Disease threatens to decimate western bats

White-nose syndrome predicted to drastically impact hibernating bat species in the West

WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY

Research News

 

IMAGE: A RESEARCHER ABOUT TO HANDLE A HIBERNATING TOWNSEND'S BIG-EARED BAT IN AN ABANDONED MINE IN NEVADA. view more 

CREDIT: KIM RAFF

BOZEMAN, Montana (January 19, 2021) - A four-year study recently published in Ecology and Evolution concludes that the fungal disease, white-nose syndrome, poses a severe threat to many western North American bats.

Since it was first detected in 2006, white-nose syndrome has killed millions of bats in eastern and central North America. The spread of the fungal pathogen that causes white-nose syndrome in hibernating bats has reached several western U.S. states, mostly likely through bat-to-bat spread, and is presently threatening western species.

Bats with white-nose syndrome have fungus growing on their nose and wings, as the name implies, but the fungal infection also triggers a higher frequency of arousals from hibernation. Each arousal involves an increase in body temperature from as low as near freezing (when bats use torpor) to an active mammalian body temperature (~98?F or 38?C), which uses a significant amount of energy. Bats have limited fat stored for the winter, and if this is used up before the end of winter, death by starvation occurs.

The researchers' aim was to provide managers with information on which western bat species may suffer high mortality and extinction risk if infected with the disease. To do so they combined an unprecedented field data collection effort with a mechanistic model that explains how energy is consumed during hibernation and how the causal fungus impacts this energy consumption. By comparing their new knowledge of how long bats infected with white-nose syndrome could hibernate against the duration of winter that they would need to hibernate with the disease, the authors predicted survival outcomes for each species. If a bat did not have sufficient energy to live beyond the duration of winter the simulation recorded a mortality.

Three years of intensive fieldwork resulted in 946 bat captures (all released after measuring). Bat energetic measurements paired with hibernaculum environmental data were gathered for nine species that were sampled at eight sites scattered throughout the West (see Figure A). The researchers then assessed how the arrival of white-nose syndrome might affect hibernation energy use, and subsequently each species' ability to survive hibernation with the disease. Combining data on the host, the environment they select for hibernation, and how the pathogen grows at different temperature and humidity conditions the authors simulated how many days infected populations could hibernate under field conditions.

The study revealed there are white-nose syndrome threats to all the small Myotis species examined, including M. ciliolabrum (western small-footed bat), M. evotis (long-eared bat), M. lucifugus (little brown bat), M. thysanodes (fringed myotis), and M. volans (long-legged bat), as well as Perimyotis subflavus (tricolored bat). In comparison, larger species like M. velifer (cave bat), Corynorhinus townsendii (Townsend's big-eared bat) and Eptesicus fuscus (big brown bat) are predicted to be less impacted. Further analysis showed body mass (and relatedly body-fat as these attributes are correlated) as well as hibernaculum water vapor deficit (i.e. relative humidity) explained over half the variation observed in bat survival.

Dr. Catherine Haase, now Assistant Professor of Biology at Austin Peay State University and the study's lead author said: "Our results indicate the need to take a holistic view on conservation, as it is not just one thing that determines survival from white-nose syndrome, but rather the combination of bat, environment, and disease variables."

All of the western bat species studied were insectivores, meaning they prey on insects, including those that are pests to agricultural crops. In addition to providing valuable ecosystem services, they are incredibly fascinating species, from their ability to echolocate to their unique immune system.

Dr. Sarah Olson, Wildlife Conservation Society Health Program co-author and project Principle Investigator said: "This study demonstrates the value of collecting baseline data to pre-emptively understand a threat posed by a wildlife disease, like white-nose syndrome, to western bats, so that more proactive conservation measures can be taken to protect these species. Here, an all hands on deck approach is needed. Western states can take steps now to put protections in place before anticipated severe declines are observed, like reducing habitat loss and restricting access to hibernacula, as well as investing in research and surveillance."

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The study was funded by an award from the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program(SERDP;) - the Department of Defense's environmental science and technology program that is executed in partnership with the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency. The research involved a consortium of partners including Texas Tech University, Montana State University, Massey University in New Zealand, Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, Conservation Science Partners and the Wildlife Conservation Society.

About the WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society)

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a US non-profit, tax-exempt, private organization established in 1895 that saves wildlife and wild places by understanding critical issues, crafting science-based solutions, and taking conservation actions that benefit nature and humanity. With more than a century of experience, long-term commitments in dozens of landscapes, presence in more than 60 nations, and experience helping to establish over 150 protected areas across the globe, WCS has amassed the biological knowledge, cultural understanding and partnerships to ensure that vibrant, wild places and wildlife thrive alongside local communities. Working with local communities and organizations, that knowledge is applied to address species, habitat and ecosystem management issues critical to improving the quality of life of poor rural people whose livelihoods depend on the direct utilization of natural resources. WCS was the first conservation organization with a dedicated team of wildlife veterinarians and other health professionals deployed around the world. The WCS Health Program is central to delivering on our mission to save wildlife and wild places around the globe. Wildlife, livestock, and human diseases will likely have a significant impact on the future development of sustainable land uses, protected areas, transboundary natural resource management, other biodiversity conservation approaches, and livelihood opportunities in many of the landscapes and seascapes where we work. Our work at the interface of wildlife, domestic animal, and human health has demonstrated that a One Health approach can build new constituencies for conservation and strengthen existing ones, while mitigating a key threat to conservation. Today, WCS Health Programs are globally recognized for excellence in zoological and wildlife medicine, pathology, and global health conservation initiatives. Visit: newsroom.wcs.org Follow: @WCSNewsroom. For more information: 347-840-1242.

