High-resolution distribution modeling of a threatened short-range endemic plant informed by edaphic factors.

Short-range endemic plants often have edaphic specializations that, with their restricted distributions, expose them to increased risk of anthropogenic extinction.Here, we present a modeling approach to understand habitat suitability for R.J.

Ocean acidification during prefertilization chemical communication affects sperm success.

Ocean acidification (OA) poses a major threat to marine organisms, particularly during reproduction when externally shed gametes are vulnerable to changes in seawater pH. Accordingly, several studies on OA have focused on how changes in seawater pH influence sperm behavior and/or rates of in vitro fertilization. By contrast, few studies have examined how pH influences prefertilization gamete interactions, which are crucial during natural spawning events in most externally fertilizing taxa.

Characterizing animal anatomy and internal composition for electromagnetic modelling in radar entomology.

The use of radar as an observational tool in entomological studies has a long history, and ongoing advances in operational radar networks and radio-frequency technology hold promise for advances in applications such as aerial insect detection, identification and quantification. Realizing this potential requires increasingly sophisticated characterizations of radio-scattering signatures for a broad set of insect taxa, including variability in probing radar wavelength, polarization and aspect angle. Although this task has traditionally been approached through laboratory measurement of radar cross-sections, the effort required to create a comprehensive specimen-based library of scattering signatures would be prohibitive.

Sex differences in the genetic architecture of aggressiveness in a sexually dimorphic spider.

Sex differences in the genetic architecture of behavioral traits can offer critical insight into the processes of sex-specific selection and sexual conflict dynamics. Here, we assess genetic variances and cross-sex genetic correlations of two personality traits, aggression and activity, in a sexually size-dimorphic spider, . Using a quantitative genetic approach, we show that both traits are heritable.

Where do we start? Guidance for technology implementation in maintenance management for manufacturing.

Recent efforts in Smart Manufacturing (SM) have proven quite effective at elucidating system behavior using sensing systems, communications and computational platforms, along with statistical methods to collect and analyze real-time performance data. However, how do you effectively select where and when to implement these technology solutions within manufacturing operations? Furthermore, how do you account for the human-driven activities in manufacturing when inserting new technologies? Due to a reliance on human problem solving skills, today's maintenance operations are largely manual processes without wide-spread automation. The current state-of-the-art maintenance management systems and out-of-the-box solutions do not directly provide necessary synergy between human and technology, and many paradigms ultimately keep the human and digital knowledge systems separate.

Nongenetic paternal effects via seminal fluid.

Mounting evidence suggests that nongenetic paternal effects on offspring may be widespread among animal taxa, but the mechanisms underlying this form of nongenetic inheritance are not yet fully understood. Here, we show that seminal fluids underlie paternal effects on early offspring survival in an insect, the cricket , and quantify the contribution of this paternal effect to the inheritance of this important fitness trait. We used castrated males within a full-sib half-sib experimental design to show that seminal fluid donors were responsible for variation in the survival of developing embryos to hatching, and in their subsequent survival to adulthood.

Exposure to male-dominated environments during development influences sperm sex ratios at sexual maturity.

Different stages during development are important when it comes to phenotypic adjustments in response to external stimuli. Critical stages in mammals are the prenatal phase, where embryos are exposed to a milieu of sex steroid hormones, and the early-postnatal phase, where littermates interact and experience their incipient social environment. Further, the postmaternal environment will influence the development of traits that are linked to reproductive success in adulthood.

A review of protocols for the experimental release of kelp (Laminariales) zoospores.

Abstract: Kelps (order Laminariales) are foundation species in temperate and arctic seas globally, but they are in decline in many places. Laminarian kelp have an alternation of generations and this poses challenges for experimental studies due to the difficulties in achieving zoospore release and gametophyte growth. Here, we review and synthesize the protocols that have been used to induce zoospore release in kelps to identify commonalities and provide guidance on best practices.

Triple-hit therapeutic approach for triple negative breast cancers using docetaxel nanoparticles, EN1-iPeps and RGD peptides.

