Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Junlin Ren, Jianshe Chen, Changlin Xu, Johan van de Koppel, Mads S. Thomsen, Shiyun Qiu, Fangyan Cheng, Wanjuan Song, Quan-Xing Liu, Chi Xu, Junhong Bai, Yihui Zhang, Baoshan Cui, Mark D. Bertness, Brian R. Silliman, Bo Li, Qiang He
Summary: While protected areas are successful in rescuing wetlands and shorebird habitats, plant invasions are extensive and undermine the formation of new native marshes. The global invasion of exotic species into protected areas highlights the profound consequences of bioinvasions on conservation.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Christopher J. O'Bryan, Nicholas R. Patton, Jim Hone, Jesse S. Lewis, Violeta Berdejo-Espinola, Derek R. Risch, Matthew H. Holden, Eve McDonald-Madden
Summary: The majority of Earth's terrestrial carbon is stored in soil, which can be released as CO2 when disturbed by wild pigs. The extent of soil damage caused by wild pigs and the resulting CO2 emissions are uncertain, highlighting the need for further research on their contribution to soil damage.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Kayla A. Christianson, David B. Eggleston
Summary: Ecologists use a variety of theories to explain ecological patterns and processes, testing their consistency in an ever-changing world. The recent study in North Carolina found that the colonial tunicate Clavelina oblonga has become a dominant component of the marine fouling community, leading to changes in community structure and reduction in species diversity.
Article
Forestry
Kathryn M. Flinn, Madison N. Dolnicek, Abigail L. Cox
Summary: Investigating the disturbance regimes of unharvested forests helps us understand their past, present, and future trajectory and gives us a model for forest management. This study used tree rings to examine the recruitment patterns, growth dynamics, and disturbance chronologies of three tree species in an old-growth forest in Ohio, USA. The results showed differences in recruitment and growth between the species, as well as the impact of human-introduced invasive species on the forest.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
A. C. Morey, R. C. Venette
Summary: The Minnesota Invasive Terrestrial Plants and Pests Center (MITPPC) prioritizes diverse invasive species threats using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Experts identified negative environmental impact as the most influential threat criterion. Prioritization encourages interdisciplinary collaboration among research projects.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Kathrin Moehrle, Hugo E. Reyes-Aldana, Johannes Kollmann, Leonardo H. Teixeira
Summary: The study tested designed grassland communities in a greenhouse experiment to determine key drivers of initial Jacobaea aquatica suppression, finding that plant traits had a significant impact on the invader.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Liqiang Shen, Giorgio Lai, Linlin You, Jing Shi, Xiaoxian Wu, Maria Puiu, Zhanxi Gu, Yu Feng, Yulia Yuzenkova, Yu Zhang
Summary: This study presents the cryo-EM structures of cyanobacterial transcription initiation complexes, revealing the role of SI3-& sigma; arch interaction in transcription initiation of cyanobacteria. Disruption of this structure affects the growth and stress response of cyanobacteria.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Erin L. Koen, Erica J. Newton
Summary: Research shows that media events significantly increase the number of public reports on invasive wild animals. However, relying solely on reporting frequency may not accurately reflect real changes in animal numbers. Reports from community members remain a cost-effective detection method.
BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Nixie C. Boddy, Angus R. McIntosh
Summary: The spatial heterogeneity of abiotic influences like disturbance in riverscapes may influence the stability of fish assemblages, with higher mean fish abundance and more temporal stability observed in confluences with different flood disturbance regimes in branches. Conversely, confluences with similar flood disturbance conditions in the two stream branches tend to have lower fish abundance and higher temporal variability in fish density.