About Austin Peay State University

Austin Peay State University (APSU; apsu.edu) is a moderately-sized state university located in middle Tennessee. APSU serves a large population of diverse students with several degree options at the associates, bachelor's, master's and doctoral levels. Many of these degrees can be pursued on campus and online. APSU is home to the state's only Center of Excellence for Field Biology, which enables students to work with professional field biologists in the study of mammals, insects, fish, plants and more.

About WCS Canada Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Canada was incorporated as a conservation organization in Canada in 2004. The mission of WCS Canada is to conserve wildlife and wild places by understanding the issues, developing science-based solutions, and working with others to carry out conservation actions across Canada. WCS Canada is distinguished from other environmental organizations through their role in generating science through field and applied research, and by using results to encourage collaboration among scientific communities, organizations and policy makers to achieve conservation results.

About TTU

A new era of excellence is dawning at Texas Tech University as it stands on the cusp of being one of the nation's premier research institutions. Research and enrollment numbers are at record levels, which cement Texas Tech's commitment to attracting and retaining quality students. In fall 2020, the university achieved a goal more than a decade in the making, reaching a total student population of more than 40,000. In 2018, the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education again placed Texas Tech among its top doctoral universities in the nation in the "Very High Research Activity" category. Texas Tech is one of 94 public institutions nationally and 131 overall to achieve this prestigious recognition. Quality students need top-notch faculty. Texas Tech is home to a diverse, highly revered pool of educators who excel in teaching, research and service. The university strives to foster an environment that celebrates student accomplishment above all else. Texas Tech is large enough to provide the best in facilities and academics but prides itself on being able to focus on each student individually.

The momentum for excellence at Texas Tech has never been greater.

About MSU

Montana State University is a public university located in Bozeman, Montana. It was founded in 1893 as the state's land-grant institution and prides itself on its tripartite mission of excellence in teaching and learning, research and creative projects and outreach and service. With an enrollment of more than 15,600 students, MSU is the largest university in the state. It is also the largest research university in Montana and the largest research and development entity of any kind in Montana, with annual research expenditures typically exceeding $100 million annually. Through its colleges, MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in more than 50 fields, master's degrees in more than 40 fields, and doctoral degrees in approximately 20 fields. To learn more, visit http://www.montana.edu/.

About Massey U

Massey University is New Zealand's largest and most influential educational institution with around 32,500 students. It calls itself New Zealand's defining university because its areas of specialized teaching and world-class research reflect what New Zealand and New Zealanders are best known for - agrifood innovation and the associated disciplines such as public health, animal welfare, farming and food technology, design, creative arts, social sciences, and business. It has five colleges (faculties), around 3000 full-time equivalent staff and the nation's largest university-based distance education program, allowing students to study from anywhere in the world.

About CSP

Conservation Science Partners (CSP; csp-inc.org) is a nonprofit scientific collective established to meet the analytical and research needs of diverse stakeholders in conservation outcomes on public and private lands. The mission of CSP is to apply human ingenuity to the preservation of species, populations, and ecosystems using scientific principles, innovative approaches, and lasting partnerships with conservation practitioners. CSP connects the best minds in conservation science to solve environmental problems in a comprehensive, flexible, and service-oriented manner. The core capabilities of CSP span a wide spectrum of geospatial and statistical techniques, from custom ecological and environmental data development (GIS and remote sensing based) to advanced analyses of landscape patterns and changes at multiple spatial and temporal scales.

Study identifies a nonhuman primate model that mimics severe COVID-19 similar to humans

New research published in The American Journal of Pathology suggests that aged African green monkeys may be suitable models for the study of severe forms of COVID-19

ELSEVIER

Research News

 

IMAGE: ACUTE RESPIRATORY DISTRESS SYNDROME (ARDS) IN SARS-COV-2 INFECTED AGED, AFRICAN GREEN MONKEY. A. RADIOGRAPHIC CHANGES NOTED FOLLOWING A RAPID CLINICAL DECLINE WITHIN A 24-HOUR PERIOD. B. MICROSCOPIC FINDINGS SHOWING DIFFUSE... view more 

CREDIT: THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY

Philadelphia, January 19, 2021 - Aged, wild-caught African green monkeys exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus developed acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) with clinical symptoms similar to those observed in the most serious human cases of COVID-19, report researchers in The American Journal of Pathology, published by Elsevier. This is the first study to show that African green monkeys can develop severe clinical disease after SARS-CoV-2 infection, suggesting that they may be useful models for the study of COVID-19 in humans.

"Animal models greatly enhance our understanding of diseases. The lack of an animal model for severe manifestations of COVID-19 has hampered our understanding of this form of the disease," explained lead investigator Robert V. Blair, DVM, PhD, Dip ACVP, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Covington, LA, USA. "If aged green monkeys prove to be a consistent model of severe COVID-19, studying the disease pathobiology in them would improve our understanding of the disease and allow testing treatment options."

