Article
Plant Sciences
Claire Fortunel, Clement Stahl, Sabrina Coste, Camille Ziegler, Geraldine Derroire, Sebastien Levionnois, Isabelle Marechaux, Damien Bonal, Bruno Herault, Fabien H. Wagner, Lawren Sack, Jerome Chave, Patrick Heuret, Steven Jansen, Grace John, Christine Scoffoni, Santiago Trueba, Megan K. Bartlett
Summary: Water stress can cause persistent declines in plant function, even after rehydration. Traits characterizing leaf resilience to drought can also predict resilience in whole-plant function. The coordination between resilience and resistance observed globally is also present within ecosystems.
Article
Forestry
Yili Guo, Han Y. H. Chen, Bin Wang, Wusheng Xiang, Dongxing Li, Xiankun Li, Azim U. Mallik, Tao Ding, Fuzhao Huang, Shuhua Lu, Shujun Wen
Summary: Tree mortality in tropical forests is influenced by various factors such as size-dependence, topography, and neighborhood competition. Tree size has the most consistent and strongest negative effect on mortality, with neighbors, especially heterospecific neighbors, playing a facilitative role in reducing mortality rates. The mechanisms driving tree mortality differ within life-history strategy guilds, highlighting the importance of considering multiple factors in understanding forest dynamics and species coexistence.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Marcela Venelli Pyles, Luiz Fernando Silva Magnago, Vinicius Andrade Maia, Bruno X. Pinho, Gregory Pitta, Andre L. de Gasper, Alexander C. Vibrans, Rubens Manoel dos Santos, Eduardo van den Berg, Renato A. F. Lima
Summary: Understanding the mechanisms controlling forest carbon storage is crucial for supporting nature-based solutions for climate change mitigation. We found that the forest disturbance history and functional properties of the Atlantic Forest are more important than environmental conditions, and the conservation of tropical carbon stocks relies primarily on avoiding forest degradation.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Hannah M. Griffiths, Paul Eggleton, Nicole Hemming-Schroeder, Tom Swinfield, Joel S. Woon, Steven D. Allison, David A. Coomes, Louise A. Ashton, Catherine L. Parr
Summary: Tree mortality rates are increasing in tropical rainforests due to global environmental change, accelerating the rate of wood decay, particularly in canopy gaps where termites play a major role. Through experiments and modeling, it was found that accelerated decomposition in canopy gaps leads to an increase in regional wood decay rate, which is not currently considered in carbon budgets.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
S. R. Shakya, R. Adhikari, S. Poudel, M. Rupakheti
Summary: Energy efficiency is a globally promoted measure to address growing energy demand and reduce energy intensity and emissions. Analysis showed that energy equity factors strongly influence energy intensity, emphasizing the importance of considering equity in sustainable energy efficiency policies.
RENEWABLE & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Xuezhao Wang, Yunyun He, Brian E. Sedio, Lu Jin, Xuejun Ge, Suphanee Glomglieng, Min Cao, Jianhong Yang, Nathan G. Swenson, Jie Yang
Summary: Metabolomics is a powerful tool to study the chemical composition of plants and its relationship with various factors in tropical forests. This study found that tree metabolomes rapidly diversify and locally co-occurring species are more chemically dissimilar. The presence of diverse secondary metabolites can reduce herbivore damage, especially by specialist insect herbivores.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Eric A. Graham, Mark Hansen, William J. Kaiser, Yeung Lam, Eric Yuen, Philip W. Rundel
Summary: With landscapes becoming increasingly fragmented, research on disturbance impacts on vegetation and community structure, as well as how edges affect vegetation, has become more crucial. Studies have shown that understanding dynamic patterns of microclimate associated with forest edges is essential, and concerns about forest fragmentation have led to the development of new technologies for modeling forest microclimates. Research is also focused on the challenges posed by forest boundaries for microclimate modeling and sampling regimes to capture diurnal and seasonal dynamic aspects of microclimate along forest edges.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Volker Raffelsbauer, Franz Pucha-Cofrep, Simone Strobl, Johannes Knuesting, Michael Schorsch, Katja Trachte, Renate Scheibe, Achim Braeuning, David Windhorst, Joerg Bendix, Brenner Silva, Erwin Beck
Summary: This study investigates transpiration in a tropical evergreen mountain forest in the Ecuadorian Andes, focusing on nocturnal plant-water relations. It found that despite the humid climate, plants transpired both day and night, with short spells of drought increasing daily transpiration, especially through nighttime transpiration. The study also observed that the extent of diurnal stem circumference fluctuations corresponded with the grouping of tree species based on their water relations.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Jenny E. Goldstein, Ibnu Budiman, Anna Canny, Deborah Dwipartidrisa
Summary: Global pandemics have been occurring more frequently due to rapid cross-continental transmission of viral zoonoses facilitated by global travel, especially in Asia where infectious diseases from wildlife or domesticated animals have been jumping to human hosts. Changes in land use patterns such as biodiversity loss, urbanization, and agricultural expansion have enabled past viral zoonotic 'spillover' events from animals to humans in southern China and Southeast Asia, making future pandemics more likely.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Wei Shao, Meijun Li, Yang Wu, Xieyao Ma, Qinghai Song, Yiping Zhang, Ye Su, Junjun Ni, Jianzhi Dong
Summary: In forest areas, seasonal ecosystem changes affect soil hydraulic properties and alter soil moisture dynamics. The study found that using varied parameters improved soil moisture simulation accuracy, and temporal variations in soil hydraulic properties were related to seasonal ecosystem changes.
