Most conservation planning to date has focused on protecting today's biodiversity with the assumption that it will be tomorrow's biodiversity. However, modern climate change has already resulted in distributional shifts of some species and is projected to result in many more shifts in the coming decades. As species redistribute and biotic communities reorganize, conservation plans based on current patterns of biodiversity may fail to adequately protect species in the future. One approach for addressing this issue is to focus on conserving a range of abiotic conditions in the conservation‐planning process. By doing so, it may be possible to conserve an abiotically diverse “stage” upon which evolution will play out and support many actors (biodiversity). We reviewed the fundamental underpinnings of the concept of conserving the abiotic stage, starting with the early observations of von Humboldt, who mapped the concordance of abiotic conditions and vegetation, and progressing to the concept of the ecological niche. We discuss challenges posed by issues of spatial and temporal scale, the role of biotic drivers of species distributions, and latitudinal and topographic variation in relationships between climate and landform. For example, abiotic conditions are not static, but change through time—albeit at different and often relatively slow rates. In some places, biotic interactions play a substantial role in structuring patterns of biodiversity, meaning that patterns of biodiversity may be less tightly linked to the abiotic stage. Furthermore, abiotic drivers of biodiversity can change with latitude and topographic position, meaning that the abiotic stage may need to be defined differently in different places. We conclude that protecting a diversity of abiotic conditions will likely best conserve biodiversity into the future in places where abiotic drivers of species distributions are strong relative to biotic drivers, where the diversity of abiotic settings will be conserved through time, and where connectivity allows for movement among areas providing different abiotic conditions. 相似文献
We performed a 1-year evaluation of a novel strategy of simultaneously analyzing single nucleotide variants (SNVs), copy number variants (CNVs) and copy-number-neutral Absence-of-Heterozygosity from Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) data for prenatal diagnosis of fetuses with ultrasound (US) anomalies and a non-causative QF-PCR result.
Methods
After invasive diagnostics, whole exome parent-offspring trio-sequencing with exome-wide CNV analysis was performed in pregnancies with fetal US anomalies and a non-causative QF-PCR result (WES-CNV). On request, additional SNV-analysis, restricted to (the) requested gene panel(s) only (with the option of whole exome SNV-analysis afterward) was performed simultaneously (WES-CNV/SNV) or as rapid SNV-re-analysis, following a normal CNV analysis.
Results
In total, 415 prenatal samples were included. Following a non-causative QF-PCR result, WES-CNV analysis was initially requested for 74.3% of the chorionic villus (CV) samples and 45% of the amniotic fluid (AF) samples. In case WES-CNV analysis did not reveal a causative aberration, SNV-re-analysis was requested in 41.7% of the CV samples and 17.5% of the AF samples. All initial analyses could be finished within 2 weeks after sampling. For SNV-re-analysis during pregnancy, turn-around-times (TATs) varied between one and 8 days.
