Rapid seagrass meadow expansion in an Indian Ocean bright spot.

The areal extent of seagrass meadows is in rapid global decline, yet they provide highly valuable societal benefits. However, their conservation is hindered by data gaps on current and historic spatial extents. Here, we outline an approach for national-scale seagrass mapping and monitoring using an open-source platform (Google Earth Engine) and freely available satellite data (Landsat, Sentinel-2) that can be readily applied in other countries globally.

The Dog Bite, the Acrometastasis and the Disappearing Hamate.

In this case report, we describe a peculiar case of basaloid squamous cell carcinoma of the lung that was first diagnosed from a hamate metastasis. Acrometastases are bony metastases that are located distal to the elbow and knee. They generally become symptomatic only when a primary tumour has been identified.

The planetary role of seagrass conservation.

Seagrasses are remarkable plants that have adapted to live in a marine environment. They form extensive meadows found globally that bioengineer their local environments and preserve the coastal seascape. With the increasing realization of the planetary emergency that we face, there is growing interest in using seagrasses as a nature-based solution for greenhouse gas mitigation.

A Pleistocene legacy structures variation in modern seagrass ecosystems.

Distribution of Earth's biomes is structured by the match between climate and plant traits, which in turn shape associated communities and ecosystem processes and services. However, that climate-trait match can be disrupted by historical events, with lasting ecosystem impacts. As Earth's environment changes faster than at any time in human history, critical questions are whether and how organismal traits and ecosystems can adjust to altered conditions.

The biogeography of community assembly: latitude and predation drive variation in community trait distribution in a guild of epifaunal crustaceans.

While considerable evidence exists of biogeographic patterns in the intensity of species interactions, the influence of these patterns on variation in community structure is less clear. Studying how the distributions of traits in communities vary along global gradients can inform how variation in interactions and other factors contribute to the process of community assembly. Using a model selection approach on measures of trait dispersion in crustaceans associated with eelgrass () spanning 30° of latitude in two oceans, we found that dispersion strongly increased with increasing predation and decreasing latitude.

Anthropogenic pressures and life history predict trajectories of seagrass meadow extent at a global scale.

Seagrass meadows are threatened by multiple pressures, jeopardizing the many benefits they provide to humanity and biodiversity, including climate regulation and food provision through fisheries production. Conservation of seagrass requires identification of the main pressures contributing to loss and the regions most at risk of ongoing loss. Here, we model trajectories of seagrass change at the global scale and show they are related to multiple anthropogenic pressures but that trajectories vary widely with seagrass life-history strategies.

Unravelling the Spatial and Temporal Plasticity of Eelgrass Meadows.

The phenotypic plasticity of seagrasses enables them to adapt to changes in environmental conditions and withstand or recover from disturbance. This plasticity was demonstrated in the large variation recorded throughout a suite of bioindicators measured within meadows around Wales and SW England, United Kingdom. Short-term spatial data were analysed alongside long-term monitoring data to determine which bioindicators best described the status of eelgrass meadows subjected to a range of environmental and anthropogenic drivers.

Seagrass ecosystems of the Pacific Island Countries and Territories: A global bright spot.

Seagrass ecosystems exist throughout Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs). Despite this area covering nearly 8% of the global ocean, information on seagrass distribution, biogeography, and status remains largely absent from the scientific literature. We confirm 16 seagrass species occur across 17 of the 22 PICTs with the highest number in Melanesia, followed by Micronesia and Polynesia respectively.

Seagrass ecosystem contributions to people's quality of life in the Pacific Island Countries and Territories.

Seagrass ecosystems provide critical contributions (goods and perceived benefits or detriments) for the livelihoods and wellbeing of Pacific Islander peoples. Through in-depth examination of the contributions provided by seagrass ecosystems across the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs), we find a greater quantity in the Near Oceania (New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago and the Solomon Islands) and western Micronesian (Palau and Northern Marianas) regions; indicating a stronger coupling between human society and seagrass ecosystems. We also find many non-material contributions historically have been overlooked and under-appreciated by decision-makers.

Historical Analysis Exposes Catastrophic Seagrass Loss for the United Kingdom.

The spatial extent of seagrass is poorly mapped, and knowledge of historical loss is limited. Here, we collated empirical and qualitative data using systematic review methods to provide unique analysis on seagrass occurrence and loss in the United Kingdom. We document 8,493 ha of recently mapped seagrass in the United Kingdom since 1998.

Artificial Intelligence Meets Citizen Science to Supercharge Ecological Monitoring.

The development and uptake of citizen science and artificial intelligence (AI) techniques for ecological monitoring is increasing rapidly. Citizen science and AI allow scientists to create and process larger volumes of data than possible with conventional methods. However, managers of large ecological monitoring projects have little guidance on whether citizen science, AI, or both, best suit their resource capacity and objectives.

Climate drives the geography of marine consumption by changing predator communities.

