) are swirling water structures that play a crucial role in ocean dynamics. These eddies transport heat, salt, nutrients, and other materials across the ocean, significantly influencing marine ecosystems and global climate patterns. Despite their importance, predicting the trajectories of these eddies remains challenging.

A team of scientists from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Zhejiang University, Beijing Normal University and Laoshan Laboratory, utilized several datasets of mesoscale eddy observations combined with the nonlinear local Lyapunov exponent (NLLE) method to estimate the theoretical predictability limit of mesoscale eddy trajectories.

"Studying these eddies helps us better understand the complexity of eddy movements, the relationship between eddy motion, and the characteristics of the eddy itself and its surroundings. We classified and discussed the differences in predictability under various factors, considering the diverse characteristics of mesoscale eddies and the seasonal traits of the South China Sea. This comprehensive approach aims to enhance our understanding of how different mesoscale eddies and environmental conditions affect predictability limit." said Prof. LIU Hailong, the lead author of the study. "By predicting the behavior of these eddies, we can more effectively provide security for economic and transport activities in the ocean."

The study revealed several key insights. Firstly, the mean predictability limit of cyclonic eddy (CE) tracks is approximately 44 days, while anticyclonic eddy (AE) tracks have a predictability limit of around 39 days in the South China Sea. These values varied slightly across different datasets, indicating a robust predictability range. Long-lived, high-amplitude, and large-radius eddies exhibit predictability limits exceeding 60 days. In contrast, short-lived, low-amplitude, and small-radius eddies have predictability limits of around 40 days.

A complexity index (CI) was introduced to elucidate the complexity of OME tracks further. The findings suggest that long-lived, high-amplitude eddies, mainly located on the northern slope of the SCS and the west of Luzon Strait, have simpler and smoother tracks.

"The South China Sea is one of the most complex and dynamic sea areas in the world and is significantly influenced by the monsoon. Its seasonal characteristics also have a profound influence on the formation, development, and movement of mesoscale eddies," according to the study.

AE tracks are most predictable in autumn, with a limit of 52 days, while CE tracks are most predictable in winter, reaching up to 53 days. Conversely, summer presents the lowest predictability for both types of eddies. The locations of more predictable eddy tracks tend to overlap with periodic eddies, so the predictability limits of periodic eddies warrant specific discussion.

Periodic eddies are regular eddies in the South China Sea, often generated at fixed times and locations, typically annually. These periodic eddies, which are usually long-lived and stronger, exhibit a predictability limit of 49 days for both CE and AE tracks. They are predominantly located east of the Luzon Strait and along the west coast of Luzon Island.

"By determining the predictability limit, scientists can identify the strengths and limitations of current ocean models. This insight helps refine these models, leading to better simulations of the ocean and more accurate predictions," said Prof. LIU. This provides us with a new research perspective to help us better understand and predict ocean eddy tracks."

These findings have recently been published in the Advances in Atmospheric Sciences and featured on the cover of issue 9 of 2024.

Journal

Advances in Atmospheric Sciences

Article Title

The Predictability Limit of Oceanic Mesoscale Eddy Tracks in the South China Sea

Platypus and chicken reveal how chromosomes balance between the sexes

University of New South Wales

UNSW Sydney researchers have made new discoveries of fundamental differences in biological processes between males and females—by interrogating the unique and diverse sex chromosome systems of the platypus and the chicken.

The findings, published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), are a surprise in the field of genetics. The discoveries will help build a better understanding of how sex chromosomes evolved, how our bodies function—and they could lead to new discoveries in biology.

“Mammals, such as humans, have females with two X chromosomes and males with one X chromosome and one Y chromosome, which creates an imbalance between the sexes,” says lead author Dr Nicholas Lister from UNSW’s School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences.

“This imbalance is corrected by a process called sex chromosome dosage compensation.”

Scientists have long known that animals have solutions to balance sex chromosome differences and achieve ‘normal’ function.

Dr Lister says: “In female mammals, such as humans and mice, XX females and XY males have different numbers of the X chromosome. To balance this difference, one of the X chromosomes in females is typically silenced.

