Introgression does not influence the positive ecological and functional role of dingo populations

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathew S. Crowther ◽  
Kylie M. Cairns ◽  
Lily M. van Eeden ◽  
Mike Letnic
Keyword(s):  
Functional Morphology ◽  
Functional Role ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Natural Process ◽  
Domestic Dog ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Canid Species ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT The impact of hybridisation between dingoes and domestic dogs, and the subsequent introgression of domestic dog genes into dingo populations, remains a topic of significant impact. It has been claimed, but with little evidence or logical argumentation, that dingoes with significant dog introgression have different effects on agriculture and ecosystems than dingoes with no dog introgression. Introgression is a natural process in evolution, occurring in many species, although this is sometimes human assisted. Canid species in particular show high levels of introgression, due to their genetic and phylogenetic similarities, and human persecution creates scenarios encouraging hybridisation. Dingoes are no exception and demonstrate high levels of introgression of domestic dog genes, particularly in the temperate areas of south-eastern Australia. The available evidence shows that this introgression has minimal effects on the functional morphology of the dingo skull. There is also some preliminary evidence that introgression has not had a major impact on dingo reproductive biology. Studies on the impacts of dingoes on arid, tropical and temperate ecosystems, where levels of introgression vary greatly, all show consistent positive impacts of dingoes, regardless of the amount of domestic dog genes within the dingo population, on these ecosystems. Hence, hybridisation and resultant introgression from domestic dog genes appear to have little effect on aspects of the functional morphology or ecological role of the dingo. Accordingly, introgression does not diminish the conservation status of the dingo.

scholarly journals The Functional Morphology of Avicularia in Cheilostome Bryozoans

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Michelle Clare Carter
Keyword(s):  
Functional Morphology ◽  
Functional Capacity ◽  
Functional Role ◽  
Metabolic Cost ◽  
Character Traits ◽  
Evolutionary Development ◽  
Tactile Stimuli ◽  
Habitat Differences ◽  
Cheilostome Bryozoans

<p>Avicularia are modified zooids characteristic of cheilostome bryozoans. Through evolutionary time the functional capacity of the polypide has evolved and is now a vestigial feature within the avicularium. The functional role of avicularia in the colony is unclear. Unable to feed, avicularia are dependent on nutrients from the parental or neighbouring zooids and therefore constitute a significant metabolic cost in production and maintenance, a cost which must be met by some reciprocal function. Details on the functional morphology of avicularia are severely lacking with avicularia constituting a large gap in the knowledge of cheilostome biology. By examining their biology, this study will enhance our understanding of the evolution and functional capacity of avicularia. Fundamentally this study will provide insight into the degree of morphological and morphometric divergence among avicularia. The objective of this study was to: (1) conduct a morphological survey of the putative sensory structures associated with the palate (or orificial structures) of avicularia (SEM); (2) conduct an ultrastructural-level study (TEM) of the vestigial polypide from two species of bugulids from disparate habitats; and (3) incorporate a holistic study on the behaviour and functional evolution of character traits in Bugula flabellata. The avicularia from 38 species of cheilostome bryozoans were examined covering 11 superfamilies, 18 families and 29 genera. The results indicate that avicularia are morphologically diverse and display extensive variation in avicularian orifice morphology. Structures associated with the orifice varied from tufts of cilia, simple pores, tubular protuberances, and pores with an organic exude. The adventitious avicularia dominated (83%) and displayed the greatest morphometric diversity compared with interzooidal, vicarious and vibracular types. Within superfamilies, only the catenicellids displayed a significant level of morphometric and anatomical congruence. The density of avicularia within a colony was greatest by combining adventitious and vibracular types (e.g. Caberea). This finding may represent an evolutionary shift towards maximisation of function within a smaller spatial scale. The ultrastructure of the vestigial polypide of the subtidal B. flabellata and deep-sea Nordgaardia cornucopioides revealed disparities suggestive of differing functional roles either as a result of habitat differences or differing stages of evolutionary development. The avicularium of B. flabellata has undergone significant modification in character traits from the plesiomorphic autozooid. The current anatomy and behaviour of this avicularium provides strong evidence for a mechanoreceptive function whereby detection of tactile stimuli from passing invaders is important in the functional role of the bird's-head avicularium of B. flabellata. This study is the first to examine the functional morphology of avicularia in such detail. The techniques used in this study have never been applied to avicularia before allowing numerous features such as the muscles, orificial structures and vestigial polypide anatomy to be discerned. The results indicate that avicularia are morphologically diverse and anatomically equipped to perform a variety of functions. The morphological diversity of avicularia may be of immense ecological importance and represent differing responses to various selective pressures in the environment.</p>

