scholarly journals Mixing of porpoise ecotypes in southwestern UK waters revealed by genetic profiling

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 160992 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michaël C. Fontaine ◽  
Oliver Thatcher ◽  
Nicolas Ray ◽  
Sylvain Piry ◽  
Andrew Brownlow ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Contact Zone ◽  
Isolation By Distance ◽  
Size Variation ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Bay Of Biscay ◽  
Fine Scale ◽  
Genetic Profiling ◽  
Body Sizes ◽  
Genetic Pools ◽  
The Uk

Contact zones between ecotypes are windows for understanding how species may react to climate changes. Here, we analysed the fine-scale genetic and morphological variation in harbour porpoises ( Phocoena phocoena ) around the UK by genotyping 591 stranded animals at nine microsatellite loci. The data were integrated with a prior study to map at high resolution the contact zone between two previously identified ecotypes meeting in the northern Bay of Biscay. Clustering and spatial analyses revealed that UK porpoises are derived from two genetic pools with porpoises from the southwestern UK being genetically differentiated, and having larger body sizes compared to those of other UK areas. Southwestern UK porpoises showed admixed ancestry between southern and northern ecotypes with a contact zone extending from the northern Bay of Biscay to the Celtic Sea and Channel. Around the UK, ancestry blends from one genetic group to the other along a southwest--northeast axis, correlating with body size variation, consistent with previously reported morphological differences between the two ecotypes. We also detected isolation by distance among juveniles but not in adults, suggesting that stranded juveniles display reduced intergenerational dispersal. The fine-scale structure of this admixture zone raises the question of how it will respond to future climate change and provides a reference point for further study.

scholarly journals Mixing of Porpoise Ecotypes in South Western UK Waters Revealed by Genetic Profiling

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michaël C. Fontaine ◽  
Oliver Thatcher ◽  
Nicolas Ray ◽  
Sylvain Piry ◽  
Andrew Brownlow ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Isolation By Distance ◽  
Genetic Ancestry ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Fine Scale ◽  
Genetic Profiling ◽  
Body Sizes ◽  
Morphological Differences ◽  
Genetic Pools ◽  
The Uk

AbstractContact zones between marine ecotypes are of interest for understanding how key pelagic predators may react to climate change. We analysed the fine scale genetic structure and morphological variation in harbour porpoises around the UK, at the proposed northern limit of a contact zone between southern and northern ecotypes in the Bay of Biscay. Using a sample of 591 stranded animals spanning a decade and microsatellite profiling at 9 loci, clustering and spatial analyses revealed that animals stranded around UK are composed of mixed genetic ancestries from two genetic pools. Porpoises from SW England displayed a distinct genetic ancestry, had larger body-sizes and inhabit an environment differentiated from other UK costal areas. Genetic ancestry blends from one group to the other along a SW-NE axis along the UK coastline, and showed a significant association with body size, consistent with morphological differences between the two ecotypes and their mixing around the SW coast. We also found significant isolation-by-distance among juveniles, suggesting that stranded juveniles display reduced intergenerational dispersal, while adults show larger variance. The fine scale structure of this admixture zone raises the question of how it will respond to future climate change and provides a reference point for further study.

Lake stratification and temperature profiles simulated using downscaled GCM output

1998 ◽  
Vol 38 (11) ◽  
pp. 217-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hany Hassan ◽  
Toshiya Aramaki ◽  
Keisuke Hanaki ◽  
Tomonori Matsuo ◽  
Robert Wilby
Keyword(s):  
Water Temperature ◽  
Flow Direction ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Temperature Profiles ◽  
Downscaling Method ◽  
Surface Climate ◽  
Statistical Relationships ◽  
June July ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Lake Stratification