Triple negative breast cancers (TNBC) are aggressive malignancies for which chemotherapy is the only treatment option. Many TNBC acquire chemotherapy resistance, notably docetaxel, which has been associated with the overexpression of transcription factors (TFs), such as ENGRAILED1 (EN1). Here, we have developed a tumor delivery system for docetaxel-PGMA-PAA-nanoparticles and interference peptides designed to specifically inhibit EN1 (EN1-iPeps).

DNA metabarcoding assays reveal a diverse prey assemblage for rays in the Bohol Sea, Philippines.

Diet studies provide base understanding of trophic structure and are a valuable initial step for many fields of marine ecology, including conservation and fisheries biology. Considerable complexity in marine trophic structure can exist due to the presence of highly mobile species with long life spans. rays are highly mobile, large, planktivorous elasmobranchs that are frequently caught either directly or as bycatch in fisheries, which, combined with their conservative life history strategy, makes their populations susceptible to decline in intensely fished regions.

Relationship Between Endothelial Function and the Eliciting Shear Stress Stimulus in Women: Changes Across the Lifespan Differ to Men.

Background Premenopausal women have a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease, which may partly be due to a protective effect of estrogen on endothelial function. Animal studies suggest that estrogen may also improve the relationship between shear rate ( SR ) and endothelial function. We aimed to explore the relationship between endothelial function (ie, flow-mediated dilation [ FMD ]) and SR (ie, SR area under the curve [ SRAUC ]) in women versus men, and between pre- versus postmenopausal women.

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current isolates and connects: Structured circumpolarity in the sea star .

Aim: The Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) connects benthic populations by transporting larvae around the continent, but also isolates faunas north and south of the Antarctic Convergence. We test circumpolar panmixia and dispersal across the Antarctic Convergence barrier in the benthic sea star .

Location: The Southern Ocean and south Atlantic Ocean, with comprehensive sampling including the Magellanic region, Scotia Arc, Antarctic Peninsula, Ross Sea, and East Antarctica.

Size does matter: Parallel evolution of adaptive thermal tolerance and body size facilitates adaptation to climate change in domestic cattle.

The adaptive potential of livestock under a warming climate is increasingly relevant in relation to the growing pressure of global food security. Studies on heat tolerance demonstrate the interplay of adaptation and acclimatization in functional traits, for example, a reduction in body size and enhanced tolerance in response to a warming climate. However, current lack of understanding of functional traits and phylogenetic history among phenotypically distinct populations constrains predictions of climate change impact.

Zeolite protects mice from iron-induced damage in a mouse model trial.

For centuries, zeolites have been used for their utility in binding metals, and they feature in a multitude of agricultural and industrial applications in which the honeycombed zeolite structures form ideal ion exchangers, catalysts and binding agents. Zeolites are currently in a transition period, moving towards implementation in human ailments and diseases. Here, we postulated that zeolites may be able to counter the effects of excess iron and conducted a mouse model trial to gauge the utility of this notion.

Effectiveness of camera traps for quantifying daytime and nighttime visitation by vertebrate pollinators.

Identification of pollen vectors is a fundamental objective of pollination biology. The foraging and social behavior of these pollinators has profound effects on plant mating, making quantification of their behavior critical for understanding the ecological and evolutionary consequences of different pollinators for the plants they visit. However, accurate quantification of visitation may be problematic, especially for shy animals and/or when the temporal and spatial scale of observation desired is large.

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors and Bleeding Risk in Anticoagulated Patients With Atrial Fibrillation: An Analysis From the ROCKET AF Trial.

Background There is concern that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRI s) substantially increase bleeding risk in patients taking anticoagulants. Methods and Results We studied 737 patients taking SSRI s in the ROCKET AF (Rivaroxaban Once Daily Oral Direct Factor Xa Inhibition Compared With Vitamin K Antagonism for Prevention of Embolism and Stroke Trial in Atrial Fibrillation) trial of rivaroxaban compared with warfarin for the prevention of stroke/systemic embolism in patients with atrial fibrillation. These patients were propensity score matched 1:1 to 737 patients not taking SSRI s.