The global distribution of primary production and consumption by humans (fisheries) is well-documented, but we have no map linking the central ecological process of consumption within food webs to temperature and other ecological drivers. Using standardized assays that span 105° of latitude on four continents, we show that rates of bait consumption by generalist predators in shallow marine ecosystems are tightly linked to both temperature and the composition of consumer assemblages. Unexpectedly, rates of consumption peaked at midlatitudes (25 to 35°) in both Northern and Southern Hemispheres across both seagrass and unvegetated sediment habitats.

The influence of bait on remote underwater video observations in shallow-water coastal environments associated with the North-Eastern Atlantic.

The use of baited remote underwater video (BRUV) for examining and monitoring marine biodiversity in temperate marine environments is rapidly growing, however many aspects of their effectiveness relies on assumptions based on studies from the Southern Hemisphere. The addition of bait to underwater camera systems acts as a stimulus for attracting individuals towards the camera field of view, however knowledge of the effectiveness of different bait types in northern temperate climbs is limited, particularly in dynamic coastal environments. Studies in the Southern Hemisphere indicate that oily baits are most effective whilst bait volume and weight do not impact BRUV effectiveness to any great degree.

Where did all the trauma go? A rapid review of the demands on orthopaedic services at a UK Major Trauma Centre during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aims: This retrospective study aims to quantify the early impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on trauma and orthopaedic surgery at a Major Trauma Centre (MTC) in the United Kingdom. We hypothesise that the social restrictions placed on the public by the government will reduce the amount of trauma presentations and operations performed.

Methods: A database of all trauma patients at the MTC was retrospectively reviewed from start of social restrictions on 16 March 2020, to 22nd April 2020 inclusive.

Mimicry of emergent traits amplifies coastal restoration success.

Restoration is becoming a vital tool to counteract coastal ecosystem degradation. Modifying transplant designs of habitat-forming organisms from dispersed to clumped can amplify coastal restoration yields as it generates self-facilitation from emergent traits, i.e.

The perverse fisheries consequences of mosquito net malaria prophylaxis in East Africa.

Malaria is a serious global health issue, with around 200 million cases per year. As such, great effort has been put into the mass distribution of bed nets as a means of prophylaxis within Africa. Distributed mosquito nets are intended to be used for malaria protection, yet increasing evidence suggests that fishing is a primary use for these nets, providing fresh concerns for already stressed coastal ecosystems.

Social-ecological drivers and dynamics of seagrass gleaning fisheries.

Invertebrate gleaning (walking) fisheries are common within intertidal seagrass meadows globally, contributing to the food supply of hundreds of millions of people, but understanding of these fisheries and their ecological drivers are extremely limited. The present study provides a unique analysis of these fisheries using a combined social and ecological approach. Catches contained 34 species and were dominated by Bivalves, Urchins and Gastropods.

Artisanal fish fences pose broad and unexpected threats to the tropical coastal seascape.

Gear restrictions are an important management tool in small-scale tropical fisheries, improving sustainability and building resilience to climate change. Yet to identify the management challenges and complete footprint of individual gears, a broader systems approach is required that integrates ecological, economic and social sciences. Here we apply this approach to artisanal fish fences, intensively used across three oceans, to identify a previously underrecognized gear requiring urgent management attention.

Global challenges for seagrass conservation.

Seagrasses, flowering marine plants that form underwater meadows, play a significant global role in supporting food security, mitigating climate change and supporting biodiversity. Although progress is being made to conserve seagrass meadows in select areas, most meadows remain under significant pressure resulting in a decline in meadow condition and loss of function. Effective management strategies need to be implemented to reverse seagrass loss and enhance their fundamental role in coastal ocean habitats.

A changing climate for seagrass conservation?

Tropical coral reefs are threatened and in decline, and their future is highly uncertain. With increasing rates of climate change and rising global temperatures, people looking to coral reefs for food and income may increasingly have to rely on resources from other habitats. Efforts to protect and conserve the coral reefs we have left are critical for a suite of economic, ecological, cultural and intrinsic reasons, but there is also an urgent need to take heed of the future scenarios from coral reefs and broaden the focus of tropical marine conservation.

Indonesia's globally significant seagrass meadows are under widespread threat.

Indonesia's marine ecosystems form a fundamental part of the world's natural heritage, representing a global maxima of marine biodiversity and supporting the world's second largest production of seafood. Seagrasses are a key part of that support. In the absence of empirical data we present evidence from expert opinions as to the state of Indonesia's seagrass ecosystems, their support for ecosystem services, with a focus on fisheries, and the damaging activities that threaten their existence.

Tracking Nitrogen Source Using δN Reveals Human and Agricultural Drivers of Seagrass Degradation across the British Isles.

Excess nutrients shift the ecological balance of coastal ecosystems, and this eutrophication is an increasing problem across the globe. Nutrient levels may be routinely measured, but monitoring rarely attempts to determine the source of these nutrients, even though bio-indicators are available. Nitrogen stable isotope analysis in biota is one such bio-indicator, but across the British Isles, this is rarely used.