A mathematical in-lake water temperature model (WATEMP-Lake) was developed to investigate future responses of lake stratification and temperature profiles to future climate change due to rising concentrations of atmospheric greenhouse gases (GHGs). The model was used to simulate daily water temperature profiles and stratification characteristics in summer (June, July, and August-JJA) for Suwa Lake in Japan as a case study. For future assessments, the model uses surface climate variables obtained from a downscaling method that was applied to the UK Hadley Centre's coupled ocean/atmosphere model forced by combined CO2 and sulphate aerosol changes (HadCM2SUL). The downscaling method employed mean sea level surface pressure to derive three airflow indices identified as: the total shear vorticity (Z) -a measure of cyclonicity -, the strength of the resultant flow (F), and the overall flow direction (D). Statistical relationships between these indices and seven daily meteorological time series were formulated to represent climate variable series at sites around Suwa Lake. These relationships were used to downscale the observed climatology of 1979-1995 and that of 2080-2099 using HadCM2SUL outputs.

scholarly journals Normalisation and Stigmatisation of Obesity in UK Newspapers: a Visual Content Analysis

2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mr. Chris Patterson ◽  
Dr. Shona Hilton
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
The Body ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Obese Adults ◽  
Manifest Content ◽  
Body Sizes ◽  
The Uk

Obesity represents a major and growing global public health concern. The mass media play an important role in shaping public understandings of health, and obesity attracts much media coverage. This study offers the first content analysis of photographs illustrating UK newspaper articles about obesity. The researchers studied 119 articles and images from five major national newspapers. Researchers coded the manifest content of each image and article and used a graphical scale to estimate the body size of each image subject. Data were analysed with regard to the concepts of the normalisation and stigmatisation of obesity. Articles’ descriptions of subjects’ body sizes were often found to differ from coders’ estimates, and subjects described as obese tended to represent the higher values of the obese BMI range, differing from the distribution of BMI values of obese adults in the UK. Researchers identified a tendency for image subjects described as overweight or obese to be depicted in stereotypical ways that could reinforce stigma. These findings are interpreted as illustrations of how newspaper portrayals of obesity may contribute to societal normalisation and the stigmatisation of obesity, two forces that threaten to harm obese individuals and undermine public health efforts to reverse trends in obesity.

The palaeoceanographic history of the Celtic Sea since the last deglaciation and its potential for carbon storage

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob Noble ◽  
Alix Cage ◽  
Olivia Beavers ◽  
Bradley Sparks ◽  
Mark Furze ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Cycle ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Carbon Storage ◽  
Benthic Foraminifera ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Shelf Sea ◽  
Celtic Sea ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Seasonal Stratification

<p>Shelf seas account for around 10-30% of ocean productivity, 30-50% of inorganic carbon burial and up to 80% of organic carbon storage (Sharples et al., 2019); as such, shelf-sea sediments are a potential store of carbon and could play an important role in the ‘blue’ carbon cycle, and thus global climate. UK shelf-sea hydrography is dominated by seasonal stratification which drives productivity; however, stratification evolved with sea-level and tidal dynamic changes over the Holocene epoch on the UK shelf, and thus carbon stores will have changed over time. These shallow marine environments are typically seen as erosional environments and have therefore been somewhat overlooked in terms of palaeoenvironments with only a few studies from the UK continental shelf (e.g. Austin and Scourse, 1997). Here we use a core collected from the Celtic Deep, on the UK shelf, to explore environmental change, and the evolution of stratification in this setting and the potential role it plays in the global carbon cycle.</p><p>JC106-052PC, a 7.5m long marine sediment core, was recovered in 2018 at a water-depth of 116 m from the Celtic Deep (a relatively deep trough in the Celtic Sea between Britain and Ireland) as part of the BRITICE project. A radiocarbon date of 10,435 ±127 years cal BP at 4.1m suggests the core covers the Holocene epoch and preceding deglacial period. Preliminary multiproxy data from this expanded archive (ITRAX XRF, organic content, benthic foraminifera assemblages) points to changing environmental conditions and productivity potentially reflecting the evolution of seasonal stratification in the Celtic Sea over the Holocene. Work currently focuses on increasing the resolution of the benthic foraminifera record of JC106-052PC, extending the record into the deglacial period, and applying a benthic foraminifera transfer function approach to estimate sea-surface temperature of the Celtic Sea during the Holocene and deglacial period.  </p><p>This study aims to increase our understanding of the shelf-sea dynamics and productivity of the Celtic Sea over the last deglacial to Holocene period. By elucidating the response of the Celtic Sea to changing sea level and oceanographic conditions, and its capacity to act as a carbon store, we can better understand the role of other shelf environments, potentially benefiting global studies of palaeoclimate and future climate change. </p>