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Ruben Portas, Ortwin H. K. Aschenborn, Joerg Melzheimer, Manie Le Roux, Kenneth Heinrich Uiseb, Gabor Arpad Czirjak, Bettina Wachter
Summary: Anthrax is a bacterial disease caused by Bacillus anthracis that affects wildlife, livestock, and humans. Different animal species have varying susceptibility to the disease, with herbivores being more susceptible than carnivores. Most cheetahs are susceptible to anthrax, likely due to their low genetic variability.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Fernando Cesar Goncalves Bonfim, Pavel Dodonov, Eliana Cazetta
Summary: This study evaluated the impact of landscape composition and configuration on taxonomic and functional diversity of frugivorous birds in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Results showed that landscape composition was more important than configuration in explaining diversity, highlighting the need to maintain high habitat amount for these birds.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Magnus N. Osnes, Lucy van Dorp, Ola B. Brynildsrud, Kristian Alfsnes, Thamarai Schneiders, Kate E. Templeton, Koji Yahara, Francois Balloux, Dominique A. Caugant, Vegard Eldholm
Summary: A study on Neisseria gonorrhoeae multilocus sequence type (ST) 1901 found that this lineage is commonly associated with treatment failure, particularly due to alleles linked to reduced susceptibility to extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESCs). The genetic diversity of ST-1901 was classified into minor and major clades, both originating in East Asia and dispersing globally in waves, with one clade acquiring a gene that significantly reduces susceptibility to ESCs. Despite declining effective population sizes, the lineage has become a reservoir for clones resistant to ceftriaxone, a key drug for gonorrhea treatment.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Tyson. H. H. Brown, Christina Kamis, Patricia Homan
Summary: This study contributes to the literature by empirically examining the role of place-based structural racism in driving racial inequalities in COVID-19 mortality at the state level. The findings show a significant positive relationship between structural racism and Black-White disparities in COVID-19 mortality.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yuri Souza, Nacho Villar, Valesca Zipparro, Sergio Nazareth, Mauro Galetti
Summary: This study investigates the impact of large mammalian herbivores on the dominance, diversity, and coexistence of major plant growth forms in tropical rainforests. The results show that defaunation leads to a decrease in growth form diversity, an increase in the abundance of palms and trees, and changes in the relationships between growth forms. Large herbivores promote diversity among growth forms, preventing the dominance of trees and palms, while maintaining species diversity within growth forms.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Tobias Graessle, Catherine Crockford, Cornelius Eichner, Cedric Girard-Buttoz, Carsten Jaeger, Evgeniya Kirilina, Ilona Lipp, Ariane Duex, Luke Edwards, Anna Jauch, Kathrin S. S. Kopp, Michael Paquette, Kerrin Pine, Daniel B. M. Haun, Richard McElreath, Alfred Anwander, Philipp Gunz, Markus D. Morawski, Angela D. Friederici, Nikolaus H. Weiskopf, Fabian H. M. Leendertz, Roman M. Wittig
Summary: To understand the evolution of primate brains, it is important to study brains from a diverse sample set of primates with varying socio-ecologies. However, current brain banks predominantly collect brains from primates in zoological gardens. This study addresses this gap by establishing a field pipeline for brain extraction from wild primates, demonstrating the feasibility and noninvasiveness of the method.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biology
Sumeet K. Tiwari, Boas C. L. van der Putten, Thilo M. Fuchs, Trung N. Vinh, Martin Bootsma, Rik Oldenkamp, Roberto La Ragione, Sebastien Matamoros, Ngo T. Hoa, Christian Berens, Joy Leng, Julio Alvarez, Marta Ferrandis-Vila, Jenny M. Ritchie, Angelika Fruth, Stefan Schwarz, Lucas Dominguez, Maria Ugarte-Ruiz, Astrid Bethe, Charlotte Huber, Vanessa Johanns, Ivonne Stamm, Lothar H. Wieler, Christa Ewers, Amanda Fivian-Hughes, Herbert Schmidt, Christian Menge, Torsten Semmler, Constance Schultsz
Summary: This study analyzes the genetic determinants of host specificity in E. coli and identifies specific genes associated with different hosts. The nan-9 gene cluster shows a strong association with the human host, while previously known sialic acid regulon genes show no significant association with any host.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Simone Scheithauer, Alexander Dilthey, Anna Bludau, Sandra Ciesek, Victor Corman, Tjibbe Donker, Tim Eckmanns, Richard Egelkamp, Hajo Grundmann, Georg Haecker, Martin Kaase, Berit Lange, Alexander Mellmann, Martin Mielke, Mathias Pletz, Bernd Salzberger, Andrea Thuermer, Andreas Widmer, Lothar H. Wieler, Thorsten Wolff, Soeren Gatermann, Torsten Semmler
Summary: The deficit of genomic pathogen surveillance infrastructure in Germany has been revealed during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Establishing an efficient and adaptable genomic pathogen surveillance network is urgently needed to prepare for future pandemics. This paper proposes measures based on global and country-specific best practices to achieve integrated genomic pathogen surveillance, which includes linking epidemiological data with pathogen genomic data, sharing and coordinating resources, making surveillance data available to decision-makers, public health service, and the scientific community, and engaging all stakeholders.