, a new species of Thesiaceae (Santalales) from South Africa.

M.A. García, Nickrent & Mucina, a new species from the Matroosberg Mt.

Egg chemoattractants moderate intraspecific sperm competition.

Interactions among eggs and sperm are often assumed to generate intraspecific variation in reproductive fitness, but the specific gamete-level mechanisms underlying competitive fertilization success remain elusive in most species. Sperm chemotaxis-the attraction of sperm by egg-derived chemicals-is a ubiquitous form of gamete signaling, occurring throughout the animal and plant kingdoms. The chemical cues released by eggs are known to act at the interspecific level (e.

Effect of plant root symbionts on performance of native woody species in competition with an invasive grass in multispecies microcosms.

The majority of terrestrial plants form mutualistic associations with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and rhizobia (i.e., nitrogen-fixing bacteria).

What is known about consumer nutrition environments in Australia? A scoping review of the literature.

Objective: Food environments can influence food selection and hold the potential to reduce obesity, non-communicable diseases and their inequalities. 'Consumer nutrition environments' describe what consumers encounter within a food retail outlet, including products, price, promotion and placement. This study aimed to summarize the attributes that have been examined in existing peer-reviewed studies of Australian consumer nutrition environments, identify knowledge gaps and provide recommendations for future research.

The benefits of pair bond tenure in the cooperatively breeding pied babbler ().

The benefits of stable pair bonds (that persist between breeding attempts) have been well described, but are relatively less well known in cooperatively breeding species. If pair bonds are beneficial, then it is possible that the bond between the behaviorally and socially dominant pair may influence factors such as reproductive success and group stability in cooperative species. Here, we used long-term data to investigate the relationships between pair bond tenure, reproductive success, and group stability in the cooperatively breeding pied babbler ().

Growth, condition, and maturity schedules of an estuarine fish species change in estuaries following increased hypoxia due to climate change.

Understanding challenges posed by climate change to estuaries and their faunas remains a high priority for managing these systems and their communities. Freshwater discharge into a range of estuary types in south-western Australia between 1990 and 2015 is shown to be related to rainfall. This largely accounts for decreases in discharge in this microtidal region being more pronounced on the west coast than south coast, where rainfall decline was less.

Reviewing research priorities in weed ecology, evolution and management: a horizon scan.

Weedy plants pose a major threat to food security, biodiversity, ecosystem services and consequently to human health and wellbeing. However, many currently used weed management approaches are increasingly unsustainable. To address this knowledge and practice gap, in June 2014, 35 weed and invasion ecologists, weed scientists, evolutionary biologists and social scientists convened a workshop to explore current and future perspectives and approaches in weed ecology and management.

A simple function for full-subsets multiple regression in ecology with R.

Full-subsets information theoretic approaches are becoming an increasingly popular tool for exploring predictive power and variable importance where a wide range of candidate predictors are being considered. Here, we describe a simple function in the statistical programming language R that can be used to construct, fit, and compare a complete model set of possible ecological or environmental predictors, given a response variable of interest and a starting generalized additive (mixed) model fit. Main advantages include not requiring a complete model to be fit as the starting point for candidate model set construction (meaning that a greater number of predictors can potentially be explored than might be available through functions such as dredge); model sets that include interactions between factors and continuous nonlinear predictors; and automatic removal of models with correlated predictors (based on a user defined criterion for exclusion).

Integrating trait-based empirical and modeling research to improve ecological restoration.

A global ecological restoration agenda has led to ambitious programs in environmental policy to mitigate declines in biodiversity and ecosystem services. Current restoration programs can incompletely return desired ecosystem service levels, while resilience of restored ecosystems to future threats is unknown. It is therefore essential to advance understanding and better utilize knowledge from ecological literature in restoration approaches.