Drivers of phytoplankton diversity in Patagonian and Antarctic lakes across a latitudinal gradient (2150 km): the importance of spatial and environmental factors

Background: The prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS) is not uniform, with a latitudinal gradient of prevalence present in most studies. Understanding the drivers of this gradient may allow a better understanding of the environmental factors involved in MS pathogenesis. Method: The New Zealand national MS prevalence study (NZMSPS) is a cross-sectional study of people with definite MS (DMS) (McDonald criteria 2005) resident in New Zealand on census night, 7 March 2006, utilizing multiple sources of notification. Capture—recapture analysis (CRA) was used to estimate missing cases. Results: Of 2917 people with DMS identified, the crude prevalence was 72.4 per 100,000 population, and 73.1 per 100,000 when age-standardized to the European population. CRA estimated that 96.7% of cases were identified. A latitudinal gradient was seen with MS prevalence increasing three-fold from the North (35°S) to the South (48°S). The gradient was non-uniform; females with relapsing—remitting/secondary-progressive (RRMS/SPMS) disease have a gradient 11 times greater than males with primary-progressive MS ( p < 1 × 10-7). DMS was significantly less common among those of Māori ethnicity. Conclusions: This study confirms the presence of a robust latitudinal gradient of MS prevalence in New Zealand. This gradient is largely driven by European females with the RRMS/SPMS phenotype. These results indicate that the environmental factors that underlie the latitudinal gradient act differentially by gender, ethnicity and MS phenotype. A better understanding of these factors may allow more targeted MS therapies aimed at modifiable environmental triggers at the population level.

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Environmental Factors Correlated with the Metabolite Profile of Vitis vinifera cv. Pinot Noir Berry Skins along a European Latitudinal Gradient

Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry ◽

10.1021/acs.jafc.6b03272 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 64 (46) ◽

pp. 8722-8734 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

María Ángeles Del-Castillo-Alonso ◽

Antonella Castagna ◽

Kristóf Csepregi ◽

Éva Hideg ◽

Gabor Jakab ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

Vitis Vinifera ◽

Latitudinal Gradient ◽

Metabolite Profile ◽

Pinot Noir ◽

Berry Skins

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Bacterial community structure in a latitudinal gradient of lakes: the roles of spatial versus environmental factors

Freshwater Biology ◽

10.1111/j.1365-2427.2011.02628.x ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 56 (10) ◽

pp. 1973-1991 ◽

Cited By ~ 42

Author(s):

M. ROMINA SCHIAFFINO ◽

FERNANDO UNREIN ◽

JOSEP M. GASOL ◽

RAMON MASSANA ◽

VANESSA BALAGUÉ ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

Environmental Factors ◽

Bacterial Community ◽

Bacterial Community Structure ◽

Latitudinal Gradient

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Environmental factors influencing the pigment composition of in situ benthic microbial communities in east Antarctic lakes

Aquatic Microbial Ecology ◽

10.3354/ame037247 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 37 ◽

pp. 247-263 ◽

Cited By ~ 57

Author(s):

DA Hodgson ◽

W Vyverman ◽

E Verleyen ◽

K Sabbe ◽

PR Leavitt ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

Microbial Communities ◽

Pigment Composition ◽

Antarctic Lakes ◽

Factors Influencing ◽

Benthic Microbial Communities

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Observations on the relation between phytoplankton diversity and environmental factors in the Vaal River at Balkfontein, South Africa

Hydrobiologia ◽

10.1007/bf00007311 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 169 (2) ◽

pp. 199-207 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

A. J. H. Pieterse ◽

J. M. van Zyl

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Environmental Factors ◽

Phytoplankton Diversity ◽

Vaal River

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ANÁLISE POPULACIONAL DO PEIXE–ESPADA, Trichirus lepturus (PERCIFORMES;TRICHIURIDAE), NO ESTUÁRIO DO RIO CAETÉ, COSTA NORTE DO BRASIL

Scientific Magazine UAKARI ◽

10.31420/uakari.v3i1.24 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 104-108

Author(s):

Gleydson Cordovil ◽

Mauricio Camargo

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

Frequency Distribution ◽

Food Availability ◽

Latitudinal Gradient ◽

Northeastern Brazil ◽

South American ◽

Population Parameters ◽

Estuarine Area ◽

Total Length ◽

Trichiurus Lepturus

This study describes frequency distribution of the total length and estimates the weight-length relation of Trichiurus lepturus in the estuary of the Caeté River, northeastern Brazil. These population parameters were compared among four areas along the latitudinal gradient of the South American coast. Samples were gathered in the estuarine area of the Caeté River from October 1996 to August 1997. The total length of T. lepturus at the River varied between 27-81 cm, with a mode at 57 cm. No significant differences were detected among the four stocks. Different stock responses to environmental factors such as food availability, local seasonality and variations among years might probably explain these findings.