BUNDESGESUNDHEITSBLATT-GESUNDHEITSFORSCHUNG-GESUNDHEITSSCHUTZ
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Christopher Irrgang, Tim Eckmanns, Max von Kleist, Esther-Maria Antao, Katharina Ladewig, Lothar Wieler, Nils Koerber
Summary: Societal health is facing new challenges due to climate change, demographic ageing, and globalization. The One Health approach aims to understand health holistically by linking human, animal, and environmental sectors. Artificial intelligence techniques offer opportunities for cross-sectoral assessment of health threats. This article discusses the applications and challenges of AI techniques in the context of One Health, using antimicrobial resistance as an example.
BUNDESGESUNDHEITSBLATT-GESUNDHEITSFORSCHUNG-GESUNDHEITSSCHUTZ
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Bernd Salzberger, Alexander Mellmann, Anna Bludau, Sandra Ciesek, Victor Corman, Alexander Dilthey, Tjibbe Donker, Tim Eckmanns, Richard Egelkamp, Soeren G. Gatermann, Hajo Grundmann, Georg Haecker, Martin Kaase, Berit Lange, Martin Mielke, Mathias W. Pletz, Torsten Semmler, Andrea Thuermer, Lothar H. Wieler, Thorsten Wolff, Andreas F. Widmer, Simone Scheithauer
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of effective infection surveillance and infrastructure. Germany's genomic pathogen sequencing infrastructure was inadequate due to a lack of equipment, resources, data management, and coordination. The authors propose the establishment of comprehensive genomic pathogen surveillance in Germany, including sequencing, data collection, data linkage, and target pathogens, to better address future epidemics and pandemics and learn from the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Editorial Material
Anthropology
Isabelle R. Clark, Kevin C. Lee, Tucker Poux, Kevin E. Langergraber, John C. Mitani, David Watts, James Reed, Aaron A. Sandel
JOURNAL OF HUMAN EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Carmen Koschollek, Katja Kajikhina, Charbel El Bcheraoui, Lothar H. Wieler, Niels Michalski, Claudia Hovener
Summary: The study aimed to investigate the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection among migrants and ethnic minorities in Germany, and discuss potential explanations for these associations. The results showed that the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection is determined by socio-economic factors rather than migrant status.
Article
Microbiology
Ruth Offergeld, Karina Preussel, Thomas Zeiler, Konstanze Aurich, Barbara I. Baumann-Baretti, Sandra Ciesek, Victor M. Corman, Viktoria Dienst, Christian Drosten, Siegfried Goerg, Andreas Greinacher, Marica Grossegesse, Sebastian Haller, Hans-Gert Heuft, Natalie Hofmann, Peter A. Horn, Claudia Houareau, Ilay Guelec, Carlos Luis Jimenez Klingberg, David Juhl, Monika Lindemann, Silke Martin, Hannelore K. Neuhauser, Andreas Nitsche, Julia Ohme, Sven Peine, Ulrich J. Sachs, Lars Schaade, Richard Schaefer, Heinrich Scheiblauer, Martin Schlaud, Michael Schmidt, Markus Umhau, Tanja Vollmer, Franz F. Wagner, Lothar H. Wieler, Hendrik Wilking, Malte Ziemann, Marlow Zimmermann, Matthias an der Heiden
Summary: SARS-CoV-2 serosurveillance is crucial for infection control measures and understanding underreporting. A study in Germany analyzed blood donor samples collected from April 2020 to April 2021, September 2021, and April/May 2022. The seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 increased over time, reaching 100% in April/May 2022. Neutralizing capacity was also observed in the majority of positive specimens. The study revealed low levels of underreporting, indicating an effective testing and notification system in Germany.
