Haemosporidian prevalence in northern saw-whet owls Aegolius acadicus
 is predicted by host age and average annual temperature at breeding grounds

The purpose of this work is to review and analyze the main results of modern research on the impact of climate change on the agro-sphere of Ukraine. Results. Analysis of research has shown that the effects of climate change on the agro-sphere are already being felt today and will continue in the future. The observed climate changes in recent decades have already significantly affected the shift in the northern direction of all agro-climatic zones of Europe, including Ukraine. From the point of view of productivity of the agro-sphere of Ukraine, climate change will have both positive and negative consequences. The positives include: improving the conditions of formation and reducing the harvesting time of crop yields; the possibility of effective introduction of late varieties (hybrids), which require more thermal resources; improving the conditions for overwintering crops; increase the efficiency of fertilizer application. Model estimates of the impact of climate change on wheat yields in Ukraine mainly indicate the positive effects of global warming on yields in the medium term, but with an increase in the average annual temperature by 2 ° C above normal, grain yields are expected to decrease. The negative consequences of the impact of climate change on the agrosphere include: increased drought during the growing season; acceleration of humus decomposition in soils; deterioration of soil moisture in the southern regions; deterioration of grain quality and failure to ensure full vernalization of grain; increase in the number of pests, the spread of pathogens of plants and weeds due to favorable conditions for their overwintering; increase in wind and water erosion of the soil caused by an increase in droughts and extreme rainfall; increasing risks of freezing of winter crops due to lack of stable snow cover. Conclusions. Resource-saving agricultural technologies are of particular importance in the context of climate change. They include technologies such as no-till, strip-till, ridge-till, which make it possible to partially store and accumulate mulch on the soil surface, reduce the speed of the surface layer of air and contribute to better preservation of moisture accumulated during the autumn-winter period. And in determining the most effective ways and mechanisms to reduce weather risks for Ukrainian farmers, it is necessary to take into account the world practice of climate-smart technologies.

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Integrating tracking and resight data enables unbiased inferences about migratory connectivity and winter range survival from archival tags

The Condor ◽

10.1093/ornithapp/duab010 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Clark S Rushing ◽

Aimee M Van Tatenhove ◽

Andrew Sharp ◽

Viviana Ruiz-Gutierrez ◽

Mary C Freeman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Transition Probabilities ◽

Eastern United States ◽

Migratory Connectivity ◽

Migratory Species ◽

Pet Trade ◽

Winter Range ◽

Archival Tags ◽

Breeding Grounds ◽

Unbiased Estimates ◽

Further Development

Abstract Archival geolocators have transformed the study of small, migratory organisms but analysis of data from these devices requires bias correction because tags are only recovered from individuals that survive and are re-captured at their tagging location. We show that integrating geolocator recovery data and mark–resight data enables unbiased estimates of both migratory connectivity between breeding and nonbreeding populations and region-specific survival probabilities for wintering locations. Using simulations, we first demonstrate that an integrated Bayesian model returns unbiased estimates of transition probabilities between seasonal ranges. We also used simulations to determine how different sampling designs influence the estimability of transition probabilities. We then parameterized the model with tracking data and mark–resight data from declining Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) populations breeding in the eastern United States, hypothesized to be threatened by the illegal pet trade in parts of their Caribbean, nonbreeding range. Consistent with this hypothesis, we found that male buntings wintering in Cuba were 20% less likely to return to the breeding grounds than birds wintering elsewhere in their range. Improving inferences from archival tags through proper data collection and further development of integrated models will advance our understanding of the full annual cycle ecology of migratory species.

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Identification of Epidemiological Traits by Analysis of SARS−CoV−2 Sequences

Viruses ◽

10.3390/v13050764 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (5) ◽

pp. 764

Author(s):

Bohu Pan ◽

Zuowei Ji ◽

Sugunadevi Sakkiah ◽

Wenjing Guo ◽

Jie Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Clustering Analysis ◽

Phylogenetic Trees ◽

Sequence Similarity ◽

Host Age ◽

Hierarchical Clustering Analysis ◽

Genome Sequences ◽

Geographic Patterns ◽

Rapid Spread ◽

Pairwise Sequence Similarity ◽

Sequence Similarity Analysis

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS−CoV−2) has caused the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic that began in late December 2019. The rapid spread of SARS−CoV−2 is primarily due to person-to-person transmission. To understand the epidemiological traits of SARS−CoV−2 transmission, we conducted phylogenetic analysis on genome sequences from >54K SARS−CoV−2 cases obtained from two public databases. Hierarchical clustering analysis on geographic patterns in the resulting phylogenetic trees revealed a co-expansion tendency of the virus among neighboring countries with diverse sources and transmission routes for SARS−CoV−2. Pairwise sequence similarity analysis demonstrated that SARS−CoV−2 is transmitted locally and evolves during transmission. However, no significant differences were seen among SARS−CoV−2 genomes grouped by host age or sex. Here, our identified epidemiological traits provide information to better prevent transmission of SARS−CoV−2 and to facilitate the development of effective vaccines and therapeutics against the virus.

