scholarly journals Causal analysis of the temperature impact on deep-sea biodiversity

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (7) ◽  
pp. 20200666
Author(s):  
Hideyuki Doi ◽  
Moriaki Yasuhara ◽  
Masayuki Ushio

The deep sea comprises more than 90% of the ocean; therefore, understanding the controlling factors of biodiversity in the deep sea is of great importance for predicting future changes in the functioning of the ocean system. Consensus has recently been increasing on two plausible factors that have often been discussed as the drivers of deep‐sea species richness in the contexts of the species‐energy and physiological tolerance hypotheses: (i) seafloor particulate organic carbon (POC) derived from primary production in the euphotic zone and (ii) temperature. Nonetheless, factors that drive deep-sea biodiversity are still actively debated potentially owing to a mirage of correlations (sign and magnitude are generally time dependent), which are often found in nonlinear, complex ecological systems, making the characterization of causalities difficult. Here, we tested the causal influences of POC flux and temperature on species richness using long-term palaeoecological datasets derived from sediment core samples and convergent cross mapping, a numerical method for characterizing causal relationships in complex systems. The results showed that temperature, but not POC flux, influenced species richness over 10 3 –10 4 -year time scales. The temperature–richness relationship in the deep sea suggests that human-induced future climate change may, under some conditions, affect deep-sea ecosystems through deep-water circulation changes rather than surface productivity changes.

2010 ◽  
Vol 56 (5) ◽  
pp. 421-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. William Yeung ◽  
Kenneth Lee ◽  
Lyle G. Whyte ◽  
Charles W. Greer

The Gully is the first Fisheries and Oceans Canada marine protected area off the eastern coast of Canada. To ensure success of conservation efforts in this area, it is essential to develop a better understanding of microbial community composition from the euphotic zone to the deep sea in this previously unsurveyed environment. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and nucleotide sequencing were used to characterize microbial community structure. DGGE results showed a clear difference in the microbial community structure between the euphotic zone and the deep sea water. Cluster analysis showed high similarity (>85%) for all the samples taken from below 500 m, but lower similarity (49%–72%) when comparing samples from above and below 500 m. Changes in microbial community structure with depth corresponded well with changes in oceanographic physical parameters. Furthermore, 16S rRNA gene analysis showed that the bacterioplankton sequences generally clustered into 1 of 9 major lineages commonly found in marine systems. However, not all the major lineages were detected at all the different depths. The SAR11 and SAR116 sequences were only present in the surface water, and the SAR324 and Actinobacteria sequences were only present in deep sea water. These findings provide a preliminary characterization of the microbial communities of this unique ecosystem.


Universe ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 91
Author(s):  
Valentina Raskina ◽  
Filip Křížek

The ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) experiment at CERN will upgrade its Inner Tracking System (ITS) detector. The new ITS will consist of seven coaxial cylindrical layers of ALPIDE silicon sensors which are based on Monolithic Active Pixel Sensor (MAPS) technology. We have studied the radiation hardness of ALPIDE sensors using a 30 MeV proton beam provided by the cyclotron U-120M of the Nuclear Physics Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Řež. In this paper, these long-term measurements will be described. After being irradiated up to the total ionization dose 2.7 Mrad and non-ionizing energy loss 2.7 × 10 13 1 MeV n eq · cm - 2 , ALPIDE sensors fulfill ITS upgrade project technical design requirements in terms of detection efficiency and fake-hit rate.


Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 522
Author(s):  
Régis Santos ◽  
Wendell Medeiros-Leal ◽  
Osman Crespo ◽  
Ana Novoa-Pabon ◽  
Mário Pinho

With the commercial fishery expansion to deeper waters, some vulnerable deep-sea species have been increasingly captured. To reduce the fishing impacts on these species, exploitation and management must be based on detailed and precise information about their biology. The common mora Mora moro has become the main deep-sea species caught by longliners in the Northeast Atlantic at depths between 600 and 1200 m. In the Azores, landings have more than doubled from the early 2000s to recent years. Despite its growing importance, its life history and population structure are poorly understood, and the current stock status has not been assessed. To better determine its distribution, biology, and long-term changes in abundance and size composition, this study analyzed a fishery-dependent and survey time series from the Azores. M. moro was found on mud and rock bottoms at depths below 300 m. A larger–deeper trend was observed, and females were larger and more abundant than males. The reproductive season took place from August to February. Abundance indices and mean sizes in the catch were marked by changes in fishing fleet operational behavior. M. moro is considered vulnerable to overfishing because it exhibits a long life span, a large size, slow growth, and a low natural mortality.