FRESHWATER BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Olga Rosspopoff, Emmanuel Cazottes, Christophe Huret, Agnese Loda, Amanda J. Collier, Miguel Casanova, Peter J. Rugg-Gunn, Edith Heard, Jean-Francois Ouimette, Claire Rougeulle
Summary: XCI is a crucial process with remarkable diversity among mammalian species. Through analysis of single-cell RNA-seq data and functional assays, we find that FTX shows functional inconsistency in humans, while JPX acts as a major regulator of XIST expression in both species. However, we reveal that different forms of JPX control the production of XIST at different steps depending on the species. Overall, this study highlights the functional versatility of LRGs and suggests diversified mechanisms of action for functionally conserved orthologous LRGs.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Yaner Su, Qiuling Luo, Shaozhen Tan, Chen Qu
Summary: This study used the fast periodic visual stimulation technique to explore the neural signature of social dominance discrimination, revealing a significant 3 Hz response only in the experimental condition. This provides electrophysiological evidence that social hierarchical information can be detected automatically.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ana Filipa Palmeirim, Carine Emer, Maira Benchimol, Danielle Storck-Tonon, Anderson S. Bueno, Carlos A. Peres
Summary: Deforestation and fragmentation have negative impacts on biodiversity. This study investigates the effects of insular fragmentation on species-habitat networks in the Central Amazonia. The results show that forest fragmentation leads to simplified networks and different taxa have different persistence to habitat loss.
Article
Social Issues
Mohammad Chavosh Nejad, Saeed Mansour, Azita Karamipour
Summary: The paper proposes an integrated decision-making model to investigate the social sustainability of the technology management process. By utilizing the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), the study finds that internet banking, internal R&D, and internal exploitation are the best decision alternatives from a social sustainability perspective in the technology management process.
TECHNOLOGY IN SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jamie Hudson, Juan Carlos Castilla, Peter R. Teske, Luciano B. Beheregaray, Ivan D. Haigh, Christopher D. McQuaid, Marc Rius
Summary: This study used species distribution modeling and genomic data to investigate the restricted range of a highly invasive Australian marine species, Pyura praeputialis, in Chile. The research revealed high genomic diversity and adaptive potential in Chile, with genomic data showing that a single region in Australia was the sole source of genotypes for the introduced range. The study also identified unoccupied suitable habitat adjacent to the current introduced range, suggesting that slight environmental changes could lead to a significant expansion of the species' range along the South American coast.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Ullrika Sahlin, Matthias C. M. Troffaes, Lennart Edsman
Summary: Bayesian decision analysis is a useful method for risk management decisions, but has limitations in considering severe uncertainty in knowledge and value ambiguity in management objectives. Robust Bayesian decision analysis can handle these issues by modeling severe uncertainty and value ambiguity through bounds on probability distributions and utility functions. A case study on environmental management problem in Sweden demonstrates that robust Bayesian decision analysis provides a transparent methodology for integrating information in risk management where data is limited and tradeoffs are ambiguous.
Article
Fisheries
Magnus W. Jacobsen, Nana W. Jensen, Rasmus Nygaard, Kim Praebel, Bjarni Jonsson, Nynne Hjort Nielsen, Jose M. Pujolar, Dylan J. Fraser, Louis Bernatchez, Michael M. Hansen
Summary: This study analysed the mitochondrial genomes of different populations of Arctic char, revealing the phylogeographic relationships between different lineages and potential refugia and colonisation routes. The study found a secondary contact zone between Arctic and Atlantic evolutionary lineages in western Greenland, estimated the divergence time of lineages and the time of the most recent common ancestor, and suggested a complex history involving cryptic refugia or multiple recolonisations.
ECOLOGY OF FRESHWATER FISH
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Seth R. Smith, Eric Normandeau, Haig Djambazian, Pubudu M. Nawarathna, Pierre Berube, Andrew M. Muir, Jiannis Ragoussis, Chantelle M. Penney, Kim T. Scribner, Gordon Luikart, Chris C. Wilson, Louis Bernatchez
Summary: In this study, an annotated, chromosome-anchored genome assembly for Lake Trout was generated using various sequencing techniques, resulting in a highly contiguous assembly. Analysis revealed insights into homeologs resulting from a salmonid-specific autotetraploid event and homologous chromosomes in related taxa, providing valuable resources for future genomic research.