The researchers exposed four aged rhesus macaques and four aged African green monkeys to SARS-CoV-2. Older animals (13-16 years of age) were specifically chosen to see if they would develop the severe form of the disease that is observed more frequently in elderly individuals. All of the monkeys developed a spectrum of disease from mild to severe COVID-19. A day after routine screening found no remarkable symptoms, two of the African green monkeys developed rapid breathing that quickly progressed to severe respiratory distress. Radiographic studies found the two African green monkeys had widespread opacities in the lungs, in stark contrast to images taken the day before, highlighting the rapid development of the disease. Such opacities are a hallmark of ARDS in humans.

The African green monkeys that progressed to severe disease had notable increases in plasma cytokines that are compatible with cytokine storm, which is thought to underlie the development of ARDS in some patients. All four African green monkeys had elevated levels of interferon gamma; the two that had progressed to ARDS had the highest plasma concentration. Plasma cytokines were not increased in the rhesus macaques. Dr. Blair suggested that elevated interferon gamma could be explored as a potential predictive biomarker for advanced disease in patients and a possible therapeutic target.

Dr. Blair said, "Our data suggest that both rhesus monkeys and African green monkeys are capable of modeling mild manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and aged African green monkeys may additionally be capable of modeling severe disease manifestations, including ARDS."

HIV/AIDS WAS FIRST DISCOVERED IN GREEN MONKEYS IN AFRICA

Stealing the spotlight in the field and kitchen

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF AGRONOMY

Research News

 

IMAGE: BEANS IN THE UC DAVIS BREEDING PROGRAM, WHOSE VARIETIES HAVE BEEN SELECTED TO COMBINE EXCELLENT CULINARY WITH IMPROVED YIELDS AND RESISTANCE TO BEAN COMMON MOSAIC VIRUS. view more 

CREDIT: TRAVIS PARKER

January 20, 2021 - Plant breeders are constantly working to develop new bean varieties to meet the needs and desires of the food industry. But not everyone wants the same thing.

Many consumers desire heirloom-type beans, which have great culinary quality and are visually appealing. On the other hand, farmers desire beans with better disease resistance and higher yield potential.

The bean varieties that farmers want to grow are usually different than the varieties consumers want to purchase. Until now.

Travis Parker, a plant scientist at University of California, Davis, has worked with a team of researchers to release five new varieties of dry beans that combine the most desirable traits.

The new varieties, UC Sunrise, UC Southwest Red, UC Tiger's Eye, UC Rio Zape, and UC Southwest Gold, were recently highlighted in the Journal of Plant Registrations, a publication of the Crop Science Society of America.

"Our new beans combine the best of both worlds for farmers and consumers," says Parker. "They combine the better qualities of heirloom-type beans with the better qualities of commercial types."

Heirloom-type beans often represent older bean types that are known for culinary qualities and seed patterns. These are highly desired by consumers. Heirloom types often fetch a higher market value than other beans.

Commercial dry beans often have higher yields, shorter maturity times, and improved disease resistance. While they possess qualities desirable to producers, they don't fetch as high of a market price compared to their heirloom counterparts.

"Our goal was to improve field characteristics of the heirloom beans without losing culinary characteristics," said Parker. "We have an interest in higher-value varieties and want them to grow well."

Farmers growing the heirloom dry beans often sell the beans to health-conscious consumers or high-end restaurants. This sale often leads to a higher price point. However, these beans are prone to disease and don't perform well in the field.

"We know that existing heirloom beans don't usually do well in terms of yield," said Parker. "Breeding beans for high yields is a major improvement for farmers. The new varieties are high-yielding, heat-tolerant, and are also resistant to bean common mosaic virus."

CAPTION

A comparison of the heirloom variety "Tiger's Eye" (left, with virus symptoms) and the newly released "UC Tiger's Eye" (right, healthy leaves). These varieties have similar culinary qualities, but UC Tiger's Eye is resistant to the common mosaic virus and has higher yields.

Incorporating disease resistance was essential when developing the new bean varieties. Bean common mosaic virus is a well-known problem that is hard to control in the field.

"The only real effective means to handle the virus is through genetic resistance," explains Parker.

The new varieties, such as UC Sunrise, satisfy the need for farmers to have a bean that is disease resistant while also yielding 50% more than heirloom types. In addition, the beans do not take as long to grow between planting and harvest.

Commercial and heirloom beans come from the same species, but they are in different market classes. The heirloom varieties are bred with intimate knowledge of what tastes good and what works well in the kitchen.

"In recent decades, there has been less attention paid to consumer desires during the bean breeding process," says Parker. "There are more layers between the breeder and the consumer. We are trying to make sure to keep consumers in mind while incorporating qualities that are beneficial to the farmer."

With consumer desires in mind, the research team used cross-pollination to breed plants with key characteristics they selected. As Parker and the team continued the breeding process, they performed taste tests to ensure the beans met the level of culinary quality expected of an heirloom-type bean, in terms of flavor and visual appeal.

CAPTION

A detailed view of UC Sunrise, one of the new varieties the heirloom-like dry bean. The colorful pattern is desirable to consumers. 