Author(s):  
Katherine C Kral-O’Brien ◽  
Adrienne K Antonsen ◽  
Torre J Hovick ◽  
Ryan F Limb ◽  
Jason P Harmon

Abstract Many methods are used to survey butterfly populations, with line transect and area surveys being prominent. Observers are typically limited to search within 5 or 10 m from the line, while observers are unrestricted in larger specified search regions in area surveys. Although methods differ slightly, the selection is often based on producing defendable data for conservation, maximizing data quality, and minimizing effort. To guide method selection, we compared butterfly surveys using 1) line versus area methods and 2) varying width transects (5 m, 10 m, or unrestricted) using count data from surveys in North Dakota from 2015 to 2018. Between line and area surveys, we detected more individuals with area surveys, even when accounting for effort. However, both methods accumulated new species at similar rates. When comparing transect methodology, we detected nearly 60% more individuals and nine more species when transect width increased from 5 m to unrestricted, despite similar effort across methodology. Overall, we found line surveys slightly less efficient at detecting individuals, but they collected similar species richness to area surveys when accounting for effort. Additionally, line surveys allow the use of unrestricted-width transects with distance sampling procedures, which were more effective at detecting species and individuals while providing a means to correct count data over the same transect length. Methods that reduce effort and accurately depict communities are especially important for conservation when long-term datasets are unavailable.


BMC Genomics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oluchi Aroh ◽  
Kenneth M. Halanych

Abstract Background Long Terminal Repeat retrotransposons (LTR retrotransposons) are mobile genetic elements composed of a few genes between terminal repeats and, in some cases, can comprise over half of a genome’s content. Available data on LTR retrotransposons have facilitated comparative studies and provided insight on genome evolution. However, data are biased to model systems and marine organisms, including annelids, have been underrepresented in transposable elements studies. Here, we focus on genome of Lamellibrachia luymesi, a vestimentiferan tubeworm from deep-sea hydrocarbon seeps, to gain knowledge of LTR retrotransposons in a deep-sea annelid. Results We characterized LTR retrotransposons present in the genome of L. luymesi using bioinformatic approaches and found that intact LTR retrotransposons makes up about 0.1% of L. luymesi genome. Previous characterization of the genome has shown that this tubeworm hosts several known LTR-retrotransposons. Here we describe and classify LTR retrotransposons in L. luymesi as within the Gypsy, Copia and Bel-pao superfamilies. Although, many elements fell within already recognized families (e.g., Mag, CSRN1), others formed clades distinct from previously recognized families within these superfamilies. However, approximately 19% (41) of recovered elements could not be classified. Gypsy elements were the most abundant while only 2 Copia and 2 Bel-pao elements were present. In addition, analysis of insertion times indicated that several LTR-retrotransposons were recently transposed into the genome of L. luymesi, these elements had identical LTR’s raising possibility of recent or ongoing retrotransposon activity. Conclusions Our analysis contributes to knowledge on diversity of LTR-retrotransposons in marine settings and also serves as an important step to assist our understanding of the potential role of retroelements in marine organisms. We find that many LTR retrotransposons, which have been inserted in the last few million years, are similar to those found in terrestrial model species. However, several new groups of LTR retrotransposons were discovered suggesting that the representation of LTR retrotransposons may be different in marine settings. Further study would improve understanding of the diversity of retrotransposons across animal groups and environments.