scholarly journals Role of Digital Health and Artificial Intelligence in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Scoping Review

Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 1465
Author(s):  
Kamila Majidova ◽  
Julia Handfield ◽  
Kamran Kafi ◽  
Ryan D. Martin ◽  
Ryszard Kubinski
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Medication Management ◽  
Standard Of Care ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Clinical Environment ◽  
Inflammatory Bowel ◽  
The Impact

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), subdivided into Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), are chronic diseases that are characterized by relapsing and remitting periods of inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. In recent years, the amount of research surrounding digital health (DH) and artificial intelligence (AI) has increased. The purpose of this scoping review is to explore this growing field of research to summarize the role of DH and AI in the diagnosis, treatment, monitoring and prognosis of IBD. A review of 21 articles revealed the impact of both AI algorithms and DH technologies; AI algorithms can improve diagnostic accuracy, assess disease activity, and predict treatment response based on data modalities such as endoscopic imaging and genetic data. In terms of DH, patients utilizing DH platforms experienced improvements in quality of life, disease literacy, treatment adherence, and medication management. In addition, DH methods can reduce the need for in-person appointments, decreasing the use of healthcare resources without compromising the standard of care. These articles demonstrate preliminary evidence of the potential of DH and AI for improving the management of IBD. However, the majority of these studies were performed in a regulated clinical environment. Therefore, further validation of these results in a real-world environment is required to assess the efficacy of these methods in the general IBD population.

scholarly journals Mathematical modelling and phylodynamics for the study of dog rabies dynamics and control: A scoping review

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. e0009449
Author(s):  
Maylis Layan ◽  
Simon Dellicour ◽  
Guy Baele ◽  
Simon Cauchemez ◽  
Hervé Bourhy
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Modelling ◽  
Mathematical Models ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Domestic Dog ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approaches ◽  
Dynamics And Control ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Impact

Background Rabies is a fatal yet vaccine-preventable disease. In the last two decades, domestic dog populations have been shown to constitute the predominant reservoir of rabies in developing countries, causing 99% of human rabies cases. Despite substantial control efforts, dog rabies is still widely endemic and is spreading across previously rabies-free areas. Developing a detailed understanding of dog rabies dynamics and the impact of vaccination is essential to optimize existing control strategies and developing new ones. In this scoping review, we aimed at disentangling the respective contributions of mathematical models and phylodynamic approaches to advancing the understanding of rabies dynamics and control in domestic dog populations. We also addressed the methodological limitations of both approaches and the remaining issues related to studying rabies spread and how this could be applied to rabies control. Methodology/principal findings We reviewed how mathematical modelling of disease dynamics and phylodynamics have been developed and used to characterize dog rabies dynamics and control. Through a detailed search of the PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases, we identified a total of n = 59 relevant studies using mathematical models (n = 30), phylodynamic inference (n = 22) and interdisciplinary approaches (n = 7). We found that despite often relying on scarce rabies epidemiological data, mathematical models investigated multiple aspects of rabies dynamics and control. These models confirmed the overwhelming efficacy of massive dog vaccination campaigns in all settings and unraveled the role of dog population structure and frequent introductions in dog rabies maintenance. Phylodynamic approaches successfully disentangled the evolutionary and environmental determinants of rabies dispersal and consistently reported support for the role of reintroduction events and human-mediated transportation over long distances in the maintenance of rabies in endemic areas. Potential biases in data collection still need to be properly accounted for in most of these analyses. Finally, interdisciplinary studies were determined to provide the most comprehensive assessments through hypothesis generation and testing. They also represent new avenues, especially concerning the reconstruction of local transmission chains or clusters through data integration. Conclusions/significance Despite advances in rabies knowledge, substantial uncertainty remains regarding the mechanisms of local spread, the role of wildlife in dog rabies maintenance, and the impact of community behavior on the efficacy of control strategies including vaccination of dogs. Future integrative approaches that use phylodynamic analyses and mechanistic models within a single framework could take full advantage of not only viral sequences but also additional epidemiological information as well as dog ecology data to refine our understanding of rabies spread and control. This would represent a significant improvement on past studies and a promising opportunity for canine rabies research in the frame of the One Health concept that aims to achieve better public health outcomes through cross-sector collaboration.

