Evolutionary and Biomechanical Basis of Drumming Behavior in Woodpeckers

Understanding how and why behavioral traits diversify during the course of evolution is a longstanding goal of organismal biologists. Historically, this topic is examined from an ecological perspective, where behavioral evolution is thought to occur in response to selection pressures that arise through different social and environmental factors. Yet organismal physiology and biomechanics also play a role in this process by defining the types of behavioral traits that are more or less likely to arise. Our paper explores the interplay between ecological, physiological, and mechanical factors that shape the evolution of an elaborate display in woodpeckers called the drum. Individuals produce this behavior by rapidly hammering their bill on trees in their habitat, and it serves as an aggressive signal during territorial encounters. We describe how different components of the display—namely, speed (bill strikes/beats sec–1), length (total number of beats), and rhythm—differentially evolve likely in response to sexual selection by male-male competition, whereas other components of the display appear more evolutionarily static, possibly due to morphological or physiological constraints. We synthesize research related to principles of avian muscle physiology and ecology to guide inferences about the biomechanical basis of woodpecker drumming. Our aim is to introduce the woodpecker as an ideal study system to study the physiological basis of behavioral evolution and how it relates to selection born through different ecological factors.

Molecular adaptation to folivory and the conservation implications for Madagascar's lemurs

Folivory evolved independently at least three times over the last 40 million years among Madagascar's lemurs. Many extant lemuriform folivores exist in sympatry in Madagascar's remaining forests. These species avoid feeding competition by adopting different dietary strategies within folivory, reflected in behavioral, morphological, and microbiota diversity across species. These conditions make lemurs an ideal study system for understanding adaptation to leaf-eating. Most folivorous lemurs are also highly endangered. The significance of folivory for conservation outlook is complex. Though generalist folivores may be relatively well equipped to survive habitat disturbance, specialist folivores occupying narrow dietary niches may be less resilient. Characterizing the genetic bases of adaptation to folivory across species and lineages can provide insights into their differential physiology and potential to resist habitat change. We recently reported accelerated genetic change in RNASE1, a gene encoding an enzyme (RNase 1) involved in molecular adaptation in mammalian folivores, including various monkeys and sifakas (genus Propithecus; family Indriidae). Here, we sought to assess whether other lemurs, including phylogenetically and ecologically diverse folivores, might show parallel adaptive change in RNASE1 that could underlie a capacity for efficient folivory. We characterized RNASE1 in 21 lemur species representing all five families and members of the three extant folivorous lineages: 1) bamboo lemurs (family Lemuridae), 2) sportive lemurs (family Lepilemuridae), and 3) indriids (family Indriidae). We found pervasive sequence change in RNASE1 across all indriids, a dN/dS value > 3 in this clade, and evidence for shared change in isoelectric point, indicating altered enzymatic function. Sportive and bamboo lemurs, in contrast, showed more modest sequence change. The greater change in indriids may reflect a shared strategy emphasizing complex gut morphology and microbiota to facilitate folivory. This case study illustrates how genetic analysis may reveal differences in functional traits that could influence species' ecology and, in turn, their resilience to habitat change. Moreover, our results support the contention that not all primate folivores are built the same and highlight the need to avoid generalizations about dietary guild in considering conservation outlook, particularly in lemurs where such diversity in folivory has probably led to extensive specialization via niche partitioning.