This research was supported by the Clif Bar Family Foundation, Lundberg Family Farms, the United States Department of Agriculture Organic Agriculture Research & Extension Initiative, and the United States Department of Agriculture Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program.

American Society of Agronomy, Soil Science Society of America, Crop Science Society of America: Collectively, these Societies represent more than 12,000 individual members around the world. Members are researchers and professionals in the areas of growing our world's food supply while protecting our environment. Together we work toward solutions to advance scientific knowledge in the areas of agronomy, crop science, and soil science.

Twitter: @ASA_CSSA_SSSA & @SSSA_soils | Instagram: @sustainablefoodsupply & @iheartsoil

 

A new carbon budget framework provides a clearer view of our climate deadlines

Concordia's Damon Matthews outlines a more comprehensive method of calculating how much CO2 we can emit and still meet Paris Agreement targets

CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY

Research News

 

IMAGE: DAMON MATTHEWS: "THE WIDE RANGE OF CARBON BUDGET ESTIMATES IN THE LITERATURE HAS CONTRIBUTED TO BOTH CONFUSION AND INACTION IN CLIMATE POLICY CIRCLES. " view more 

CREDIT: CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY

Just how close are the world's countries to achieving the Paris Agreement target of keeping climate change limited to a 1.5°C increase above pre-industrial levels?

It's a tricky question with a complex answer. One approach is to use the remaining carbon budget to gauge how many more tonnes of carbon dioxide we can still emit and have a chance of staying under the target laid out by the 2015 international accord. However, estimates of the remaining carbon budget have varied considerably in previous studies because of inconsistent approaches and assumptions used by researchers.

Nature Communications Earth and Environment just published a paper by a group of researchers led by Damon Matthews, professor in the Department of Geography, Planning and Environment. In it, they present a new framework for calculating the remaining carbon budget that is able to generate a much narrower estimate and its uncertainty.

The researchers estimate that between 230 and 440 billion more tonnes of CO2 from 2020 onwards can be emitted into the atmosphere and still provide a reasonable chance of limiting global warming to 1.5°C. This is the same as five to 10 years of current emission levels.

"The wide range of carbon budget estimates in the literature has contributed to both confusion and inaction in climate policy circles," explains Matthews, the Concordia Research Chair in Climate Science and Sustainability. "This is the first time we have gone through all the uncertainties and included them in a single estimate."

Uncertainties included

Matthews identifies five key uncertain parameters affecting the remaining carbon budget.

The first is the amount of observed warming that has occurred to date; the second is the amount of CO2 that has been emitted over the past 150 years; the third uncertainty is the amount of warming we are experiencing that is due to CO2 vs. non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions; fourth is the future non-CO2 contributions to warming; and last is the amount of warming that has not yet occurred as a result of emissions already in the atmosphere.

Using a new set of equations, the researchers were able to relate these parameters to each other and calculate a unified distribution of the remaining carbon budget.

The 440 billion tonnes of CO2 is a median estimate, however, giving us a 50/50 chance of meeting the 1.5°C target. The researchers' uncertainty range runs from 230 billion tonnes before net-zero, which would give us a 67 per cent chance of meeting the target, to 670 billion tonnes for a one-in-three chance.

These numbers are based on accounting for geophysical uncertainties (those related to scientific understanding of the climate system), but not socioeconomic ones (those relating to human decisions and socioeconomic systems). The decisions humans make in the near-term matter greatly and have the potential to either increase or decrease the size of the remaining carbon budget. In the new framework, these decisions could add (or remove) as much as 170 billion tonnes of CO2 to the median carbon budget estimate.

A window of opportunity

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented humans with an opportunity, Matthews argues. The year 2020 experienced a noticeable drop in emissions from 2019 due in large part to reduced human mobility. If we are able to direct recovery investments in ways that would continue this decrease (rather than allowing emissions to rebound) we would greatly increase our chances of remaining under the 1.5°C Paris Agreement target.

Another source of cautious optimism lies with the incoming Biden administration in the United States, which has made climate change a priority.

"I am optimistic that having national leadership in the US that can mobilize efforts on climate change will make a big difference over the coming years," Matthews adds. "The momentum is shifting in the right direction, but it is still not happening fast enough."

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Counting elephants from space

Satellite images processed with the help of computer algorithms are a promising new tool for surveying endangered wildlife.

UNIVERSITY OF BATH

Research News

 

IMAGE: ELEPHANTS IN WOODLAND AS SEEN FROM SPACE. GREEN RECTANGLES SHOW ELEPHANTS DETECTED BY THE ALGORITHM, RED RECTANGLES SHOW ELEPHANTS VERIFIED BY HUMANS. view more 

CREDIT: SATELLITE IMAGE (C) 2020 MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES

For the first time, scientists have successfully used satellite cameras coupled with deep learning to count animals in complex geographical landscapes, taking conservationists an important step forward in monitoring populations of endangered species.

For this research, the satellite Worldview 3 used high-resolution imagery to capture African elephants moving through forests and grasslands. The automated system detected animals with the same accuracy as humans are able to achieve.

The algorithm that enabled the detection process was created by Dr Olga Isupova, a computer scientist at the University of Bath in the UK. The project was a collaboration with the UK's University of Oxford and the University of Twente in the Netherlands.