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A Response of Snow Cover to the Climate in the Northwest Himalaya (NWH) Using Satellite Products

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs13040655 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 655

Author(s):

Animesh Choudhury ◽

Avinash Chand Yadav ◽

Stefania Bonafoni

Keyword(s):

Snow Cover ◽

Land Surface ◽

Significant Negative Correlation ◽

Shuttle Radar Topography Mission ◽

Vital Role ◽

Snow Cover Area ◽

Study Region ◽

Northwest Himalaya ◽

The Past ◽

Average Annual Temperature

The Himalayan region is one of the most crucial mountain systems across the globe, which has significant importance in terms of the largest depository of snow and glaciers for fresh water supply, river runoff, hydropower, rich biodiversity, climate, and many more socioeconomic developments. This region directly or indirectly affects millions of lives and their livelihoods but has been considered one of the most climatically sensitive parts of the world. This study investigates the spatiotemporal variation in maximum extent of snow cover area (SCA) and its response to temperature, precipitation, and elevation over the northwest Himalaya (NWH) during 2000–2019. The analysis uses Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)/Terra 8-day composite snow Cover product (MOD10A2), MODIS/Terra/V6 daily land surface temperature product (MOD11A1), Climate Hazards Infrared Precipitation with Station data (CHIRPS) precipitation product, and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) DEM product for the investigation. Modified Mann-Kendall (mMK) test and Spearman’s correlation methods were employed to examine the trends and the interrelationships between SCA and climatic parameters. Results indicate a significant increasing trend in annual mean SCA (663.88 km2/year) between 2000 and 2019. The seasonal and monthly analyses were also carried out for the study region. The Zone-wise analysis showed that the lower Himalaya (184.5 km2/year) and the middle Himalaya (232.1 km2/year) revealed significant increasing mean annual SCA trends. In contrast, the upper Himalaya showed no trend during the study period over the NWH region. Statistically significant negative correlation (−0.81) was observed between annual SCA and temperature, whereas a nonsignificant positive correlation (0.47) existed between annual SCA and precipitation in the past 20 years. It was also noticed that the SCA variability over the past 20 years has mainly been driven by temperature, whereas the influence of precipitation has been limited. A decline in average annual temperature (−0.039 °C/year) and a rise in precipitation (24.56 mm/year) was detected over the region. The results indicate that climate plays a vital role in controlling the SCA over the NWH region. The maximum and minimum snow cover frequency (SCF) was observed during the winter (74.42%) and monsoon (46.01%) season, respectively, while the average SCF was recorded to be 59.11% during the study period. Of the SCA, 54.81% had a SCF above 60% and could be considered as the perennial snow. The elevation-based analysis showed that 84% of the upper Himalaya (UH) experienced perennial snow, while the seasonal snow mostly dominated over the lower Himalaya (LH) and the middle Himalaya (MH).

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Sheep nemabiome diversity and its response to anthelmintic treatment in Swedish sheep herds

Parasites & Vectors ◽

10.1186/s13071-021-04602-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Peter Halvarsson ◽

Johan Höglund

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Diversity Index ◽

Nematode Species ◽

Abundant Species ◽

Anthelmintic Treatment ◽

Host Age ◽

Larval Culture ◽

Nematode Parasites ◽

South Central ◽

Nematode Diversity

Abstract Background A novel way to study the species composition and diversity of nematode parasites in livestock is to perform deep sequencing on composite samples containing a mixture of different species. Herein we describe for the first time the nematode community structures (nemabiomes) inhabiting Swedish sheep and how these are/were affected by host age and recent anthelmintic treatments. Methods A total of 158 fecal samples were collected (n = 35 in 2007 and n = 123 in 2013–2016) and cultured from groups of sheep on 61 commercial farms in the south-central part of the country where most animals are grazed. Among the samples, 2 × 44 (56%) were paired collections from the same groups pre- and post-treatment with anthelmintics such as macrocyclic lactones, benzimidazoles or levamisole. Samples were analyzed for their nemabiome using the PacBio platform followed by bioinformatic sequence analysis with SCATA. Species richness and diversity were calculated and analyzed in R. Results Nematode ITS2 sequences were found in all larval culture samples except two, even though the fecal egg counts were below the McMaster threshold in 20 samples. Sequencing yielded, on average, 1008 sequences per sample. In total, 16 operational taxonomical units (OTU), all with ≥ 98 % identity to sequences in the NCBI database, were recognized. The OTUs found represented nematode species of which ten are commonly associated with sheep. Multiple species were identified in all pre-anthelmintic treatment larval culture samples. No effects on nematode diversity were found in relation to host age. On the other hand, recent anthelmintic treatment lowered species richness, especially after use of ivermectin and albendazole. Interestingly, despite zero egg counts after use of levamisole, these samples still contained nematode DNA and especially H. contortus. Conclusions Our findings provide evidence that nemabiome analysis combined with diversity index analysis provides an objective methodology in the study of the efficacy of anthelmintic treatment as both high and low abundant species were detected.