A Flight Path Forward for Avian Infectious Disease Ecology

The field of avian infectious disease ecology is at a key precipice, poised for exciting new ‘flight paths’ in the coming decades. Given the enormous human interest in birds, the unique biology of birds, and the scientific tractability of many avian species, birds represent ideal study systems for generating important insights for the field of infectious disease ecology more broadly. A flight path forward for avian infectious disease ecology must leverage these unique characteristics of birds to bridge and integrate across disciplines and scales, from the levels of biological organization (individual to community) to the spatial and temporal units of analysis. The broader field of One Health provides a key framework for transdisciplinary work that recognizes and studies avian infectious disease as intimately interconnected to that of human and ecosystem health. The flight path forward for avian infectious disease ecology should also continue to leverage the highly engaged community scientists in several parts of the world who collect data relevant to avian disease across unprecedented spatial scales. Finally, the flight path forward for avian infectious disease should leverage technological innovations to improve our ability to track avian movements, from those occurring within forest patches or cities up to those that cross hemispheres. With effective community engagement, transdisciplinary collaboration, and technological innovation, the flight path forward for avian infectious disease ecology can, just like birds themselves, know no boundaries.

Implementing the DEcision-Aid for Lupus (IDEAL): study protocol of a multi-site implementation trial with observational, case study design

Objective To provide the details of the study protocol for an observational, case study design, implementation trial. Methods Implementing the DEcision-Aid for Lupus (IDEAL) study will put into practice a shared decision-making (SDM) strategy, using an individualized, culturally appropriate computerized decision-aid (DA) for lupus patients in 15 geographically diverse clinics in the USA. The overarching frameworks that guide this implementation study are the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and Powell’s typology of implementation strategies. All 15 clinics will receive standardized capacity-building activities for lupus DA implementation in the clinic, including education, training, technical assistance, re-training, and incorporation of a clinic champion in the core team of each site. In addition, clinics will also choose among clinic-targeted activities to integrate the DA into existing work processes and/or patient-targeted activities to raise awareness and educate patients about the DA. These activities will be chosen to stimulate participant recruitment and retention activities that support the implementation of the DA at their clinic. In study aim 1, using surveys and semi-structured interviews with clinic personnel in 15 lupus clinics, we will assess stakeholder needs and identify clinic and contextual characteristics that inform the implementation strategy component selection and influence implementation effectiveness. Study aim 2 is to implement and assess the effectiveness of the IDEAL (standardized and tailored) strategy in 15 lupus clinics by examining the changes in our primary outcome of penetration, i.e., the proportion of all eligible patients in the clinic that receive the lupus DA, and secondary outcomes include DA appropriateness, acceptability, success, permanence, and feasibility. Study aim 3 is to identify ways to sustain and disseminate our lupus DA via semi-structured debriefing interviews with key clinic personnel and patients. Discussion The study will enroll at least 500 patient participants with lupus across all 15 sites and assess the effectiveness in implementing the DA in various clinic settings across the USA. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03735238. Protocol version number: 15, date 6/8/2020

Trace Elements in Volcanic Environments and Human Health Effects

Trace elements play an essential role in the normal metabolism and physiological functions of living beings. The distribution and concentration of trace elements in the environment results from both anthropogenic and natural origins; this chapter will focus on volcanism as one of the major natural sources of trace elements. In volcanic areas, the emissions and deposits of volcanogenic elements are key factors for geochemical mobility of trace elements and their distribution in the environment and, their effects on animals and human health. Volcanic areas have been associated with increased incidence of several diseases, such as fluorosis or even some types of cancer, leveraging the studies on the potential of this natural phenomenon as a promoter of diseases. As the Azores Archipelago is a volcanic area, with several manifestations of active volcanism, this region presents itself as an ideal study scenario for a multidisciplinary approach on environmental health problems, such as the exposure to toxic and/or deficient levels of trace elements. This chapter will present an integrated approach, describing the occurrence, the monitoring of trace elements and their characterization, the biological role in human body, and the human biomonitoring and health risk assessment, using case studies as examples.