Dr Isupova said the new surveying technique allows vast areas of land to be scanned in a matter of minutes, offering a much-needed alternative to human observers counting individual animals from low-flying airplanes. As it sweeps across the land, a satellite can collect over 5,000 km² of imagery every few minutes, eliminating the risk of double counting. Where necessary (for instance, when there is cloud coverage), the process can be repeated the next day, on the satellite's next revolution of Earth.

The population of African elephants has nose-dived over the past century, mainly due to poaching and habitat fragmentation. With only 40,000-50,000 elephants left in the wild, the species is classified as endangered.

"Accurate monitoring is essential if we're to save the species," said Dr Isupova. "We need to know where the animals are and how many there are."

Satellite monitoring eliminates the risk of disturbing animals during data collection and ensures humans are not hurt in the counting process. It also makes it simpler to count animals moving from country to country, as satellites can orbit the planet without regard for border controls or conflict.

This study was not the first to use satellite imagery and algorithms to monitor species, but it was the first to reliably monitor animals moving through a heterogeneous landscape - that is, a backdrop that includes areas of open grassland, woodland and partial coverage.

"This type of work has been done before with whales, but of course the ocean is all blue, so counting is a lot less challenging," said Dr Isupova. "As you can imagine, a heterogeneous landscape makes it much hard to identify animals."

The researchers believe their work demonstrates the potential of technology to support conservationists in their plight to protect biodiversity and to slow the progress of the sixth mass extinction - the ongoing extinction event triggered by human activity.

"We need to find new state-of-the-art systems to help researchers gather the data they need to save species under threat," said Dr Isupova.

African elephants were chosen for this study for good reason - they are the largest land animal and therefore the easiest to spot. However, Dr Isupova is hopeful that it will soon be possible to detect far smaller species from space.

"Satellite imagery resolution increases every couple of years, and with every increase we will be able to see smaller things in greater detail," she said, adding: "Other researchers have managed to detect black albatross nests against snow. No doubt the contrast of black and white made it easier, but that doesn't change the fact that an albatross nest is one-eleventh the size of an elephant."

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The paper Using very?high?resolution satellite imagery and deep learning to detect and count African elephants in heterogeneous landscape is published in the Journal of Zoology.

The researchers involved in this project were Dr Olga Isupova from the University of Bath, Isla Duporge, Dr Steven Reece, and Professor David W. Macdonald from the University of Oxford, and Dr Tiejun Wang from the University of Twente.

Protected areas vulnerable to growing emphasis on food security

New study shows croplands are prevalent in protected areas, challenging their efficacy in meeting conservation goals

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND

Research News

IMAGE: THE IMAGE OF A FEMALE ASIAN ELEPHANT IN A TEA PLANTATION ON THE FRINGES OF KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK IN INDIA, BORDERING THE EASTERN HIMALAYA BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOT, EXEMPLIFIES POTENTIAL IMPACTS TO ENDANGERED SPECIES... view more 

CREDIT: IMAGE COURTESY OF SASHANKA BARBARUAH-WILDLIFE TRUST OF INDIA

Protected areas are critical to mitigating extinction of species; however, they may also be in conflict with efforts to feed the growing human population. A new study shows that 6% of all global terrestrial protected areas are already made up of cropland, a heavily modified habitat that is often not suitable for supporting wildlife. Worse, 22% of this cropland occurs in areas supposedly enjoying the strictest levels of protection, the keystone of global biodiversity protection efforts.

This finding was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by researchers at the University of Maryland's National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC) and National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis ( NIMBioS ) at the University of Tennessee. In order to comprehensively examine global cropland impacts in

protected areas for the first time, the authors synthesized a number of remotely sensed cropland estimates and diverse socio-environmental datasets.

The persistence of many native species--particularly habitat specialists (species that depend on a narrow set of natural systems), rare, and threatened species--is incompatible with conversion of habitat to cropland, thus compromising the primary conservation goal of these protected areas. Guided by the needs of conservation end users, the researchers used methods that provide an important benchmark and reproducible methods for rapid monitoring of cropland in protected areas.

"Combining multiple remote sensing approaches with ongoing inventory and survey work will allow us to better understand the impacts of conversion on different taxa," says lead author Varsha Vijay, a conservation scientist who was a postdoctoral fellow at SESYNC while working on the study. "Cropland in biodiversity hotspots warrant particularly careful monitoring. In many of these regions, expanding cropland to meet increasing food demand exposes species to both habitat loss and increased human-wildlife conflict," she adds.

Countries with higher population density, lower income inequality, and higher agricultural suitability tend to have more cropland in their protected areas. Even though cropland in protected areas is most dominant in mid-northern latitudes, the tradeoffs between biodiversity and food security may be most acute in the tropics and subtropics. This increased tradeoff is due to higher levels of species richness coinciding with a high proportion of cropland-impacted protected areas.

