Temporal and Spatial Patterns of Harmful Algae Affecting Scottish Shellfish Aquaculture

Consistent patterns of Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) events are not evident across the scientific literature, suggesting that local or regional variability is likely to be important in modulating any overall trend. This study summarizes Scotland-wide temporal and spatial patterns in a robust 15-year high temporal frequency time series (2006–2020) of the incidence of HABs and shellfish biotoxins in blue Mussels (Mytilus edulis), collected as part of the Food Standards Scotland (FSS) regulatory monitoring program. The relationship between the countrywide annual incidence of HAB events and biotoxins with environmental variables was also explored. Temporal patterns exhibited interannual variability, with no year-on-year increase, nor any correlation between annual occurrences. Within years, there was a summer increase in bloom frequency, peaking in July for Dinophysis spp. and Pseudo-nitzschia spp., and a plateau from May to July for Alexandrium spp. Temporal-spatial patterns were analyzed with multivariate statistics on data from monitoring sites aggregated monthly into 50-km grid cells, using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and cluster K-means analysis. PCA analyses showed correlation between areas with similar temporal dynamics, identifying seasonality as one of the main elements of HAB variability with temporal-spatial patterns being explained by the first and second principal components. Similar patterns among regions in timing and magnitude of blooms were evaluated using K-means clusters. The analysis confirmed that the highest risk from HABs generally occurred during summer, but demonstrated that areas that respond in a similar manner (high or low risk) are not always geographically close. For example, the occurrence of the most prevalent HAB genus, Dinophysis spp., is similar countrywide, but there is a regional trend in risk level with “very-high” and “high” clusters located primarily on the southwest coast, the islands of the central and northern west coast and the Shetland Islands. “Early” and “late” blooms were also associated with certain areas and level of risk. Overall, high risk areas mainly face in a southwest direction, whilst low risk locations face a south or southeast direction. We found relatively few countrywide relationships between environmental variables and HABs, confirming the need for regional analysis to support HAB early warning.

Spatiotemporal Evolution and Regional Differences in the Production-Living-Ecological Space of the Urban Agglomeration in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River

The urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, which is the second largest urban agglomeration in China, represents a typical land space range of ecological vulnerability in China. Large differences occur in economic development mode between resource- and non-resource-based cities in this basin area. Accurate identification of the evolution and regional differences in the production-living-ecological space (PLES) is very important in order to elucidate the development and utilization of land space in the region. At present, relevant research has largely focused on the classification and determination of PLES temporal and spatial patterns. Temporal and spatial pattern research has mainly considered a single scale of administrative division, whereas fewer studies have analyzed the temporal and spatial patterns and regional differences in the PLES in ecologically fragile natural watersheds. Therefore, based on PLES classification, the regional differences in the PLES between two types of cities in the basin are measured via the Theil index and exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA). First, the ecological space (ES) of these two types of cities in the urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River is compressed by the production space (PS) and living space (LS), in which the ES of resource-based cities is compressed for a longer period, and the phenomenon involving PS compression by the LS and ES mainly occurs in non-resource-based cities within the urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. Second, the PLES of these two types of cities exhibits the characteristics of spatial aggregation, and high- and low-density areas of the PLES remain relatively stable. Third, the regional differences in the PLES of the urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River mainly originate from intraregional differences. The PLES of these two types of cities in the urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River is more sensitive to changes in economic development than to those in the population distribution.

Generation of tumors in wing imaginal discs of Drosophila melanogaster third instar larvae to study temporal and spatial patterns of expression of major heat shock proteins

Cancer cells experience a variety of stresses like hypoxia, lack of nutrients, DNA damage and immune responses, which trigger several processes to drive genomic instability and mutation, alterations in gene expression programs, and reprogramming of the metabolic pathways to escape growth inhibition signaling, and acquire resistance to the immune surveillance. Different heat shock proteins are expressed at elevated levels in cancer cells. However, their specific roles in initiation, establishment and progression of cancers are still not clear. Here using the loss of function allele of the apico-basal polarity gene, lgl, we have established models for induction of tumorous somatic clones of different genetic constitutions at defined developmental times for examination of temporal and spatial patterns of expression of the major heat shock protein families, namely Hsp83, Hsp70, Hsp60 and Hsp27. The Hsp83, Hsp60 and Hsp27 begin to express in all cells of the tumor at high levels since early stages (48hr after tumor induction) and continue their high expression at later stages when the tumorous clones accumulate F-actin and get transformed. Levels of the heat shock cognate Hsc70 proteins also follow the same pattern as the other Hsps. However, the major stress-inducible Hsp70 is not expressed at early stages of tumor growth, but expresses at a later stage only in a few cells in a given lgl loss of function clone, which also shows high F-actin aggregates. Thus, the major Hsps, except the Hsp70, seems to be involved in early as well as late stages of epithelial tumors induced by loss of the Lgl cell polarity protein, while the Hsp70 expression in a few cells coincides with their getting transformed. This model will be useful for further genetic studies to dissect specific roles of different Hsps in tumor development and their therapeutic manipulation.

Morphodynamic styles: characterising the behaviour of gravel-bed rivers using a novel, quantitative index

The assessment of channels widely focusses on using channel form to identify channel character, but fail to capture the more nuanced variations of morphodynamics without the analysis of process. This paper presents a method using an index of channel behaviour, the throughput ratio (ζ), which is calculated from morphologic change and sediment transport, and explores the viability of inferring process from channel form to act as an indicator of channel behaviour. Two experiments using the same initial width, slope, discharge and grain size were used to demonstrate the effectiveness of this method in representing different morphodynamics. In one experiment the channel was allowed to laterally deform, whilst the other had unerodible elements placed at its boundaries. As a result the experiment with mobile banks widened and reduced sediment transport to zero, whereas the fixed bank experiment— unable to decrease its shear stress— continued to output material. In both, the rate of morphologic change tended to zero despite their marked differences in sediment transport over time. The differences in evolution are due to the differences in process available to each channel despite a starting similarity in bed mobility and their gross similarity in a meandering planform. The throughput ratio allows new representations of the temporal and spatial patterns of the morphodynamics, providing additional measures with which to analyse the processes acting in river channels.

Colonization of Warsaw by the red fox Vulpes vulpes in the years 1976–2019

The red fox is one of the most adaptable carnivores inhabiting cities. The aim of our study was to describe the process of Warsaw colonization by the red fox. We focused on: (1) the fox distribution in Warsaw on the basis of presence-absence data (2005–2012) over a grid of 1 × 1 km2, (2) the process of settlement in 29 green areas (study periods 1976–1978, 2004–2012, and 2016–2019) in relation to habitat type, and (3) temporal and spatial patterns of the red fox incidents (1998–2015) reported by Warsaw citizens. We found out that: (1) the red fox penetrated the whole city (i.e. its presence was confirmed in all squares of the grid), (2) 21% of the green areas were colonized in 1976–1978 but 93% in 2016–2019. Forests and riparian habitats were occupied more frequently than parks and cemeteries in 1976–1978 with no difference in the further years; (3) the probability of the fox incidents increased over years, was higher in June-October, on working days, and around noon, and with the share of discontinuous urban fabric in the buffers around incident locations. Nevertheless, the incidents only partially reflect population abundance trends and activity patterns of the species, so should be treated cautiously.