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Large- and Small-Scale Environmental Factors Drive Distributions of Ant Mound Size Across a Latitudinal Gradient

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects11060350 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. 350

Author(s):

Orsolya Juhász ◽

Zoltán Bátori ◽

Gema Trigos-Peral ◽

Gábor Lőrinczi ◽

Gábor Módra ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

Latitudinal Gradient ◽

The Body ◽

Bergmann’S Rule ◽

Nest Size ◽

Small Scale ◽

Bergmann's Rule ◽

Red Wood Ants ◽

Wood Ants

Red wood ants are keystone species of forest ecosystems in Europe. Environmental factors and habitat characteristics affect the size of their nest mounds, an important trait being in concordance with a colony’s well-being and impact on its surroundings. In this study, we investigated the effect of large-scale (latitude and altitude) and small-scale environmental factors (e.g., characteristics of the forest) on the size of nest mounds of Formica polyctena in Central Europe. We predicted that the change in nest size is in accordance with Bergmann’s rule that states that the body size of endotherm animals increases with the higher latitude and/or altitude. We found that the size of nests increased along the latitudinal gradient in accordance with Bergmann’s rule. The irradiation was the most important factor responsible for the changes in nest size, but temperature and local factors, like the perimeter of the trees and their distance from the nest, were also involved. Considering our results, we can better understand the long-term effects and consequences of the fast-changing environmental factors on this ecologically important group. This knowledge can contribute to the planning of forest management tactics in concordance with the assurance of the long-term survival of red wood ants.

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The latitudinal gradient in hand-wing-index: global patterns and predictors of wing morphology in birds

10.1101/816603 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Catherine Sheard ◽

Montague H. C. Neate-Clegg ◽

Nico Alioravainen ◽

Samuel E. I. Jones ◽

Claire Vincent ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

Latitudinal Gradient ◽

Habitat Type ◽

Bird Species ◽

Dispersal Ability ◽

Global Index ◽

Secondary Effects ◽

Wing Morphology ◽

Global Patterns ◽

Broad Scale

AbstractAn organism’s ability to disperse influences many fundamental processes in ecology. However, standardised estimates of dispersal ability are rarely available, and thus the patterns and drivers of broad-scale variation in dispersal ability remain unclear. Here we present a global dataset of avian hand-wing index (HWI), an estimate of wingtip pointedness widely adopted as a proxy for flight efficiency and dispersal in birds. We show that HWI is correlated with geography and ecology across 10,391 (>99 %) bird species, increasing at higher latitudes and in migratory and/or non-territorial species. After controlling for these effects, the strongest predictor of HWI is temperature variability (i.e. seasonality), with secondary effects of diet and habitat type. Our analyses (1) reveal a prominent latitudinal gradient in HWI shaped by ecological and environmental factors, and (2) provide a global index of avian dispersal ability for wider use in community ecology, macroecology, and macroevolution.Statement of authorshipThe study was conceived by CS and JAT. Data collection was led by JAT, SC, and CS, with contributions from CS, MNC, NA, SEIJ, CV, HEAM, TPB, and SC. CS performed the analyses. CS and JAT wrote the manuscript and all authors revised the text.

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Latitudinal phenotypic variation in the southernmost trichomycterid, the catfish Hatcheria macraei: an amalgam of population divergence and environmental factors

Biological Journal of the Linnean Society ◽

10.1093/biolinnean/bly072 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 124 (4) ◽

pp. 718-731 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Juan Mauro Chiarello-Sosa ◽

Miguel Ángel Battini ◽

Juan Pablo Barriga

Keyword(s):

Life History ◽

Environmental Factors ◽

Body Shape ◽

Latitudinal Gradient ◽

Population Divergence ◽

Meristic Characters ◽

Dorsal Fin ◽

Fin Ray ◽

Life History Patterns ◽

Fin Length

Abstract Body shape and meristic characters are highly variable phenotypic aspects in fish, and in most cases are related to phylogeography, environmental factors and life history patterns. Our main goals here were to evaluate morphological and meristic characters in five populations of the catfish Hatcheria macraei living at different latitudes across Patagonia, and to assess the importance of environmental and phylogenetic variables in determining body shape. The present study reveals great morphological variation among populations distributed along the latitudinal gradient. We found that the highest levels of variation in external morphological features were in peduncle height, dorsal fin length and anus position. This variation in body shape, quantified by geometric morphometrics, was mostly explained by the phylogenetic relationship between populations, stream gradient and spawning temperature. In contrast, the meristic characters, such as vertebral and fin ray numbers, except for dorsal fin ray number, were negatively related to latitude and positively to spawning temperature.

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