scholarly journals The Functional Morphology of Avicularia in Cheilostome Bryozoans

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Michelle Clare Carter
Keyword(s):  
Functional Morphology ◽  
Functional Capacity ◽  
Functional Role ◽  
Metabolic Cost ◽  
Character Traits ◽  
Evolutionary Development ◽  
Tactile Stimuli ◽  
Habitat Differences ◽  
Cheilostome Bryozoans

<p>Avicularia are modified zooids characteristic of cheilostome bryozoans. Through evolutionary time the functional capacity of the polypide has evolved and is now a vestigial feature within the avicularium. The functional role of avicularia in the colony is unclear. Unable to feed, avicularia are dependent on nutrients from the parental or neighbouring zooids and therefore constitute a significant metabolic cost in production and maintenance, a cost which must be met by some reciprocal function. Details on the functional morphology of avicularia are severely lacking with avicularia constituting a large gap in the knowledge of cheilostome biology. By examining their biology, this study will enhance our understanding of the evolution and functional capacity of avicularia. Fundamentally this study will provide insight into the degree of morphological and morphometric divergence among avicularia. The objective of this study was to: (1) conduct a morphological survey of the putative sensory structures associated with the palate (or orificial structures) of avicularia (SEM); (2) conduct an ultrastructural-level study (TEM) of the vestigial polypide from two species of bugulids from disparate habitats; and (3) incorporate a holistic study on the behaviour and functional evolution of character traits in Bugula flabellata. The avicularia from 38 species of cheilostome bryozoans were examined covering 11 superfamilies, 18 families and 29 genera. The results indicate that avicularia are morphologically diverse and display extensive variation in avicularian orifice morphology. Structures associated with the orifice varied from tufts of cilia, simple pores, tubular protuberances, and pores with an organic exude. The adventitious avicularia dominated (83%) and displayed the greatest morphometric diversity compared with interzooidal, vicarious and vibracular types. Within superfamilies, only the catenicellids displayed a significant level of morphometric and anatomical congruence. The density of avicularia within a colony was greatest by combining adventitious and vibracular types (e.g. Caberea). This finding may represent an evolutionary shift towards maximisation of function within a smaller spatial scale. The ultrastructure of the vestigial polypide of the subtidal B. flabellata and deep-sea Nordgaardia cornucopioides revealed disparities suggestive of differing functional roles either as a result of habitat differences or differing stages of evolutionary development. The avicularium of B. flabellata has undergone significant modification in character traits from the plesiomorphic autozooid. The current anatomy and behaviour of this avicularium provides strong evidence for a mechanoreceptive function whereby detection of tactile stimuli from passing invaders is important in the functional role of the bird's-head avicularium of B. flabellata. This study is the first to examine the functional morphology of avicularia in such detail. The techniques used in this study have never been applied to avicularia before allowing numerous features such as the muscles, orificial structures and vestigial polypide anatomy to be discerned. The results indicate that avicularia are morphologically diverse and anatomically equipped to perform a variety of functions. The morphological diversity of avicularia may be of immense ecological importance and represent differing responses to various selective pressures in the environment.</p>

scholarly journals The impact of invader number on whole community invasions in biomethane-producing communities