Conclusion
We show a highly efficient all-in-one WES-based strategy, with short TATs, and the option of rapid SNV-re-analysis after a normal CNV result. 相似文献
Few published studies present data on relationships between fish mercury and surface or pore water sulfate concentrations, particularly on an ecosystem-wide basis. Resource managers can use these relationships to identify the sulfate conditions that contain fish with health-concerning total mercury (THg) levels and to evaluate the role of sulfate in methyl-mercury (MeHg) production. In this study, we derived relationships between THg in three fish trophic levels (mosquitofish, sunfish, and age-1 largemouth bass) and surface water sulfate from 1998 to 2009 for multiple stations across the Everglades Protection Area (EPA). Results show the relationship between sulfate and fish THg in each fish type is nonlinear and largely skewed, similar to the relationship between MeHg production and sulfate concentration in peatland sediment pore water identified by other researchers. Peak fish THg levels occurred in ~1 to 12 mg/L sulfate conditions. There was significant variability in the fish THg data, and there were several instances of high-fish THg levels in high-sulfate conditions (>30 mg/L). Health-concerning fish THg levels were present in all surface water sulfate conditions; however, most of these levels occurred in 1–20 mg/L sulfate. The data in this study, including recent studies, show consistent and identifiable areas of high- and low-fish THg across the spectrum of surface water sulfate concentration, therefore, applying an ecosystem-wide sulfur strategy may be an effective management approach as it would significantly reduce MeHg risk in the EPA. 相似文献
The field of bioelectromagnetics, consisting of the study of the interaction between electromagnetic fields and biological
systems, has been rapidly expanding in the recent years. One important factor that contributes importantly to the development
of this field is the continuing advances in technology allowing researchers to investigate different endpoints, or to more
precisely measure changes, if any. Hybrid functional imaging is a rapidly maturing field that opens new, important horizons
for bioelectromagnetics research. Indeed, unraveling the interaction mechanisms of electromagnetic fields on biological systems
(with an emphasis on the brain) requires a monitoring of electrical, functional, and metabolic activity of living tissue at
different temporal and spatial scales. Individual tools (e.g., electroencephalography, EEG; functional magnetic resonance
imaging, fMRI) are limited in their ability to detect the effects of electromagnetic interaction at specific temporal and
spatial scales, so combining these imaging methods offers a unique opportunity to provide a more comprehensive view of effects
in living tissue. In this paper, we will present the different imaging techniques that are available to bioelectromagnetics
researchers, including their capabilities and how they are complemented by simultaneous hybrid imaging. Future possibilities
of hybrid imaging technologies are discussed. 相似文献
Northern Australia is considered to be one of the last strongholds for three critically endangered sawfishes, Pristis zijsron, Pristis clavata, and Pristis microdon, making these populations of global significance. Population structure and levels of genetic diversity were assessed for
each species across northern Australia using a portion of the mitochondrial control region. Statistically significant genetic
structure was detected in all three species, although it was higher in P. microdon (FST = 0.811; N = 149) than in either P. clavata (FST = 0.419; N = 73) or P. zijsron (FST = 0.202; N = 49), possibly due to a much higher and/or localized level of female philopatry in P. microdon. The overall levels of haplotype diversity in P. zijsron (h = 0.555), P. clavata (h = 0.489), and P. microdon (h = 0.650) were moderate, although it appears to be reduced in the assemblages of P. zijsron and P. clavata in the Gulf of Carpentaria (h = 0.342 and h = 0.083, respectively). Since female migration (replenishment) between regions is unlikely, conservation plans should strive
to maintain current levels of diversity and abundances in the regional assemblages of each species. 相似文献
In recent years, maritime spatial planning (MSP) has become an internationally emerging, promising tool for the implementation
of integrated ocean management. MSP provides the appropriate framework for public authorities and stakeholders to coordinate
their action across sectors and administrative boundaries, and to optimize the use of natural resources. In November 2008
the European Commission adopted the Communication “Roadmap for Maritime Spatial Planning: Achieving Common Principles in the
EU” (COM(2008) 791 final) aiming to facilitate the development of MSP by Member States and to stimulate its implementation
at national and EU level. Core element of this Roadmap is a set of ten key principles for MSP in Europe. Although endorsed
as valid and comprehensive, further discussion and research is needed to identify challenges, measures and tools for the key
principle’s practical application. This special issue of the Journal of Coastal Conservation: Planning and Management (JCCPM)
seeks to contribute to this discussion. Its purpose is to shed light from different angles on the various aspects of the mentioned
ten key principles and provide lessons learned from experience in different maritime areas around the world. Taking a more