scholarly journals Caring for the future: Climate change and intergenerational responsibility in China and the UK

Geoforum ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 105 ◽  
pp. 158-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina Diprose ◽  
Chen Liu ◽  
Gill Valentine ◽  
Robert M. Vanderbeck ◽  
Katie McQuaid
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Future Climate ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Uk

scholarly journals Body Size Differences between Foraging and Intranidal Workers of the Monomorphic Ant Lasius niger

Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 433
Author(s):  
Mateusz Okrutniak ◽  
Bartosz Rom ◽  
Filip Turza ◽  
Irena M. Grześ
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Field Experiment ◽  
Important Determinant ◽  
Size Variation ◽  
Division Of Labour ◽  
The Body ◽  
Food Type ◽  
Lasius Niger ◽  
Worker Size ◽  
Body Sizes

The association between the division of labour and worker body size of ants is typical for species that maintain physical castes. Some studies showed that this phenomenon can be also observed in the absence of distinct morphological subcastes among workers. However, the general and consistent patterns in the size-based division of labour in monomorphic ants are largely unidentified. In this study, we performed a field experiment to investigate the link between worker body size and the division of labour of the ant Lasius niger (Linnaeus, 1758), which displays limited worker size variation. We demonstrated that the body size of workers exploring tuna baits is slightly but significantly smaller than the size of workers located in the upper parts of the nest. Comparing the present results with existing studies, large workers do not seem to be dedicated to work outside the nest. We suggest that monomorphic workers of certain body sizes are flexible in the choice of task they perform, and food type may be the important determinant of this choice.

Emerging climate changes and the risks to the operation of building assets in the UK

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah Alzahrani ◽  
Halim Boussabaine ◽  
Ali Nasser Alzaed
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Climate Change Risks ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report results from a survey on emerging climate changes and the risks to the operation of building assets in the UK. The property sector is facing major challenges as a result of projected climate change scenarios. Predictions concerning future climate change and the subsequent impact on building operations are still subject to a high degree of uncertainty. However, it is important that building stockholders consider a range of possible future risks that may influence the operation of their assets. Design/methodology/approach – The literature review and questionnaire are used to elicit and assess the likelihood of occurrence of climate change risks impacting building operations. The survey was carried out among building stockowners and professionals in the UK. Statistical methods were used to rank and compare the findings. Findings – The majority of the respondents strongly agreed that the list of risks that were elicited from the literature will have an impact on their building assets within a 0-5 years’ time horizon. It was found that the professionals were most concerned about higher energy prices and an increase in operation costs in general; they were least concerned about an electricity blackout. Research limitations/implications – This paper is limited to the UK, and regional variations are not explored. Nevertheless, the buildings’ operation risk study provides a starting point for further investigations into the emerging risks from climate change, and their impact on the operation of building stock. Future work could investigate direct mapping between climate risks and the financial value of properties. Originality/value – Findings of this paper can help professionals and building stockowners improve their understanding of climate change risks and the impact on their assets. This paper could also help these individuals to formulate appropriate adaptation and mitigation strategies.

scholarly journals Evidence for changes in historic and future groundwater levels in the UK

2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher R. Jackson ◽  
John P. Bloomfield ◽  
Jonathan D. Mackay
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Future Climate ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Climate Indices ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Groundwater Drought ◽  
The One ◽  
The Uk