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pawel Sierocinski ◽  
Jesica Soria Pascual ◽  
Daniel Padfield ◽  
Mike Salter ◽  
Angus Buckling
Keyword(s):  
Methane Production ◽  
Functional Role ◽  
Biogas Production ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Lower Number ◽  
Invasion Success ◽  
Species Invasions ◽  
And Function ◽  
The Impact

Microbes can invade as whole communities, but the ecology of whole community invasions are poorly understood. Here, we investigate how invader frequency affects the composition and function of invaded laboratory methanogenic communities. An invading community was equally successful at establishing itself in a resident community regardless of initial invader frequency, which varied between 0.01 and 10%. Invasion resulted in enhanced biogas production (to the level of the pure invading community), but only when invader frequency was 1% or greater. This inconsistency between invasion success and changes in function can be explained by a lower number of invading taxa (but not individuals) at lower initial invader frequencies, and an important functional role of the taxa that were absent. Our results highlight that whole community invasion ecology cannot simply be extrapolated from our understanding of single species invasions. Moreover, we show that methane production can be enhanced by invading poorly performing reactors with a better performing community at levels that may be practical in industrial settings.

scholarly journals Fragmented evidence for the contribution of ex situ management to species conservation indicates the need for better reporting

Oryx ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Jennifer R. Gant ◽  
Louise Mair ◽  
Philip J. K. McGowan
Keyword(s):  
Conservation Status ◽  
Species Conservation ◽  
Iucn Red List ◽  
Red List ◽  
Global Network ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Vertebrate Species ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Ex Situ Management

Abstract Conserving species and achieving the Convention on Biological Diversity's international conservation targets necessitates stopping extinctions, recovering depleted populations and maintaining viable populations. The contribution of ex situ management to species conservation has long been debated, and there is limited information on ex situ management activities available in a format that allows success to be assessed. We therefore gathered information from three sources to explore cases in which ex situ management was considered to have had a positive conservation impact for terrestrial vertebrate species. We (1) reviewed the published literature, (2) examined for which taxa ex situ management had contributed to the downlisting of species on the IUCN Red List and (3) surveyed a global network of ex situ management practitioners. We found that ex situ management has contributed to improvements in conservation status for a range of vertebrate species. Ex situ management was reported as contributing to the downlisting of 18 species on the IUCN Red List over a 10-year period. Across sources, the most common role of ex situ management was the provision of individuals to increase population numbers in situ. The strength of evidence for the impact of ex situ management varied within and among sources. Therefore, for the role of ex situ activities in conservation to be understood fully, and for such interventions to reach their potential, documentation of intended and actual benefits needs to be improved. Better reporting of ex situ activities would enable improved learning, facilitating better targeting of ex situ activities to global species conservation goals.

scholarly journals Environmental niche and functional role similarity between invasive and native palms in the Atlantic Forest

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina Bello ◽  
Ana Laura P. Cintra ◽  
Elisa Barreto ◽  
Maurício Humberto Vancine ◽  
Thadeu Sobral-Souza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Functional Role ◽  
Future Climate ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Brazilian Atlantic Forest ◽  
Environmental Niche ◽  
The Impact

AbstractInvasive species can significantly affect native species when their niches are similar. Ecological and morphological similarities between the invasive Australian palm, Archontophoenix cunninghamiana, and the native palm from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, Euterpe edulis, suggest that they have similar environmental requirements and functional roles (i.e., the function a species performs in an ecosystem). This similarity raises concerns about how the invasive palm could impact the native species in the present and future. We used spatial (species occurrences) and ecological information (frugivory events) to characterize the environmental niche and functional role of the two palms and assess their overlap. In addition, we predicted the potential area of occurrence of each palm within the Brazilian Atlantic Forest under current and future climate conditions.We estimated the environmental conditions used by the invasive plant based on its native distribution only, and based on all areas where the species is able to establish across the globe. We found that the environmental niches of the two palm species overlap up to 39%, which corresponds to 50% of the current geographic distribution of E. edulis in the Atlantic Forest. In the areas where the two species potentially co-occur, the impact of the invasive species on the native should be influenced by the invasive species interactions with frugivores. We found that the frugivory functional role of the two palms was similar (84% overlap) which suggest that A. cunninghamiana might disrupt the seed dispersal of the native palm. However, co-occurrence between the palms may decline with future climate change, as the potentially environmental suitable area for the invasive palm is predicted to decline by 10% to 55%. Evaluating the similarity in both the environmental niche, of the native and global extent, and the functional role of native and invasive plants provides a detailed understanding of the potential impact of invasive species on native species now and in the future.