scientific, rather than a political point of view, the following articles will debate the different principles, their practical
handling, as well as the consequences linked to their application. 相似文献
A fundamental question of sexual selection theory concerns the causes and consequences of reproductive skew among males. The
priority of access (PoA) model (Altmann, Ann NY Acad Sci 102:338–435, 1962) has been the most influential framework in primates living in permanent, mixed-sex groups, but to date it has only been
tested with the appropriate data on female synchrony in a handful of species. In this paper, we used mating data from one
large semi-free ranging group of Barbary macaques: (1) to provide the first test of the priority-of-access model in this species,
using mating data from 11 sexually active females (including six females that were implanted with a hormonal contraceptive
but who showed levels of sexual activity comparable to those of naturally cycling females) and (2) to determine the proximate
mechanism(s) underlying male mating skew. Our results show that the fit of the observed distribution of matings with sexually
attractive females to predictions of the PoA model was poor, with lower-ranking males mating more than expected. While our
work confirms that female mating synchrony sets an upper limit to monopolization by high-ranking individuals, other factors
are also important. Coalitionary activity was the main tactic used by males to lower mating skew in the study group. Coalitions
were expressed in a strongly age-related fashion and allowed subordinate, post-prime males to increase their mating success
by targeting more dominant, prime males. Conversely, females, while mating promiscuously with several males during a given
mating cycle, were more likely to initiate their consortships with prime males, thus reducing the overall effectiveness of
coalitions. We conclude that high-ranking Barbary macaque males have a limited ability to monopolize mating access, leading
to a modest mating skew among them. 相似文献
Present study was conducted in rapidly growing city Islamabad, and surface soils were collected from three major land cover types viz., built-up, drain side, and green areas. A total of seven physicochemical parameters and 11 metals were determined in surface soils. Factor analysis based on principal component analysis explained total variance of 68.0%, 64.5%, and 60.2% of three land cover types and showed high loadings for major elements (Mg and K) in built-up and green area and Fe in drain side. Top soil pollution index was carried out by using geo-accumulation index and metal pollution index (MPI6). Concentration of major elements (Ca, Mg, Na, K) in surface soils is derived by parent material, whereas concentration of Fe, Ni, Pb, and Zn were mainly related with anthropogenic sources. Geostatistical methods such as kirging identified hotspot areas of metal contamination by Pb, Ni, and Zn in built-up areas influenced mainly by vehicular emissions and waste disposal. The results stresses that land clearing should be avoided to reduce contamination and management of urban soils. 相似文献
Containment of genetically modified (GM) microorganisms such as Escherichia coli is a legal requirement to protect the environment from an unintended release and to avoid horizontal gene transfer (HGT) of recombinant DNA to native bacteria. In this study, we sampled the laboratory wastewater (LWW) at a large Swiss university from three sources over 2 years and cultured ampicillin-resistant, presumptive GM E. coli. From a total of 285 samples, 127 contained presumptive GM E. coli (45%) at a mean concentration of 2.8 × 102 CFU/ml. Plasmid DNA of 11 unique clones was partially or entirely sequenced. All consisted of cloning vectors harboring research-specific inserts. To estimate the chance of HGT between GM E. coli and native bacteria in LWW, we identified taxa representative for the bacterial community in LWW using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and measured conjugation frequencies of E. coli with five LWW isolates. At optimal conjugation conditions, frequencies were between 3.4 × 10−3 and 2.4 × 10−5. Given the absence of transferable broad-host range plasmids and suboptimal conjugation conditions in the LWW system, we conclude that the chance of HGT is relatively low. Still, this study shows that the implementation of robust containment measures is key to avoid the escape of GM microorganisms.
Biodegradation of chlorobenzenes was assessed at an anoxic aquifer by combining hydrogeochemistry and stable isotope analyses. In situ microcosm analysis evidenced microbial assimilation of chlorobenzene (MCB) derived carbon and laboratory investigations asserted mineralization of MCB at low rates. Sequential dehalogenation of chlorinated benzenes may affect the isotope signature of single chlorobenzene species due to simultaneous depletion and enrichment of 13C, which complicates the evaluation of degradation. Therefore, the compound-specific isotope analysis was interpreted based on an isotope balance. The enrichment of the cumulative isotope composition of all chlorobenzenes indicated in situ biodegradation. Additionally, the relationship between hydrogeochemistry and degradation activity was investigated by principal component analysis underlining variable hydrogeochemical conditions associated with degradation activity at the plume scale. Although the complexity of the field site did not allow straightforward assessment of natural attenuation processes, the application of an integrative approach appeared relevant to characterize the in situ biodegradation potential. 相似文献