Directed conservation of the world's reef sharks and rays.

Many shark populations are in decline around the world, with severe ecological and economic consequences. Fisheries management and marine protected areas (MPAs) have both been heralded as solutions. However, the effectiveness of MPAs alone is questionable, particularly for globally threatened sharks and rays ('elasmobranchs'), with little known about how fisheries management and MPAs interact to conserve these species.

Genome-wide association mapping in a sweet cherry germplasm collection ( L.) reveals candidate genes for fruit quality traits.

In sweet cherry ( L.), large variability exists for various traits related to fruit quality. There is a need to discover the genetic architecture of these traits in order to enhance the efficiency of breeding strategies for consumer and producer demands.

Seasonal changes characterise the shark and ray assemblages in a subtropical shallow sandy habitat in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, South Africa.

Understanding how environmental drivers influence shark and ray spatial and temporal patterns can provide crucial knowledge for their evidence-based protection and long-term monitoring. However, information on which drivers of variation are most important for elasmobranch communities on soft sediments is limited. Using baited remote underwater stereo-video systems (stereo-BRUVs), we investigated how seasonal and environmental variables affected the elasmobranchs of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park marine protected area (MPA) in South Africa (SA).

Widespread diversity deficits of coral reef sharks and rays.

A global survey of coral reefs reveals that overfishing is driving resident shark species toward extinction, causing diversity deficits in reef elasmobranch (shark and ray) assemblages. Our species-level analysis revealed global declines of 60 to 73% for five common resident reef shark species and that individual shark species were not detected at 34 to 47% of surveyed reefs. As reefs become more shark-depleted, rays begin to dominate assemblages.

Conservation benefits of a marine protected area on South African chondrichthyans.

Chondrichthyans are threatened worldwide due to their life-history traits combined with a plethora of anthropogenic impacts that are causing populations to collapse. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are a conservation option, but their efficacy for chondrichthyans is still unclear. Conservation efforts might be challenging especially in developing countries, due to a lack of resources and monitoring and limited data and stakeholder support.

Genome-Wide Association Study Reveals Candidate Genes Involved in Fruit Trait Variation in Persian Walnut ( L.).

Elucidating the genetic determinants of fruit quality traits in walnut is essential to breed new cultivars meeting the producers and consumers' needs. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using multi-locus models in a panel of 170 accessions of from the INRAE walnut germplasm collection, previously genotyped using the Axiom 700K SNP array. We phenotyped the panel for 25 fruit traits related to morphometrics, shape, volume, weight, ease of cracking, and nutritional composition.

3D characterization of walnut morphological traits using X-ray computed tomography.

Background: Walnuts are grown worldwide in temperate areas and producers are facing an increasing demand. In a climate change context, the industry also needs cultivars that provide fruits of quality. This quality includes satisfactory filling ratio, thicker shell, ease of cracking, smooth shell and round-shaped walnut, and larger nut size.

Author Correction: Global status and conservation potential of reef sharks.

An Amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Global status and conservation potential of reef sharks.

Decades of overexploitation have devastated shark populations, leaving considerable doubt as to their ecological status. Yet much of what is known about sharks has been inferred from catch records in industrial fisheries, whereas far less information is available about sharks that live in coastal habitats. Here we address this knowledge gap using data from more than 15,000 standardized baited remote underwater video stations that were deployed on 371 reefs in 58 nations to estimate the conservation status of reef sharks globally.

Association and linkage mapping to unravel genetic architecture of phenological traits and lateral bearing in Persian walnut (Juglans regia L.).

Background: Unravelling the genetic architecture of agronomic traits in walnut such as budbreak date and bearing habit, is crucial for climate change adaptation and yield improvement. A Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) using multi-locus models was conducted in a panel of 170 walnut accessions genotyped using the Axiom™ J. regia 700 K SNP array, with phenological data from 2018, 2019 and legacy data.

The walnut genetic resources of INRA: chronological phenotypic data and ontology.

Objectives: Persian walnut (Juglans regia L.), the walnut species cultivated for nut production, is grown worldwide in temperate areas. In this work, chronological phenotypic data have been collected regarding a part of the walnut genetic resources of the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) of Bordeaux.

Analysis of genetic diversity and structure in a worldwide walnut (Juglans regia L.) germplasm using SSR markers.

Persian or English walnut (Juglans regia L.), the walnut species cultivated for nut production, is one of the oldest food sources known and is grown worldwide in temperate areas. France is the 7th leading producer as of 2016 with 39 kt.

Comparative study between fully tethered and free swimming at different paces of swimming in front crawl.

Tethered swimming is a method often used to measure or enhance the physical and technical resources of swimmers. Although it is highlighted that the technique used in tethered swimming is probably different from that used in free conditions, there are few comparative studies on this subject. The current study aims to compare fully tethered and free swimming based on kinematic hand parameters (orientation, velocity and acceleration of the hand, sweepback and angle of attack), which are known to act directly on the generation of propulsive forces.

Unsteady computational fluid dynamics in front crawl swimming.

The development of codes and power calculations currently allows the simulation of increasingly complex flows, especially in the turbulent regime. Swimming research should benefit from these technological advances to try to better understand the dynamic mechanisms involved in swimming. An unsteady Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) study is conducted in crawl, in order to analyse the propulsive forces generated by the hand and forearm.

Reef Fishes at All Trophic Levels Respond Positively to Effective Marine Protected Areas.

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) offer a unique opportunity to test the assumption that fishing pressure affects some trophic groups more than others. Removal of larger predators through fishing is often suggested to have positive flow-on effects for some lower trophic groups, in which case protection from fishing should result in suppression of lower trophic groups as predator populations recover. We tested this by assessing differences in the trophic structure of reef fish communities associated with 79 MPAs and open-access sites worldwide, using a standardised quantitative dataset on reef fish community structure.

Kinematic hand parameters in front crawl at different paces of swimming.

The aim of this study was to investigate the evolution of kinematic hand parameters (sweepback angle, angle of attack, velocity, acceleration and orientation of the hand relative to the absolute coordinate system) throughout an aquatic stroke and to study the possible modifications caused by a variation of the swimming pace. Seventeen competitive swimmers swam at long distance, middle distance and sprint paces. Parameters were calculated from the trajectory of seven markers on the hand measured with an optoelectronic system.

The role of the entry-and-stretch phase at the different paces of race in front crawl swimming.

The aim of this study was to determine the role played by the entry-and-stretch phase in the coordination of swimming, at the different paces of race. Three national level swimmers (two men and one woman) were recorded, in lateral and bottom views, in three swimming paces: sprint (50 m and 100 m), middle-distance (200 m and 400 m) and long-distance (800 m and 1500 m). Anatomical landmark positions were obtained by manual digitalisation of the videos.

Global conservation outcomes depend on marine protected areas with five key features.

In line with global targets agreed under the Convention on Biological Diversity, the number of marine protected areas (MPAs) is increasing rapidly, yet socio-economic benefits generated by MPAs remain difficult to predict and under debate. MPAs often fail to reach their full potential as a consequence of factors such as illegal harvesting, regulations that legally allow detrimental harvesting, or emigration of animals outside boundaries because of continuous habitat or inadequate size of reserve. Here we show that the conservation benefits of 87 MPAs investigated worldwide increase exponentially with the accumulation of five key features: no take, well enforced, old (>10 years), large (>100 km(2)), and isolated by deep water or sand.