In situ imaging reveals disparity between prostaglandin localization and abundance of prostaglandin synthases

Prostaglandins are important lipids involved in mediating many physiological processes, such as allergic responses, inflammation, and pregnancy. However, technical limitations of in-situ prostaglandin detection in tissue have led researchers to infer prostaglandin tissue distributions from localization of regulatory synthases, such as COX1 and COX2. Herein, we apply a novel mass spectrometry imaging method for direct in situ tissue localization of prostaglandins, and combine it with techniques for protein expression and RNA localization. We report that prostaglandin D2, its precursors, and downstream synthases co-localize with the highest expression of COX1, and not COX2. Further, we study tissue with a conditional deletion of transformation-related protein 53 where pregnancy success is low and confirm that PG levels are altered, although localization is conserved. Our studies reveal that the abundance of COX and prostaglandin D2 synthases in cellular regions does not mirror the regional abundance of prostaglandins. Thus, we deduce that prostaglandins tissue localization and abundance may not be inferred by COX or prostaglandin synthases in uterine tissue, and must be resolved by an in situ prostaglandin imaging.

Characterizing the Influence of Domestic Cats on Birds with Wildlife Rehabilitation Center Data

Depredation of birds by domestic cats is hypothesized to be one of many significant sources of mortality leading to global bird declines. Direct observations are relatively rarely documented compared with large numbers of birds hypothesized to be killed or wounded by cats. We analyzed data from two wildlife rehabilitation centers located in Salem and Grants Pass, Oregon USA, to understand which species were most likely to interact with a cat, and the species traits associated with cat interactions and habitats (urban vs. rural) of rescued birds. Interaction with a cat was the second-most commonly reported cause of admission, representing 12.3% of 6345 admissions. Half to two-thirds of birds were rescued from cats in urban settings and were usually species foraging on or near the ground. Most species were admitted to rehabilitation centers in direct proportion to their regional abundance. An exception was the absence of common species weighing less than 70 g, which we conclude is an effect of sampling bias. We conclude that cats most often interact with regionally common near-ground-dwelling bird species in both urban and rural habitats. Wildlife rehabilitation centers can provide valuable sources of data for cat-bird interactions but potential sources of uncertainty and bias in their data need to be considered carefully.

Decadal Assessment of Sperm Whale Site-Specific Abundance Trends in the Northern Gulf of Mexico Using Passive Acoustic Data

Passive acoustic monitoring has been successfully used to study deep-diving marine mammal populations. To assess regional population trends of sperm whales in the northern Gulf of Mexico (GoM), including impacts of the Deepwater Horizon platform oil spill in 2010, the Littoral Acoustic Demonstration Center-Gulf Ecological Monitoring and Modeling (LADC-GEMM) consortium collected broadband acoustic data in the Mississippi Valley/Canyon area between 2007 and 2017 using bottom-anchored moorings. These data allow the inference of short-term and long-term variations in site-specific abundances of sperm whales derived from their acoustic activity. A comparison is made between the abundances of sperm whales at specific sites in different years before and after the oil spill by estimating the regional abundance density. The results show that sperm whales were present in the region throughout the entire monitoring period. A habitat preference shift was observed for sperm whales after the 2010 oil spill with higher activities at sites farther away from the spill site. A comparison of the 2007 and 2015 results shows that the overall regional abundance of sperm whales did not recover to pre-spill levels. The results indicate that long-term spatially distributed acoustic monitoring is critical in characterizing sperm whale population changes and in understanding how environmental stressors impact regional abundances and the habitat use of sperm whales.

Inuit knowledge of Arctic Terns (Sterna paradisaea) and perspectives on declining abundance in southeastern Hudson Bay, Canada

The Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea; takatakiaq in Inuttitut) breeds in the circumpolar Arctic and undertakes the longest known annual migration. In recent decades, Arctic Tern populations have been declining in some parts of their range, and this has been a cause of concern for both wildlife managers and Indigenous harvesters. However, limited scientific information is available on Arctic Tern abundance and distribution, especially within its breeding range in remote areas of the circumpolar Arctic. Knowledge held by Inuit harvesters engaged in Arctic Tern egg picking can shed light on the ecology, regional abundance and distribution of this marine bird. We conducted individual interviews and a workshop involving 12 Inuit harvesters and elders from Kuujjuaraapik, Nunavik (northern Québec), Canada, to gather their knowledge of Arctic Tern cultural importance, ecology, and stewardship. Interview contributors reported a regional decline in Arctic Tern numbers which appeared in the early 2000s on nesting islands near Kuujjuaraapik. Six possible factors were identified: (1) local harvest through egg picking; (2) nest disturbance and predation; (3) abandonment of tern nesting areas (i.e., islands that have become connected to the mainland due to isostatic rebound); (4) climate change; (5) natural abundance cycles within the Arctic Tern population; and (6) decline of the capelin (Mallotus villosus) in the region. Recommendations from Inuit contributors related to Arctic Tern stewardship and protection included: (1) conduct more research; (2) let nature take its course; (3) conduct an awareness campaign; (4) implement an egg picking ban; (5) coordinate local egg harvest; (6) start ‘tern farming’; (7) protect Arctic Terns across their migration route; and (8) harvest foxes predating on terns. Our study highlighted complementarities between Inuit knowledge and ecological science, and showed that Inuit harvesters can make substantial contributions to ongoing and future Arctic tern research and management initiatives.

Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillations drive the basin-scale distribution of Atlantic bluefin tuna

The Atlantic bluefin tuna (hereafter referred to as “bluefin tuna”), one of the world’s most valuable and exploited fish species, has been declining in abundance throughout the Atlantic from the 1960s until the mid-2000s. Following the establishment of drastic management measures, the stock has started to recover recently and, as a result, stakeholders have raised catch quotas by 50% for the period 2017–2020. However, stock assessments still omit the natural, long-term variability in the species distribution. Here, we explore the century-scale fluctuations in bluefin tuna abundance and distribution to demonstrate a prevailing influence of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) to provide new insights into both the collapse of the Nordic bluefin tuna fishery circa 1963 and the recent increase in bluefin tuna abundance in the Northeast Atlantic. Our results demonstrate how climatic variability can modulate the distribution of a large migrating species to generate rapid changes in its regional abundance, and we argue that climatic variability must not be overlooked in stock management plans for effective conservation.

The loss of foundation species revisited

Ecologists and environmental scientists often prioritize research efforts with conservation importance. Dominant, widespread, or locally abundant species at low risk of extinction receive relatively little attention unless they are invasive. Native foundation species create habitats and environmental conditions that support many associated species and modulate local-scale ecosystem processes, but the generally high local or regional abundance of foundation species may lead to less research about them. We used citation analysis (2005-2014) to examine research following from a suggestion to identify and study foundation species while they were still common and not threatened. We explored the use and expanding definition of the foundation species concept, as well as the trajectory and ecological focus of research on foundation species throughout the world in 378 papers published in this nine-year span. Contemporary authors who cite key papers defining a foundation species pay little attention to its actual definition and species studied in this context rarely were identified as foundation species. Although functions and roles of foundation species, such as creating unique microclimates or supporting dependent species, are being studied, less research is focused on identifying them before they are threatened or lost from the ecosystem that they otherwise define. Invasive species were identified as the most common threat to foundation species. Our citation analysis and synthesis provides a new conceptual framework linking identification of and research about foundation species with their functional roles and our ability to manage emerging threats to them.

The loss of foundation species revisited

Ecologists and environmental scientists often prioritize research efforts with conservation importance. Dominant, widespread, or locally abundant species at low risk of extinction receive relatively little attention unless they are invasive. Native foundation species create habitats and environmental conditions that support many associated species and modulate local-scale ecosystem processes, but the generally high local or regional abundance of foundation species may lead to less research about them. We used citation analysis (2005-2014) to examine research following from a suggestion to identify and study foundation species while they were still common and not threatened. We explored the use and expanding definition of the foundation species concept, as well as the trajectory and ecological focus of research on foundation species throughout the world in 378 papers published in this nine-year span. Contemporary authors who cite key papers defining a foundation species pay little attention to its actual definition and species studied in this context rarely were identified as foundation species. Although functions and roles of foundation species, such as creating unique microclimates or supporting dependent species, are being studied, less research is focused on identifying them before they are threatened or lost from the ecosystem that they otherwise define. Invasive species were identified as the most common threat to foundation species. Our citation analysis and synthesis provides a new conceptual framework linking identification of and research about foundation species with their functional roles and our ability to manage emerging threats to them.

Measuring homogeneity of ethno-medicinal knowledge related with different corporeal system: A top down approach

In the present study the top down approach has been utilized to quantify homogeneity of ethno-knowledge, frequency of species utilized for a disease related to a specific system as well as identification of corporeal system that are outliers with aim to identify the species and their usefulness for a specific disease that make the system as outlier. The study was carried out for medicinal plants of arid and semiarid region of the Indian Thar area. Three statistical parameters namely, evenness, frequency distribution and regression and residual value analysis were utilized. The study revealed that ethno-medicinal knowledge about 136 species were related with 12 different corporeal systems and frequency distribution classified these 136 species and 12 corporeal systems under 9 different classes. Maximum numbers of taxa are recorded for skeletal, muscle and connective tissues (114) followed by the digestive system (111) and skin and sub-cutanuous system (89). Homogeneity of ethnic- knowledge are restricted for few corporeal systems like respiration, fever, blood and hematopoietic organ, central nervous system, genito-urinary system and circulatory systems, while random and clumped types knowledge distribution were recorded for other corporeal systems. Platykurtic and leptokurtic types of distributions were observed for different corporeal systems. Through use of standard residuals analysis of medico-ethnic-knowledge, digestion system was designated as positive outliers while fever and genito-urinary systems were the negative outliers. Further regression analysis has revealed that with in this region ethnic knowledge about the medicinal properties of a species is largely associated with the regional abundance of taxa.