“Silencing one X chromosome in females equalises the gene products on the sex chromosomes.

“This prevents females from producing double the number of proteins from the X compared to males.”

Balancing the scales

Every cell in our bodies uses proteins to perform specific functions.

“They are translated from mRNA, which carry the instructions for cells to make proteins,” the study’s research lead, Associate Professor Paul Waters, also from UNSW’s School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, says.

“Being male or female affects mRNA levels of X chromosome genes, which we would then expect to affect protein production.”

But A/Prof. Waters says this study demonstrates—for the first time—that a balance of proteins occurs between the sexes, even when mRNA levels aren’t balanced.

“The findings suggest that dosage compensation is a crucial process in species with differentiated sex chromosomes to ensure that protein levels are balanced,” he says.

“These results are significant as they suggest that dosage compensation of sex chromosomes is essential after all—and across all vertebrate species, not just placental and marsupial mammals.”

Why the platypus and the chicken?

The study focused on the platypus and the chicken—two species with vastly different sex chromosome systems that offer valuable insights into the evolution and mechanisms of dosage compensation.

“Platypus are monotreme mammals, with interesting sex chromosome systems,” Dr Lister says.

“They have five pairs of X chromosomes in females and five Xs and five Ys in males.

“Birds—such as chickens—have a ZW system, where males have two copies of a Z chromosome and females have a Z and a W chromosome.”

A/Prof. Waters says the scientists had already observed near perfect sex chromosome dosage compensation of RNA between males and females in placental and marsupial mammals.

“However, in birds and monotremes, there is an imbalance of mRNA between the sexes,” he says.

“This is something we thought was impossible.

“For the first time, we show that this imbalance is corrected at the protein level.

“This means that platypus and chicken have a novel mechanism of dosage compensation that is different to how we humans do it.”

Are our genes really in control?

Co-author Professor Jenny Graves, from the Department of Environment and Genetics at La Trobe University, had demonstrated that genes on the inactive human X chromosome are not copied into RNA back in 1986.

Silencing at the level of RNA then became the paradigm for all epigenetic silencing.

“As the genes were silenced by their failure to make RNA, the control of dosage compensation was assumed to be at the level of RNA only—not at the level of making proteins,” Prof. Graves says.

“But mRNA levels for genes on sex chromosomes weren’t balanced in the platypus or the chicken,” she says.

“So, scientists questioned the assumption that dosage compensation is essential for life.”

A/Prof. Waters says that measuring protein levels has been a much trickier endeavour than measuring mRNA levels, due to technological challenges.

“And now that the technology is more sensitive, we can see that the dosage compensation of sex chromosomes between males and females is observed at the protein level in the platypus and the chicken,” A/Prof. Waters says.

“The males and females of these species make similar amounts of proteins, despite the discrepancies in mRNA quantities.”

How will this knowledge be applied?

The authors emphasise the complexity of genetic regulation and the importance of considering multiple levels of control in gene expression.

Co-author Dr Shafagh Waters from UNSW’s School of Biomedical Sciences says the study paves the way for a deeper understanding of genetic regulation.

“Studying unique species like the platypus provides us with new insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms that could regulate various aspects of human physiology, or be implicated in disease states,” she says.

“So, while these processes may not directly apply to human dosage compensation, they illuminate how our bodies manage gene expression and protein production.

“Our findings have the potential to advance knowledge in evolutionary biology and lead to innovative therapies in medical genetics.

“Understanding these mechanisms across different species can help identify new targets for diseases where protein dysfunction is key.”

Dr Lister says future research will examine the mechanisms that contribute to dosage compensation.

“This work will help us discover other dosage compensation systems in nature,” he says.

“We can find out how these evolved and how they work in other species.”

A/Prof. Waters says, “understanding these processes in other species can enhance our grasp of gene regulation at a fundamental level.”

Journal

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

DOI

10.1073/pnas.2322360121

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

Cells

Article Title

Incomplete transcriptional dosage compensation of chicken and platypus sex chromosomes is balanced by post-transcriptional compensation

Article Publication Date

30-Jul-2024