Letter
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Christina Lynggaard, Sebastien Calvignac-Spencer, Colin A. Chapman, Urs Kalbitzer, Fabian H. Leendertz, Patrick A. Omeja, Emmanuel A. Opito, Dipto Sarkar, Kristine Bohmann, Jan F. Gogarten
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Carolin Mundinger, Janis M. Wolf, Jan F. Gogarten, Marcel Fierz, Alexander Scheuerlein, Gerald Kerth
Summary: Climate warming has major consequences for animal populations, as it can affect their physiology and behavior. This study found that individuals raised in heated roosts grew significantly larger than those raised in unheated conditions, suggesting that metabolic savings in warmer conditions lead to increased body size. This has potential consequences for population persistence.
Article
Zoology
Colin A. Chapman, Samuel Angedakin, Thomas M. Butynski, Jan F. Gogarten, John C. Mitani, Thomas T. Struhsaker
Summary: Anthropogenic-driven changes can have immediate negative impacts on wild primate populations, but changes like climate change may take generations to become evident. This study extends the monitoring of diurnal primates in Ngogo, Uganda, from 32.9 to 47 years and finds that the populations of black and white colobus, blue monkeys, and baboons have not significantly changed over time, while redtail monkeys and chimpanzees have marginally increased. Mangabeys and L'Hoesti monkeys have significantly increased, while red colobus encounters have dramatically decreased.
Article
Virology
Martine Peeters, Maeliss Champagne, Innocent Ndong Bass, Souana Goumou, Simon-Pierre Ndimbo Kumugo, Audrey Lacroix, Amandine Esteban, Dowbiss Meta Djomsi, Abdoul Karim Soumah, Placide Mbala Kingebeni, Flaubert Auguste Mba Djonzo, Guy Lempu, Guillaume Thaurignac, Eitel Mpoudi Ngole, Charles Kouanfack, Daniel Mukadi Bamuleka, Jacques Likofata, Jean-Jacques Muyembe Tamfum, Helene De Nys, Julien Capelle, Abdoulaye Toure, Eric Delaporte, Alpha Kabinet Keita, Steve Ahuka Mundeke, Ahidjo Ayouba
Summary: The seroprevalence of orthoebolaviruses was studied in bats from Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Guinea. The results showed that frugivorous bats had a higher seroprevalence compared to insectivorous bats. Gender and age had a minor impact on seroprevalence, but subadult bats had a higher seroprevalence. Further research is needed to determine the birthing pulses of bats and to detect viral RNA in order to understand the genetic diversity of filoviruses in bats and their potential pathogenicity to humans.
Article
Medical Informatics
Anatol-Fiete Naeher, Carina N. Vorisek, Sophie A. Klopfenstein, Moritz Lehne, Sylvia Thun, Shada Alsalamah, Sameer Pujari, Dominik Heider, Wolfgang Ahrens, Iris Pigeot, Georg Marckmann, Mirjam A. Jenny, Bernhard Y. Renard, Max von Kleist, Lothar H. Wieler, Felix Balzer, Linus Grabenhenrich
Summary: Substantial opportunities for global health intelligence and research can be achieved through the combined and optimised use of secondary data within data ecosystems. This includes data from emerging sources such as the internet, wearables, mobile phone apps, electronic health records, and genome sequencing. Guidance on available sources and approaches for processing secondary data, as well as criteria for assessing reusability, can support policy decision making and improve early detection and prevention of emerging health threats.
LANCET DIGITAL HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Benjamin F. Maier, Annika H. Rose, Angelique Burdinski, Pascal Klamser, Hannelore Neuhauser, Ole Wichmann, Lars Schaade, Lothar H. Wieler, Dirk Brockmann
Summary: After the winter of 2021/2022, a considerable number of people in Germany have been infected with or vaccinated against the SARS-CoV-2 variant. However, due to under-reporting and unknown overlap between the vaccinated and recovered populations, the exact extent is difficult to estimate. This study provides estimates of the share of immunologically naive individuals in each age group for the German population by integrating infectious-disease modeling and vaccine uptake data. The study shows that a significant proportion of the population in Germany remains immunologically naive, highlighting the impact of the Omicron waves.
EPIDEMIOLOGY AND INFECTION
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Colin A. Chapman, Jan F. Gogarten, Martin Golooba, Urs Kalbitzer, Patrick A. Omeja, Emmanuel A. Opito, Dipto Sarkar
Summary: Protected areas are crucial for safeguarding primate populations, but they still face threats from climate change. The population assessment of diurnal primates in Kibale National Park, Uganda, revealed overall stability with some localized declines and increases. The regeneration of forest areas has helped sustain primate populations, highlighting the importance of restoration efforts. The conservation initiatives undertaken by the Uganda Wildlife Authority and their partners have played a significant role in protecting the park and its animals.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY
(2023)