"The findings of this study emphasize the need to move beyond area-based conservation targets and develop quantitative measures to improve conservation outcomes in protected areas, especially in areas of high food insecurity and biodiversity" says Lucas Joppa, chief environmental officer of Microsoft, who has published numerous papers on the topic of protected area effectiveness but who was not an author on the study. 2021 is a historic "Year of Impact," when many countries and international agencies are developing new decadal targets for biodiversity conservation and protected areas. As countries aim to meet these goals and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, there is an increasing need to understand synergies and tradeoffs between these goals in order to ensure a more sustainable future. Studies such as these offer insights for protected area planning and management, particularly as future protected areas expand into an agriculturally dominated matrix. Though the study reveals many challenges for the future, it also reveals potential scenarios for restoration in mid-northern latitudes and for cooperation between conservation and food programs in regions with both high levels of food insecurity and biodiversity.

"Despite clear connections between food production and biodiversity, conservation and development planning are still often treated as independent processes," says study co-author Paul Armsworth from the University of Tennessee. "Rapid advances in data availability provide exciting opportunities for bringing the two processes together," adds Vijay.

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The paper, "Pervasive cropland in protected areas highlight trade-offs between conservation and food security," Varsha Vijay and Paul Armsworth, appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. doi:10.1073/pnas.2010121118 https://www.pnas.org/content/118/4/e2010121118

The study is based upon work funded by the National Science Foundation (Award No.: DBI- 1639145).

Study shows how network of marine protected areas could help safeguard Antarctic penguins

UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA

Research News

 

New research led by BirdLife International, the University of East Anglia (UEA) and British Antarctic Survey highlights how a proposed network of marine protected areas could help safeguard some of the most important areas at sea for breeding Antarctic penguins.

The findings, published today in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science, show that if all the Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) proposed around Antarctica were adopted, the permanent conservation of high-quality areas for a flagship group of Antarctic wildlife - the penguins - would increase by between 49% and 100% depending on the species.

The Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica is home to thousands of unique species, including seals, whales and four species of penguins - the Adélie, Chinstrap, Gentoo and Emperor. Many of these feed on krill, tiny shrimp-like crustaceans, which are also the target of large commercial fisheries, who harvest them for a variety of krill-based products including fish food.

Penguins are often considered an indicator species whose populations reflect the state of the surrounding marine environment. However, many vital penguin habitats remain unprotected, leaving them susceptible to human-related threats such as pollution, overfishing and climate change.

The study used a new approach based on colony location, population estimates, and tracking data, to identify globally important areas for penguin species around Antarctica, pinpointing 63 key sites.

Known as Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs), they are used by at least 1% of a species' global population. They represent important foraging grounds, surrounding breeding colonies of several thousands of individuals when penguins congregate to raise their chicks.

The international team also examined krill fishery activities over the last 50 years and found that while its range of operation has contracted, a consistently disproportionate amount of krill is being harvested within the globally important areas for penguins compared to the total area in which the fishery operates. The results align with other studies which show that krill fisheries might be directly competing with penguins for crucial foraging resources.

"Our findings provide critical evidence about the location and relevance of some of the most important areas globally for chick-rearing adult penguins breeding in Antarctica and nearby islands," said lead author Dr Jonathan Handley, of Birdlife International.

"Over the past five decades, krill fisheries have concentrated into a small number of areas in Antarctic waters, some of which we identified as important penguin foraging grounds. This poses a likely threat for several penguin colonies, especially when they are rearing chicks."

To control the increasing commercial interest in Antarctic fisheries and particularly krill resources, an international convention was established in 1982, governed by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) - an international convention comprised of 25 Member states, together with the European Union.

The convention envisioned the creation of a network of MPAs around Antarctica since 2002, but since 2016 only two have been implemented. Three more have been under discussion for several years but members have not been able to agree on their formal designation.

Co-author Dr Aldina Franco, of UEA's School of Environmental Sciences, said the new study supports the adoption of the proposed MPA network: "Recent studies have shown that krill fisheries could be directly competing with penguins for critical food supplies. The proposed Marine Protected Area network, which has recognised go/no go areas for krill fisheries, can help guarantee that enough krill is available for penguins."

Marie-Morgane Rouyer, who jointly led the research while a Masters student at UEA, added: "Marine resources need to be managed in a sustainable way if we are to guarantee the existence of these emblematic penguin species in the future."

The researchers identified new IBAs that are important for the conservation of Antarctic penguins and examined the overlap with existing and proposed MPAs. They found that Adélie and Emperor penguins currently have 27-31% of the important areas within adopted MPAs, but no Gentoo's IBAs and only 1% of Chinstrap's are within them.

If all proposed MPAs for Antarctica are adopted then an average of 80% of the important areas for penguin conservation would be within an MPA. This highlights the importance of the proposed network, which ultimately could benefit not only Antarctic penguins, but some of the most unique wildlife on Earth.

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The research was funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts.

'Marine Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas for penguins in Antarctica, targets for conservation action', Jonathan Handley, Marie-Morgane Rouyer, Elizabeth J Pearmain, Victoria Warwick-Evans, Katharina Teschke, Jefferson Hinke, Heather Lynch, Louise Emmerson, Colin Southwell, Gary Griffith, Cesar A Cardenas, Aldina M Franco, Philip Trathan, Maria P Dias, is published in Frontiers in Marine Science.