We examine the evidence for climate-change impacts on groundwater levels provided by studies of the historical observational record, and future climate-change impact modelling. To date no evidence has been found for systematic changes in groundwater drought frequency or intensity in the UK, but some evidence of multi-annual to decadal coherence of groundwater levels and large-scale climate indices has been found, which should be considered when trying to identify any trends. We analyse trends in long groundwater level time-series monitored in seven observation boreholes in the Chalk aquifer, and identify statistically significant declines at four of these sites, but do not attempt to attribute these to a change in a stimulus. The evidence for the impacts of future climate change on UK groundwater recharge and levels is limited. The number of studies that have been undertaken is small and different approaches have been adopted to quantify impacts. Furthermore, these studies have generally focused on relatively small regions and reported local findings. Consequently, it has been difficult to compare them between locations. We undertake some additional analysis of the probabilistic outputs of the one recent impact study that has produced coherent multi-site projections of changes in groundwater levels. These results suggest reductions in annual and average summer levels, and increases in average winter levels, by the 2050s under a high greenhouse gas emissions scenario, at most of the sites modelled, when expressed by the median of the ensemble of simulations. It is concluded, however, that local hydrogeological conditions can be an important control on the simulated response to a future climate projection.

scholarly journals The evolution of climate change guidance for fluvial flood risk management in England

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 222-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas S Reynard ◽  
Alison L Kay ◽  
Molly Anderson ◽  
Bill Donovan ◽  
Caroline Duckworth
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Risk Management ◽  
Flood Risk ◽  
Flood Management ◽  
Flood Risk Management ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change

Floods are one of the biggest natural hazards to society, and there is increasing concern about the potential impacts of climate change on flood occurrence and magnitude. Furthermore, flood risk is likely to increase in the future not just through increased flood occurrence, but also through socio-economic changes, such as increasing population. The extent to which adaptation measures can offset this increased risk will depend on the level of future climate change, but there exists an urgent need for information on the potential impacts of climate change on floods, so that these can be accounted for by flood management authorities and local planners aiming to reduce flood risk. Agencies across the UK have been pro-active in providing such guidance for many years and in refining it as the science of climate change and hydrological impacts has developed. The history of this guidance for fluvial flood risk in England is presented and discussed here, including the recent adoption of a regional risk-based approach. Such an approach could be developed and applied to flood risk management in other countries, and to other sectors affected by climate change.

scholarly journals Life on the edge: carnivore body size variation is all over the place

2009 ◽  
Vol 276 (1661) ◽  
pp. 1469-1476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shai Meiri ◽  
Tamar Dayan ◽  
Daniel Simberloff ◽  
Richard Grenyer
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Size Variation ◽  
Geographic Range ◽  
General Tendency ◽  
Geographic Ranges ◽  
Range Edge ◽  
Geographic Range Size ◽  
Size Evolution ◽  
Body Sizes ◽  
The Way

Evolutionary biologists have long been fascinated by both the ways in which species respond to ecological conditions at the edges of their geographic ranges and the way that species' body sizes evolve across their ranges. Surprisingly, though, the relationship between these two phenomena is rarely studied. Here, we examine whether carnivore body size changes from the interior of their geographic range towards the range edges. We find that within species, body size often varies strongly with distance from the range edge. However, there is no general tendency across species for size to be either larger or smaller towards the edge. There is some evidence that the smallest guild members increase in size towards their range edges, but results for the largest guild members are equivocal. Whether individuals vary in relation to the distance from the range edges often depends on the way edge and interior are defined. Neither geographic range size nor absolute body size influences the tendency of size to vary with distance from the range edge. Therefore, we suggest that the frequent significant association between body size and the position of individuals along the edge-core continuum reflects the prevalence of geographic size variation and that the distance to range edge per se does not influence size evolution in a consistent way.

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