A climate migrant escapes its parasites

2020 ◽  
Vol 641 ◽  
pp. 111-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
DS Johnson ◽  
JD Shields ◽  
D Doucette ◽  
R Heard

When a species colonizes a new range, it can escape enemies found in its original range. Examples of enemy escape abound for invasive species, but are rare for climate migrants, which are populations of a species that colonize a new range due to climate-driven range shifts or expansions. The fiddler crab Minuca (=Uca) pugnax is found in the intertidal salt marshes of the US east coast. It recently expanded its range north into the Gulf of Maine as a result of ocean warming. We tested the hypothesis that M. pugnax had escaped its parasite enemies. Parasite richness and trematode intensity were lower in populations in the expanded range than in populations in the historical range, but infection prevalence did not differ. Although M. pugnax escaped most of its historical parasites when it migrated northward, it was infected with black-gill lamellae (indicative of Synophrya hypertrophica), which was found in the historical range, and with the trematode Odhneria cf. odhneri, which was not found in the historical range. To our knowledge, this is the first time that O. cf. odhneri has been reported in fiddler crabs. These results demonstrate that although M. pugnax escaped some of its historical parasites when it expanded its range, it appears to have gained a new parasite (O. cf. odhneri) in the expanded range. Overall, our results demonstrate that climate migrants can escape their enemies despite colonizing habitats adjacent to their enemy-filled historical range.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard J Wong ◽  
Michael S. Roy ◽  
Jarrett E. K. Byrnes

ABSTRACTSpecies ranges are shifting in response to climate change. In New England saltmarshes, the mud fiddler crab, Minuca pugnax, is expanding north of Cape Cod, MA into the Gulf of Maine (GoM) due to warming waters. The burrowing lifestyle of M. pugnax means sediment compaction in saltmarshes may influence the ability for crabs to dig, with more compact soils being resilient to burrowing. Previous studies indicate that saltmarshes along the GoM have higher soil strength (i.e., compaction) relative to marshes south of Cape Cod. Together, physical characteristics and temperature of this habitat may be influencing the burrowing performance of M. pugnax, and therefore the continuation of their northward range expansion into the GoM. To determine if compaction affects burrowing activity of M. pugnax in historical and range expanded populations, we conducted a controlled laboratory experiment. We manipulated soil compaction in standardized lab assays and measured crab burrowing performance with individuals collected from Nantucket (i.e., historical range) and the Plum Island Estuary (PIE, i.e., expanded range). We determined compaction negatively affected burrowing ability in crabs from both sites; however, crabs from PIE burrowed in higher soil compactions than Nantucket crabs. In addition, PIE crabs were more likely to burrow overall. We conclude that site level differences in compaction are likely altering burrowing behavior in the crab’s expanded range territory by way of phenotypic plasticity or rapid evolution. Our study demonstrates that non-temperature physical habitat traits can be as important as temperature in influencing climate driven range expansions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 544-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kayla S Martínez-Soto ◽  
David S Johnson

Abstract The Atlantic marsh fiddler crab, Minuca pugnax (Smith, 1870), is a climate migrant that recently expanded its range northward into the Gulf of Maine. We tracked the M. pugnax population within the Great Marsh, in northeastern Massachusetts, USA, since it was first detected in 2014 using burrow counts. Because burrow counts can overestimate fiddler-crab density, we used camera traps to determine the relationship between burrow densities and fiddler-crab densities in 2019. The burrow count surveys show a six-fold increase in the density of M. pugnax in the Great Marsh from 2014 to 2019. Results indicates that the fiddler-crab population in the expanded range is established and growing. Based on burrow counts, however, the density of M. pugnax in the expanded range (6 burrows m–2) remains much lower than those found in the historical range (up to 300 burrows m–2). Based on the camera traps, we determined that burrow counts overestimated fiddler-crab densities by 47% in 2019. There was, on average, one crab detected for every two burrows observed. This result suggests that estimates of densities of M. pugnax based on burrow counts should be reduced by half. Minuca pugnax is an ecosystem engineer that can influence saltmarsh functioning and the magnitude of that influence is related to its density. Our results imply that the populations of M. pugnax in the expanded range are currently having minor impacts on marshes relative to larger populations in the historical range, but their impact will increase as the populations grow.


Author(s):  
David Willetts

Universities have a crucial role in the modern world. In England, entrance to universities is by nation-wide competition which means English universities have an exceptional influence on schools--a striking theme of the book. This important book first investigates the university as an institution and then tracks the individual on their journey to and through university. In A University Education, David Willetts presents a compelling case for the ongoing importance of the university, both as one of the great institutions of modern society and as a transformational experience for the individual. The book also makes illuminating comparisons with higher education in other countries, especially the US and Germany. Drawing on his experience as UK Minister for Universities and Science from 2010 to 2014, the author offers a powerful account of the value of higher education and the case for more expansion. He covers controversial issues in which he was involved from access for disadvantaged students to the introduction of L9,000 fees. The final section addresses some of the big questions for the future, such as the the relationship between universities and business, especially in promoting innovation.. He argues that the two great contemporary trends of globalisation and technological innovation will both change the university significantly. This is an authoritative account of English universities setting them for the first time in their new legal and regulatory framework.