Scientists to global policymakers: 

Treat fish as food to help solve world hunger

Sustainable seafood central to strengthening food security if viewed as more than just a natural resource

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

Research News

IMAGE: WOMEN AT MARKET GATHER AROUND CATCH FROM LAKE MALAWI view more 

CREDIT: ABIGAIL BENNETT, MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR SYSTEMS INTEGRATION AND SUSTAINABILITY

Scientists are urging global policymakers and funders to think of fish as a solution to food insecurity and malnutrition, and not just as a natural resource that provides income and livelihoods, in a newly-published paper in the peer-reviewed journal Ambio. Titled "Recognize fish as food in policy discourse and development funding," the paper argues for viewing fish from a food systems perspective to broaden the conversation on food and nutrition security and equity, especially as global food systems will face increasing threats from climate change.

The "Fish as Food" paper, authored by scientists and policy experts from Michigan State University, Duke University, Harvard University, World Bank and Environmental Defense Fund, among others, notes the global development community is not on track to meet goals for alleviating malnutrition. According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, the number of malnourished people in the world will increase from 678 million in 2018 to 841 million in 2030 if current trends continue -- an estimate not accounting for effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fish provide 17% of the animal protein consumed globally and are rich in micronutrients, essential fatty acids and protein essential for cognitive development and maternal and childhood health, especially for communities in developing countries where fish may be the only source of key nutrients. Yet fish is largely missing from key global food policy discussions and decision-making.

"Fish has always been food. But in this paper, we lay out an agenda for enhancing the role of fish in addressing hunger and malnutrition," says Abigail Bennett, assistant professor in the Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Michigan State University. "We are urging the international development community not only to see fish as food but to recognize fish as a nutrient-rich food that can make a difference for the well-being of the world's poor and vulnerable. What kinds of new knowledge, policies and interventions will be required to support that role for fish?" she adds.

The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 2, Zero Hunger, does not mention fisheries or aquaculture by name, nor does it offer specific guidance on fish production systems. Fish also appear underrepresented in international development funding priorities, such as by the World Bank, the paper finds.

"Fish -- and aquatic foods in general -- are largely ignored in the food policy dialogue," says Kristin Kleisner, lead senior scientist for Environmental Defense Fund Oceans program and a co-author of the paper. "This is a huge oversight, as fish offer a critical source of nutrition unparalleled by any other type of food, and it is often the only source of key nutrients for vulnerable populations around the world.

"By refocusing on nutrition, in addition to the many other benefits fisheries provide, we're amplifying a call to action for governments, international development organizations and society more broadly to invest in the sustainability of capture fisheries and aquaculture," adds Kleisner.

"Fisheries will be ever more important as the world faces mounting challenges to feed itself," says Kelly Brownell, director of the World Food Policy Center at Duke University.

Global policymakers and funders framing fish as food, the authors state, can encourage innovative policies and actions to support the role of fish in global food and nutrition security.

The paper identifies four pillars of suggested action to begin framing fish as food, not just a natural resource. These pillars are:

1. Improve metrics. There is currently a paucity of metrics to assess and communicate the contributions of fish to food and nutrition security. Governments and researchers can collaborate to develop better tools to raise the profile of fish in broader food and nutrition security policies and investment priorities.

2. Promote nutrition-sensitive fish food systems. Current management regimes emphasize the "maximum sustainable yield" for a given fishery. Managing for "optimal nutritional yield" would focus on not just rebuilding and conserving fish populations -- an important goal in and of itself -- but also on sustainably managing nutrient-rich fisheries.

3. Govern distribution. Availability, access and stability are key features of food and nutrition security. Even though fish is one of the most traded food commodities in the world, there is limited information about its distribution and links to nutrition security. There is also a need to promote equitable distribution of capital and property rights to access fisheries, particularly that recognize the importance of small-scale fisheries and roles women play in fishing and aquaculture sectors.

4. Situate fish in a food systems framework. Policymakers need the tools to conceptualize fishing and aquaculture as components of the food systems framework. A "fish as food" framing requires a better understanding of the connections among fish production and distribution, terrestrial agriculture and planetary health.

Sustainable fisheries and aquaculture are key to feeding the world and alleviating malnutrition and already provide valuable nutrition and livelihood contributions. Including a nutrition lens when illustrating the multiple benefits of sustainable fisheries production can help to elevate the importance and impact of fish as a key component of the global food system and to ensure that we do not fall behind in global food security targets.

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Acidification impedes shell development of plankton off the US West Coast

NOAA HEADQUARTERS

Research News

 

IMAGE: THIS CLOSE-UP IMAGE OF TWO PTEROPODS OF THE SPECIES LIMACINA HELICINA PROVIDES A SENSE OF HOW FRAGILE THE CARBONATE SHELLS OF THE TINY SEA SNAILS ARE. view more 

CREDIT: CREDIT: NOAA OCEAN ACIDIFICATION PROGRAM

Shelled pteropods, microscopic free-swimming sea snails, are widely regarded as indicators for ocean acidification because research has shown that their fragile shells are vulnerable to increasing ocean acidity. 

A new study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, shows that pteropods sampled off the coasts of Washington and Oregon made thinner shells than those in offshore waters. Along the coast, upwelling from deeper water layers brings cold, carbon dioxide-rich waters of relatively low pH to the surface. The research, by a team of Dutch and American scientists, found that the shells of pteropods collected in this upwelling region were 37 percent thinner than ones collected offshore.