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Climate Change and Internet of Things Technologies—Sustainable Premises of Extending the Culture of the Amurg Cultivar in Transylvania—A Use Case for Târnave Vineyard

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13158170 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (15) ◽

pp. 8170

Author(s):

Veronica Sanda Chedea ◽

Ana-Maria Drăgulinescu ◽

Liliana Lucia Tomoiagă ◽

Cristina Bălăceanu ◽

Maria Lucia Iliescu

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Weather Conditions ◽

White Wine ◽

Time Investment ◽

Protected Designation Of Origin ◽

Average Annual Temperature ◽

Insect Infestations ◽

Long Time ◽

The Stability ◽

Red Grape

Known for its dry and semi-dry white wine, the Târnave vineyard located in central Transylvania is challenged by the current climate change, which has resulted in an increase of the period of active vegetation by approximately 15–20 days, the average annual temperature by 1–1.5 °C and also the amount of useful temperatures (useful thermal balance for the grapevine). Furthermore, the frost periods have been reduced. Transylvania is an important Romanian region for grapevine cultivation. In this context, one can use the climatic changes to expand their wine assortment by cultivating an autochthonous grapevine variety called Amurg. Amurg is a red grape cultivar homologated at SCDVV Blaj, which also homologated 7 cultivars and 11 clones. Because viticulture depends on the stability of meteorological and hydrological parameters of the growing area, its foundations are challenged by climate change. Grapevine production is a long time investment, taking at least five years before the freshly planted vines produce the desired quality berries. We propose the implementation of a climate change-based precision viticulture turn-key solution for environmental monitoring in the Târnave vineyard. This solution aims to evaluate the grapevine’s micro-climate to extend the sustainable cultivation of the Amurg red grapes cultivar in Transylvania with the final goal of obtaining Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) rosé and red wines from this region. Worldwide, the changing conditions from the existing climate (a 30-year average), used in the past hundred years to dictate local standards, such as new and erratic trends of temperature and humidity regimes, late spring freezes, early fall frosts, storms, heatwaves, droughts, area wildfires, and insect infestations, would create dynamic problems for all farmers to thrive. These conditions will make it challenging to predict shifts in each of the components of seasonal weather conditions. Our proposed system also aims to give a solution that can be adapted to other vineyards as well.

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Multi-year presence of humpback whales in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean but not during El Niño

Communications Biology ◽

10.1038/s42003-021-02332-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Elena Schall ◽

Karolin Thomisch ◽

Olaf Boebel ◽

Gabriele Gerlach ◽

Sari Mangia Woods ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Southern Ocean ◽

El Niño ◽

El Nino ◽

Humpback Whales ◽

Low Latitude ◽

Sea Ice Extent ◽

Atlantic Sector ◽

Acoustic Data ◽

Breeding Grounds ◽

Passive Acoustic

AbstractHumpback whales are thought to undertake annual migrations between their low latitude breeding grounds and high latitude feeding grounds. However, under specific conditions, humpback whales sometimes change their migratory destination or skip migration overall. Here we document the surprising persistent presence of humpback whales in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean during five years (2011, 2012, 2013, 2017, and 2018) using passive acoustic data. However, in the El Niño years 2015 and 2016, humpback whales were virtually absent. Our data show that humpback whales are systematically present in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean and suggest that these whales are particularly sensitive to climate oscillations which have profound effects on winds, sea ice extent, primary production, and especially krill productivity.

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A longitudinal study of humpback whales in Irish waters

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom ◽

10.1017/s0025315414002033 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 96 (4) ◽

pp. 877-883 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Conor Ryan ◽

Pádraig Whooley ◽

Simon D. Berrow ◽

Colin Barnes ◽

Nick Massett ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Longitudinal Study ◽

North Atlantic ◽

Spatial Scales ◽

Humpback Whales ◽

Migratory Species ◽

The Public ◽

Photo Identification ◽

The North ◽

Breeding Grounds ◽

Eastern North Atlantic

Knowledge on the ecology of humpback whales in the eastern North Atlantic is lacking by comparison with most other ocean basins. Humpback whales were historically over-exploited in the region and are still found in low relative abundances. This, coupled with their large range makes them difficult to study. With the aim of informing more effective conservation measures in Ireland, the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group began recording sightings and images suitable for photo-identification of humpback whales from Irish waters in 1999. Validated records submitted by members of the public and data from dedicated surveys were analysed to form a longitudinal study of individually recognizable humpback whales. The distribution, relative abundance and seasonality of humpback whale sighting records are presented, revealing discrete important areas for humpback whales in Irish coastal waters. An annual easterly movement of humpback whales along the southern coast of Ireland is documented, mirroring that of their preferred prey: herring and sprat. Photo-identification images were compared with others collected throughout the North Atlantic (N = 8016), resulting in matches of two individuals between Ireland and Iceland, Norway and the Netherlands but no matches to known breeding grounds (Cape Verde and West Indies). This study demonstrates that combining public records with dedicated survey data is an effective approach to studying low-density, threatened migratory species over temporal and spatial scales that are relevant to conservation and management.

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