2007 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. E158-E159
Author(s):  
G. Noskin ◽  
R. Rubin ◽  
J. Schentag ◽  
J. Kluytmans ◽  
J. Cassie

2021 ◽  
pp. 001391652110450
Author(s):  
Jonnell C. Sanciangco ◽  
Gregory D. Breetzke ◽  
Zihan Lin ◽  
Yuhao Wang ◽  
Kimberly A. Clevenger ◽  
...  

Residents in US cities are exposed to high levels of stress and violent crime. At the same time, a number of cities have put forward “greening” efforts which may promote nature’s calming effects and reduce stressful stimuli. Previous research has shown that greening may lower aggressive behaviors and violent crime. In this study we examined, for the first time, the longitudinal effects over a 30-year period of average city greenness on homicide rates across 290 major cities in the US, using multilevel linear growth curve modeling. Overall, homicide rates in US cities decreased over this time-period (52.1–33.5 per 100,000 population) while the average greenness increased slightly (0.41–0.43 NDVI). Change in average city greenness was negatively associated with homicide, controlling for a range of variables (β = −.30, p-value = .02). The results of this study suggest that efforts to increase urban greenness may have small but significant violence-reduction benefits.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
MOHAMMAD REZA MOHSENI ◽  
SHAHROKH PASHAEI RAD

The present study was conducted in Salt marshes and Salt pans in central parts of Iran. 121 specimens of ants were collected by trapping and hand during spring, summer and autumn 2017 to 2019. Nine species belong to two subfamilies of Myrmicinae and Formicinae were identified. The vegetation, physical and chemical parameters of soil such as salinity, Ph, and other factors were investigated. Darband Shoor Mountain station with five species had the highest diversity and vegetation density and the lowest salinity of soil (72.14 ds/m) whereas Salt Lake station had only one species, with no vegetation and the highest salinity of soil (153.15 ds/m). Cataglyphis lividus (André, 1881) was the dominant species in all the stations except in Darband Shoor Mountain station. All the species were reported for the first time from salt marshes and salt pans in the central parts of Iran and were approved by Prof. Brian Taylor, in Royal Entomological Society of London, England.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-212
Author(s):  
Andrea Diem ◽  
Stefan C. Wolter

Introduction: This study examines the influence of major fluctuations in the number of students enrolling at university on the probability of dropout or a switch to a different course of study. Findings from the US show that a pronounced increase in student numbers leads to more dropouts. Materials and methods: This article provides an analysis of this relationship for the first time outside the US and for an entire university system. We use administrative data for all the students who started studying at Swiss universities between 1980 and 2001. Results: The results suggest a significant relationship between positive cohort growth and the probability of dropout. A reduction in student numbers, on the other hand, does not increase the probability of persistence. Discussion: Despite the negative influence of a big cohort on the probability of persistence, no statistically significant relationship exists, by contrast, between the change in student numbers and the probability of a student switching to a different course of study.


Author(s):  
Gönül Dönmez-Colin

ISTANBUL INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL Istanbul International Film Festival (31 March-15 April 2007) celebrated its 26th birthday this spring with more than 200 films from around the world. This year, for the first time in its history, the festival opened with a film by a Turkish director, Ferzan Özpetek although the Italian production Saturn Opposite about depressed 40-year olds nostalgic about their youth, featuring some of the well-known actors of Italy could hardly be considered a Turkish film. The closing film was the US production, The Good German by Steven Soderbergh featuring George Clooney and Cate Blanchett. The films that compete for the Golden Tulip award are chosen for their relation to art and the artist or are adaptations from literary works. The fact that Istanbul takes place shortly before Cannes makes it rather difficult to find quality films for the International Competition, which had not been previously screened elsewhere....


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moritz Sutterer

Abstract In February 2021 the Paris Court of Appeal (Cour d’appel de Paris) rendered a decision against the US artist Jeff Koons, holding that he had infringed copyright relating to an advertisement photography that was more than 30 years old. Jeff Koons is famous for his Neo-pop Appropriation art – kitsch for some, a provocative breach with the traditional notion of art for others. It was not the first time Koons has had to defend his work in court. The French decision is particularly interesting, however, as it shows a very narrow understanding of the copyright exceptions. It is an illustrative example of the issues resulting from CJEU’s approach in Pelham, Spiegel Online and Funke Medien, where the Court held that once the recognisability of original elements has been established, the only way out of the infringement leads through the formal exceptions and limitations of the InfoSoc Directive. Based on the decision, I will reflect on the openness of copyright for art-specific forms of referencing and in particular analyse the subject matter and scope of the parody exception and contrast it with less formal approaches to consider new creative elements. I will also analyse the question of applicable law in internet cases.


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