scholarly journals How many times do I need to see to believe? The impact of intolerance of uncertainty and exposure experience on safety-learning and retention in young adults

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jayne Morriss ◽  
Shannon Jade Wake ◽  
Michael Lindner ◽  
Eugene McSorley ◽  
Helen Dodd
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Skin Conductance ◽  
Skin Conductance Response ◽  
Intolerance Of Uncertainty ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Exposure Condition ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Extended Exposure

Individuals who score high in self-reported Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU) display difficulties updating threat associations to safe associations. Here we sought to determine whether individuals who score high in IU can learn and retain new safety associations if given more exposure. We recorded skin conductance response, pupil dilation and expectancy ratings during an associative threat learning task with acquisition, same-day extinction and next-day extinction phases. Participants (n = 144) were assigned to either a regular exposure (32 trials of same-day and next-day extinction) or extended exposure condition (48 trials of same-day and next-day extinction). We failed to replicate previous work showing that IU is associated with poorer safety-learning indexed via SCR, although the results were at trend and in the expected direction. We found preliminary evidence for promoted safety-retention in individuals with higher Inhibitory IU in the extended exposure condition, relative to individuals with higher Inhibitory IU in the regular exposure condition, indexed via SCR. These findings further our current understanding of the role of IU in safety-learning and -retention, informing models of IU and exposure-based treatments.

On the functional role of human parietal cortex in number processing: How gender mediates the impact of a ‘virtual lesion’ induced by rTMS

2006 ◽  
Vol 44 (12) ◽  
pp. 2270-2283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andre Knops ◽  
Hans-Christoph Nuerk ◽  
Roland Sparing ◽  
Henrik Foltys ◽  
Klaus Willmes
Keyword(s):  
Parietal Cortex ◽  
Functional Role ◽  
Number Processing ◽  
Virtual Lesion ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals Functional roles of lipids in make-up products

OCL ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 33
Author(s):  
Hélène de Clermont-Gallerande
Keyword(s):  
Biological Activity ◽  
Functional Role ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Product Performance ◽  
Scientific Journals ◽  
Functional Roles ◽  
Current Context ◽  
The Impact

Lipids are widely used in cosmetics regardless of intended application: skincare, make-up, toiletries. If they are found in all products, it is because they have many beneficial properties for the skin. A lipid is a nourishing ingredient, a penetration vector and an emollient agent all at the same time, hence, when a finished product contains lipids it allows its manufacturer to make various claims in terms of biological activity. In addition to their well-known efficacy that is often widely promoted in conferences and in scientific journals, lipids also have a structural and functional role in formulations. This is mainly what is used in makeup. Indeed, make-up products often highlight immediate performance such as brightness, matt effect, intensity of color, sumptuous consistency or length of time the make-up stays in place, but boast few results related to biological activity demonstrated in the long term such as anti-ageing, repair of the skin’s barrier, control of acne if we are talking about vitamin A ... Thus, the functional role of lipids being as great as their role of active ingredient, this publication aims to bring them out of the shadows and comprehensively set forth all the properties used in cosmetics. This article focuses on make-up products and on the lipids used in each of the textures. The reasons for which these lipids are present are detailed. The functions of each within different make-up preparations are reviewed. Particular attention is paid to the new raw materials – or the old ones that are coming back into fashion – in the current context of eco-design formulations. Thus, we do not elaborate greatly on mineral waxes, ozokerite wax, paraffins, and petroleum jellies, since these are not the raw materials of the future. Changes in consumption patterns are driving formulators to replace controversial ingredients with raw materials that do not engender bad press and that have a lesser impact on the environment. We present the development of the lipids used in make-up product formulations together with the impact of the same on product performance.

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