Sometimes called sea butterflies because of how they appear to flap their "wings" as they swim through the water column, fat-rich pteropods are an important food source for organisms ranging from other plankton to juvenile salmon to whales. They make shells by fixing calcium carbonate in ocean water to form an exoskeleton. 

 "It appears that pteropods make thinner shells where upwelling brings water that is colder and lower in pH to the surface, " said lead author Lisette Mekkes of Naturalis Biodiversity Centers and the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Mekkes added that while some shells also showed signs of dissolution, the change in shell thickness was particularly pronounced, demonstrating that acidified water interfered with pteropods' ability to build their shells. 

The scientists examined shells of pteropods collected during the 2016 NOAA Ocean Acidification Program research cruise in the northern California Current Ecosystem onboard the NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown. Shell thicknesses of 80 of the tiny creatures - no larger than the head of a pin - were analyzed using 3D scans provided by micron-scale computer tomography, a high-resolution X-ray technique. The scientists also examined the shells with a scanning electron microscope to assess if thinner shells were a result of dissolution. They also used DNA analysis to make sure the examined specimens belonged to a single population.  

 "Pteropod shells protect against predation and infection, but making thinner shells could also be an adaptive or acclimation strategy," said  Katja Peijnenburg,  group leader at Naturalis Biodiversity Center. "However, an important question is  how long can pteropods continue making thinner shells in rapidly acidifying waters?"

The California Current Ecosystem along the West Coast is especially vulnerable to ocean acidification because it not only absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but is also bathed by seasonal upwelling of carbon-dioxide rich waters from the deep ocean. In recent years these waters have grown increasingly corrosive as a result of the increasing amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide absorbed into the ocean. 

"Our research shows that within two to three months, pteropods transported by currents from the open-ocean to more corrosive nearshore waters have difficulty building their shells," said Nina Bednarsek, a research scientist from the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project in Costa Mesa, California, a coauthor of the study. 

Over the last two-and-a-half centuries, scientists say, the global ocean has absorbed approximately 620 billion tons of carbon dioxide from emissions released into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels, changes in land-use, and cement production, resulting in a process called ocean acidification.

"The new research provides the foundation for understanding how pteropods and other microscopic organisms are actively affected by progressing ocean acidification and how these changes can impact the global carbon cycle and ecological communities," said Richard Feely, NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory and chief scientist for the cruise.

CAPTION

This image depicts the difference in thickness between two specimens of the pteropod Limacina helicina, one collected in more acidified coastal waters, the other collected off shore, that were analyzed as part of a new study published in Science Reports.

CREDIT

Courtesy of Lisette Mekkes, Naturalis Biodiversity Center; used with permission.

This research was supported by NOAA's Ocean Acidification Program. 

Watch this video to get a sense of how fragile and tiny these creatures are: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1-4gGTk3OM&feature=emb_logo

For more information, contact Theo Stein, NOAA Communications, at the

Canadian researchers create new form of cultivated meat

Layered sheets of cells stack up to slabs of lab-made meat

MCMASTER UNIVERSITY


IMAGE: A SAMPLE OF MEAT CULTIVATED BY RESEARCHERS AT CANADA'S MCMASTER UNIVERSITY, USING CELLS FROM MICE. view more

CREDIT: MCMASTER UNIVERSITY

HAMILTON, ON, Jan. 19, 2021 -- McMaster researchers have developed a new form of cultivated meat using a method that promises more natural flavour and texture than other alternatives to traditional meat from animals.

Researchers Ravi Selvaganapathy and Alireza Shahin-Shamsabadi, both of the university's School of Biomedical Engineering, have devised a way to make meat by stacking thin sheets of cultivated muscle and fat cells grown together in a lab setting. The technique is adapted from a method used to grow tissue for human transplants.

The sheets of living cells, each about the thickness of a sheet of printer paper, are first grown in culture and then concentrated on growth plates before being peeled off and stacked or folded together. The sheets naturally bond to one another before the cells die.

The layers can be stacked into a solid piece of any thickness, Selvaganapathy says, and "tuned" to replicate the fat content and marbling of any cut of meat - an advantage over other alternatives.

"We are creating slabs of meat," he says. "Consumers will be able to buy meat with whatever percentage of fat they like - just like they do with milk."

As they describe in the journal Cells Tissues Organs, the researchers proved the concept by making meat from available lines of mouse cells. Though they did not eat the mouse meat described in the research paper, they later made and cooked a sample of meat they created from rabbit cells.

"It felt and tasted just like meat," says Selvaganapathy.

There is no reason to think the same technology would not work for growing beef, pork or chicken, and the model would lend itself well to large-scale production, Selvaganapathy says.

The researchers were inspired by the meat-supply crisis in which worldwide demand is growing while current meat consumption is straining land and water resources and generating troubling levels of greenhouse gases.

"Meat production right now is not sustainable," Selvaganapathy says. "There has to be an alternative way of creating meat."

Producing viable meat without raising and harvesting animals would be far more sustainable, more sanitary and far less wasteful, the researchers point out. While other forms of cultured meat have previously been developed, the McMaster researchers believe theirs has the best potential for creating products consumers will accept, enjoy and afford.

The researchers have formed a start-up company to begin commercializing the technology.