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2022)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Maeva Leitwein, Kyle Wellband, Hugo Cayuela, Jeremy Le Luyer, Kayla Mohns, Ruth Withler, Louis Bernatchez
Summary: Human activities and resource exploitation have led to a decline in wild salmonid populations. Conservation programs have been developed to supplement wild populations, but studies have shown reduced fitness of hatchery-born fish compared to wild fish. This study uses RNA sequencing and Whole Genome Bisulfite Sequencing to investigate gene expression differences between hatchery and wild-born Coho salmon. The results suggest that early-life hatchery-rearing environment-induced gene expression differentiation is maintained until the fish return to their natal river. The study highlights the importance of considering both the epigenome and transcriptome in large-scale supplementation programs.
GENOME BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biology
Clare J. Venney, Kyle W. Wellband, Eric Normandeau, Carolyne Houle, Dany Garant, Celine Audet, Louis Bernatchez
Summary: This study investigates the effects of parental and offspring temperatures on DNA methylation in brook charr. The results show that parental maturation temperature has a significant impact on offspring methylation, while offspring rearing temperature has a minimal effect. The intergenerational inheritance of DNA methylation could facilitate adaptation to a warming environment.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Eglantine Mathieu-Begne, Simon Blanchet, Guillaume Mitta, Clement Le Potier, Geraldine Loot, Olivier Rey
Summary: A parasite's ability to infect alternative host species is influenced by changes in gene expression and molecular pathways, particularly those related to cellular machinery, energetic metabolism, muscle activity, and oxidative stress. This study suggests that molecular plasticity plays a crucial role in facilitating host shift in parasites.
Article
Ecology
Julien Cote, Maxime Dahirel, Nicolas Schtickzelle, Florian Altermatt, Armelle Ansart, Simon Blanchet, Alexis S. Chaine, Frederik De Laender, Jonathan De Raedt, Bart Haegeman, Staffan Jacob, Oliver Kaltz, Estelle Laurent, Chelsea J. Little, Luc Madec, Florent Manzi, Stefano Masier, Felix Pellerin, Frank Pennekamp, Lieven Therry, Alexandre Vong, Laurane Winandy, Dries Bonte, Emanuel A. Fronhofer, Delphine Legrand
Summary: This study explores the impact of dispersal process on the morphology, physiology, and behavior of organisms, as well as its cascading effects on eco-evolutionary dynamics and ecosystem processes. The experimental results reveal that dispersal propensity is influenced by individuals' phenotype and local environmental harshness.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Chris J. Brauer, Jonathan Sandoval-Castillo, Katie Gates, Michael P. Hammer, Peter J. Unmack, Louis Bernatchez, Luciano B. Beheregaray
Summary: Under climate change, species without the ability to shift their range rely on genetic variation for adaptation. Genomic vulnerability studies often overlook hybridization as a source of adaptive variation. This study found that hybrid populations of rainbowfish showed reduced vulnerability to climate change compared to pure narrow endemics, highlighting the importance of hybrid populations and adaptive introgression in the evolutionary rescue of species with narrow environmental ranges.
NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Florent Sylvestre, Claire Merot, Eric Normandeau, Louis Bernatchez
Summary: Differences between sexes in trait fitness optima can contribute to genetic diversity through balancing selection, but detecting such conflicts is challenging. Recent studies have found that duplications on sexual chromosomes can create misleading signals of intralocus sexual conflicts. In this study, we investigated intralocus sexual conflicts in three-spined sticklebacks and found only two regions that showed potential conflicts and signals of balancing selection. These results suggest that most intralocus sexual conflicts are transient and do not drive long-term balancing selection.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Simon Blanchet, Laura Fargeot, Allan Raffard
Summary: This paper proposes using candidate genes phylogenetically-conserved across species as an inclusive biodiversity unit that transcends the intra- and interspecific boundaries, deepening our understanding of how evolution has shaped biodiversity and how biodiversity alters ecological dynamics. The framework combines knowledge from functional genomics and functional ecology, providing guidelines and examples for identifying phylogenetically-conserved candidate genes (PCCGs) within communities and measuring biodiversity from PCCGs. This framework also links biodiversity measured at PCCGs to ecosystem functions and highlights the eco-evolutionary processes shaping PCCG diversity patterns.