Alkaline magmatism in the Selwyn Basin, Yukon: relationship to SEDEX mineralization

Several sedimentary exhalative (SEDEX) deposits have alkaline magmatism that is temporally and spatially associated to mineralization. This report outlines interim data from a study of potential linkages between magmatism and SEDEX mineralization in the Selwyn Basin, Yukon. This region is an ideal study site due to the close spatial and temporal relationships between SEDEX deposits and magmatism, particularly in the MacMillan Pass, where volcanic rocks have been drilled with mineralization at the Boundary deposit. Alkaline volcanic samples were analysed from the Anvil District, MacMillan Pass, Keno-Mayo and the Misty Creek Embayment in the Selwyn Basin to characterise volcanism and examine the relationship to mineralization. Textural and field relationships indicate a volatile-rich explosive eruptive volcanic system in the MacMillan Pass region in comparison to the Anvil District, which is typically effusive in nature. High proportions of calcite and ankerite in comparison to other minerals are present in the MacMillan system. Cathodoluminescence imaging reveals zoning and carbonate that displays different luminescent colours within the same sample, likely indicating multiple generations of carbonate precipitation. Barium contents are enriched in volcanic rocks throughout the Selwyn Basin, which is predominately hosted by hyalophane with rare barite and barytocalcite. Thallium is positively correlated with Ba, Rb, Cs, Mo, As, Sb and the calcite-chlorite-pyrite index and is negatively correlated with Cu. Anvil District samples display a trend towards depleted mid-ocean ridge mantle on a plot of Ce/Tl versus Th/Rb. Hydrothermal alteration has likely led to the removal of Tl from volcanic rocks in the region. Ongoing research involves: i) the analysis of Sr, Nd, Pb and Tl isotopes of volcanic samples; ii) differentiating magmatic from hydrothermal carbonate using O, C and Sr isotopes; iii) examining sources of Ba in the Selwyn Basin; iv) and constraining age relationships through U-Th-Pb geochronology.

Changes in the composition of marine and sea-ice diatoms derived from sedimentary ancient DNA of the eastern Fram Strait over the past 30 000 years

The Fram Strait is an area with a relatively low and irregular distribution of diatom microfossils in surface sediments, and thus microfossil records are scarce, rarely exceed the Holocene, and contain sparse information about past richness and taxonomic composition. These attributes make the Fram Strait an ideal study site to test the utility of sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) metabarcoding. Amplifying a short, partial rbcL marker from samples of sediment core MSM05/5-712-2 resulted in 95.7 % of our sequences being assigned to diatoms across 18 different families, with 38.6 % of them being resolved to species and 25.8 % to genus level. Independent replicates show a high similarity of PCR products, especially in the oldest samples. Diatom sedaDNA richness is highest in the Late Weichselian and lowest in Mid- and Late Holocene samples. Taxonomic composition is dominated by cold-water and sea-ice-associated diatoms and suggests several reorganisations – after the Last Glacial Maximum, after the Younger Dryas, and after the Early and after the Mid-Holocene. Different sequences assigned to, amongst others, Chaetoceros socialis indicate the detectability of intra-specific diversity using sedaDNA. We detect no clear pattern between our diatom sedaDNA record and the previously published IP25 record of this core, although proportions of pennate diatoms increase with higher IP25 concentrations and proportions of Nitzschia cf. frigida exceeding 2 % of the assemblage point towards past sea-ice presence.

Morphometric Response of Galaxias maculatus (Jenyns) to Lake Colonization in Chile

Body and head shape in fish responds to environmental factors such as water flow rate, food sources, and niche availability. However, the way in which fish respond to these environmental factors varies. In Central Chile, multiple river and lake systems along the coast provide an ideal study site to investigate these types of shape changes. We use geometric morphometrics to characterize shape differences in Galaxias maculatus (Jenyns) between river and lake populations. Lake fish converge on a shape with a more fusiform body, narrower head, and larger eyes, while river fish have a more robust body, rounder head, and smaller eyes. These shape changes are consistent with a shift to zooplanktivorous foraging in lakes, as evidenced in other systems. Unlike some fish species that develop polymorphisms in body shape after colonization (e.g., benthic and limnetic forms), G. maculatus in lakes exhibit a monomorphic limnetic form.