2021 ◽  
pp. 000348942110155
Author(s):  
Leonard Haller ◽  
Khush Mehul Kharidia ◽  
Caitlin Bertelsen ◽  
Jeffrey Wang ◽  
Karla O’Dell

Objective: We sought to identify risk factors associated with long-term dysphagia, characterize changes in dysphagia over time, and evaluate the incidence of otolaryngology referrals for patients with long-term dysphagia following anterior cervical discectomy with fusion (ACDF). Methods: About 56 patients who underwent ACDF between May 2017 to February 2019 were included in the study. All patients were assessed for dysphagia using the Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10) survey preoperatively and late postoperatively (≥1 year). Additionally, 28 patients were assessed for dysphagia early postoperatively (2 weeks—3 months). Demographic data, medical comorbidities, intraoperative details, and post-operative otolaryngology referral rates were collected from electronic medical records. Results: Of the 56 patients enrolled, 21 patients (38%) had EAT-10 scores of 3 or more at long-term follow-up. None of the demographics, comorbidities, or surgical factors assessed were associated with long-term dysphagia. Patients who reported no long-term dysphagia had a mean EAT-10 score of 6.9 early postoperatively, while patients with long-term symptoms had a mean score of 18.1 ( P = .006). Of the 21 patients who reported persistent dysphagia symptoms, 3 (14%) received dysphagia testing or otolaryngology referrals post-operatively. Conclusion: Dysphagia is a notable side effect of ACDF surgery, but there are no significant demographics, comorbidities, or surgical risk factors that predict long-term dysphagia. Early postoperative characterization of dysphagia using the EAT-10 questionnaire can help predict long-term symptoms. There is inadequate screening and otolaryngology follow-up for patients with post-ACDF dysphagia.


Author(s):  
Theodosia Bartzela ◽  
Björn Theuerkauf ◽  
Elisabeth Reichardt ◽  
Malte Spielmann ◽  
Charlotte Opitz

Abstract Objectives To clinically characterize patients and family members with cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) and associated congenital malformations or syndromes and propose possible inheritance patterns. Materials and methods An observational study of patients with CL/P, including medical and family history and intra- and extra-oral examination of their family members, was performed. Results Two hundred sixty-six patients, 1257 family members, and 42 pedigrees were included in the study. The distribution of patients according to the cleft type was 57.9% with CLP, 25.2% with cleft palate (CPO), and 12.8% with cleft lip with/without alveolus (CL/A). Seventy-four (27.8%) patients had associated malformations, and 24 (9.2%) a syndrome. The skeletal (27.7%), cardiovascular (19.3%) systems, and eyes (22.9%) were most commonly affected. Pierre Robin Sequence (7 patients) and van der Woude (4) were the most common syndromes. The majority of patients with CPO (19/24) had an associate syndrome. The families had an average of 2.45 affected members. Conclusion Individual and interfamilial phenotypic variability in patients with CL/P makes the understanding of etiopathogenesis challenging. Clinical relevance The overall prevalence of individuals with CL/P and their pedigrees with associated malformations and syndromes emphasize the need for early identification, interdisciplinary, and long-term planning.


2017 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 8-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corrado Battisti ◽  
Marco Giardini ◽  
Francesca Marini ◽  
Lorena Di Rocco ◽  
Giuseppe Dodaro ◽  
...  

We reported a study on breeding birds occurring inside an 80 m-deep karst sinkhole, with the characterization of the assemblages recorded along its semi-vertical slopes from the upper edge until the bottom. The internal sides of the sinkhole have been vertically subdivided in four belts about 20 m high. The highest belt (at the upper edge of the cenote) showed the highest values in mean number of bird detections, mean and normalized species richness, and Shannon diversity index. The averaged values of number of detections and species richness significantly differ among belts. Species turnover (Cody’s β-diversity) was maximum between the highest belts. Whittaker plots showed a marked difference among assemblages shaping from broken-stick model to geometric series, and explicited a spatial progressive stress with a disruption in evenness towards the deepest belts. Bird assemblages evidenced a nested subset structure with deeper belts containing successive subsets of the species occurring in the upper belts. We hypothesize that, at least during the daytime in breeding season, the observed non-random distribution of species along the vertical stratification is likely due to (i) the progressive simplification both of the floristic composition and vegetation structure, and (ii) the paucity of sunlight as resources from the upper edge to the inner side of the cenote.


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