Article
Parasitology
Chloe Suzanne Berger, Berenice Bougas, Guillaume Cote, Jean-Francois Dumont, Louis Bernatchez
Summary: The ability to systematically detect parasitic infection, even without visible signs, is crucial for accurate conservation policies. In particular, the nematode Anguillicola crassus poses a potential threat to eel populations. The authors present a real-time PCR-based method to detect A. crassus infection in both final and intermediate hosts. By using this method, they were able to detect the DNA of A. crassus in both zooplankton and individual swim bladders. This method allows for early detection of A. crassus infection in nature, going beyond previous protocols.
PARASITOLOGY RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jerome G. Prunier, Charlotte Veyssiere, Geraldine Loot, Simon Blanchet
Summary: Biodiversity is in crisis and efforts are needed to conserve natural populations, especially in river ecosystems. The use of molecular tools has gained popularity for conservation practices in rivers, but the superiority of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) over short tandem repeats (STRs) is still debated. This study compared the usefulness of STRs and SNPs to study genetic variability in freshwater fish species in southern France. SNPs provided more precise estimates of genetic diversity and differentiation, but both markers detected similar genetic structures that could be useful for conservation. The choice of marker should be based on research questions and available resources.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Laurine Gouthier, Eloise Duval, Simon Blanchet, Geraldine Loot, Charlotte Veyssiere, Maxime Galan, Erwan Quemere, Lisa Jacquin
Summary: The study investigated how environmental gradients in a river network shape the spatial patterns of genetic diversity and differentiation in wild brown trout populations. The results showed that both the distance from the confluence and the centrality on the river network can explain the variation in genetic diversity and differentiation. Both neutral and functional markers followed a similar pattern, with higher genetic diversity and lower genetic differentiation in populations that were closer to the confluence and/or more central.
Review
Genetics & Heredity
Louis Bernatchez, Anne-Laure Ferchaud, Chloe Suzanne Berger, Clare J. Venney, Amanda Xuereb
Summary: With global climate change causing drastic changes in environmental conditions, it is crucial to understand how organisms respond and adapt to these changes. Recent advancements in genomic, transcriptomic, and epigenomic technologies provide unprecedented insights into the evolutionary processes and molecular mechanisms of adaptation. This review summarizes the methods that utilize omics tools to investigate, monitor, and predict the responses of species and communities to global climate change, highlighting the need for holistic, multi-omics approaches.
NATURE REVIEWS GENETICS
(2023)
Article
Biology
Swantje Enge, Claire Merot, Raimondas Mozuraitis, Violeta Apsegaite, Louis Bernatchez, Gerrit A. Martens, Sandra Radziute, Henrik Pavia, Emma L. Berdan
Summary: In this study, researchers found that a overdominant supergene in seaweed flies strongly modulates male traits but only weakly affects female traits. Gas chromatography-electroantennographic detection revealed that females can sense male traits and there may be differential perception between genotypes. Gene expression analysis showed that candidate genes for trait biosynthesis primarily showed differential expression in males, while odorant detection genes were differentially expressed in both sexes but showed high levels of divergence between supergene haplotypes. The reduced recombination between supergene haplotypes may have led to rapid divergence in mate preferences and increasing linkage between male traits and overdominant loci, helping to maintain the polymorphism despite deleterious effects in homozygotes.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jerome G. Prunier, Mathieu Chevalier, Allan Raffard, Geraldine Loot, Nicolas Poulet, Simon Blanchet
Summary: Experimental evidence indicates that genetic diversity can promote biomass stability, but does this process occur in wild populations? Focusing on three freshwater fish species from two river basins in southwestern France, this study shows that the biomass of genetically diversified populations has been more stable in recent decades than populations that have suffered from genetic erosion.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)