21603 research outputs found
Sort by
Contribution of Range-Wide and Short-Scale Chemical Soil Variation to Local Adaptation in a Tropical Montane Forest Tree
Get PDFLocal adaptation is a fundamental process that allows populations to thrive in their native environment, often increasing genetic differentiation with neighboring stands. However, detecting the molecular basis and selective factors responsible for local adaptation remains a challenge, particularly in sessile, non-model species with long life cycles, such as forest trees. Local adaptation in trees is not only modeled by climatic factors, but also by soil variation. Such variation depends on dynamic geological and ecological processes that generate a highly heterogeneous selective mosaic that may differentially condition tree adaptation both at the range-wide and local scales. This could be particularly manifest in species inhabiting mountain ranges that were formed by diverse geological events, like sacred fir (Abies religiosa), a conifer endemic to the mountains of central Mexico. Here, we used landscape genomics approaches to investigate how chemical edaphic variation influences the genetic structure of this species at the range-wide and local scales. After controlling for neutral genetic structure, we performed genotype-environment associations and identified 49 and 23 candidate SNPs at the range-wide and local scales, respectively, with little overlap between scales. We then developed polygenic models with such candidates, which accounted for similar to 20% of the range-wide variation in soil Ca2+ concentration, electric conductivity (EC), and pH, and for the local variation in soil EC and organic carbon content (OC). Spatial Principal Component Analyses further highlighted the role of geography and population isolation in explaining this genetic-soil co-variation. Our findings reveal that local adaptation in trees is the result of an intricate interaction between soil chemical properties and the local population's genetic makeup, and that the selective factors driving such adaptation greatly vary and are not necessarily predictable across spatial scales. These results highlight the need to consider edaphic variation in forest genetic studies (including common garden experiments) and in conservation, management and assisted migration programs
Automated tick classification using deep learning and its associated challenges in citizen science
Get PDFLyme borreliosis and tick-borne encephalitis significantly impact public health in Europe, transmitted primarily by endemic tick species. The recent introduction of exotic tick species into northern Europe via migratory birds, imported animals, and travelers highlights the urgent need for rapid detection and accurate species identification. To address this, the Swedish Veterinary Agency launched a citizen science initiative, resulting in the submission of over 15,000 tick images spanning seven species. We developed, trained, and evaluated deep learning models incorporating image analysis, object detection, and transfer learning to support automated tick classification. The EfficientNetV2M model achieved a macro recall of 0.60 and a Matthews Correlation Coefficient (MCC) of 0.55 on out-of-distribution, citizen-submitted data. These results demonstrate the feasibility of integrating AI with citizen science for large-scale tick monitoring while also highlighting challenges related to class imbalance, species similarity, and morphological variability. Rather than robust species-level classification, our framework serves as a proof of concept for infrastructure that supports scalable and adaptive tick surveillance. This work lays the groundwork for future AI-driven systems in One Health contexts, extendable to other arthropod vectors and emerging public health threats
Unwelcome neighbours: Tracking the transmission of Streptococcus equi in the United Kingdom horse population
Get PDFBackground: Strangles (Streptococcus equi infection) remains endemic in the UK, with similar to 300 laboratory diagnoses annually. Sub-clinically infected long-term carriers are considered a key driver of endemicity. Analysing genomes of circulating strains could provide valuable transmission insights of this pathogen.Objective: sTo determine the population structure and diversity of UK S. equi isolates and to model transmission using epidemiological and whole genome sequencing data.Study Design: Retrospective cross-sectional epidemiological and genomic surveillance.Methods: A dated phylogenetic tree derived from 511 S. equi isolates collected from UK horses between 2015 and 2022 was reconstructed. Bayesian Analysis of Population Structure (BAPS) identified clusters of related genomes, while iGRAPH identified clusters of sequences appropriate for transmission analysis, performed using Transphylo.Results: BAPS identified nine groups, with 82% of strains clustering into two (McG-BAPS3, McG-BAPS5). A statistically significant association (p < 0.001) was found between the year of recovery and trends in the frequency of McG-BAPS groups, with McG-BAPS3 increasing and McG-BAPS5 decreasing in prevalence over the study period. Eight transmission clusters encompassing 64% of total sequences (n = 286/447) underwent analysis. Sixteen direct transmission pairs were identified; 10 were between horses from different UK regions. A transmission chain extending over a 6-month period was inferred from isolates from nine horses.Main Limitations: Bacterial strains from sub-clinically infected carrier horses may be underrepresented due to data collection via positive laboratory diagnoses. Furthermore, a low sampling proportion relative to overall UK cases provided only a snapshot of broader, unsampled transmission events.Conclusions: The rapid change in S. equi population structure indicates acutely infected/recently convalesced short-term carrier horses play a more influential role in transmission than long-term carriers. Our work provides novel insights to our understanding of S. equi transmission dynamics. Transmission of genetically related strains across diverse regions suggests a real-time sequence-based surveillance system could inform interventions to minimise transmission
Digital Play in Nature A Study of Digital Play Installations from a Nature Play Perspective
Get PDFWhile digital play installations for outdoor use are becoming more common, little work has been done on how such technology shapes play in nature-rich environments. We performed a study of children's self-directed play with access to nature as well as digital installations. Our findings show that play with nature materials and digital installations emerged in different ways. Most notably, imaginative play was observed emerging in close interaction with nature, while the digital installations mostly inspired rule-based play. Furthermore, engagement with digital installations typically involved an active exploration phase which was not observed with nature materials. Nature materials instead engaged the children's senses more immediately, and often offered opportunities for collection and consumption, paving way for fluent play activities roaming large areas. We argue that these differences motivate rethinking the design of digital installations for play in nature and suggest guidelines to this purpose
Afforestation of Abandoned Agricultural Land: Growth of Non-Native Tree Species and Soil Response in the Czech Republic
Get PDFNon-Native Tree Species (NNTs) play crucial roles in global and European forests. However, in the Czech Republic, NNTs represent a tiny fraction of the forested areas due to limited research on their potential use. The country is actively afforesting abandoned agricultural lands; NNTs which are already tested and certified could enhance the country's forestry system. This study aimed to evaluate the initial growth of Castanea sativa, Platanus acerifolia, and Corylus colurna under three soil treatments on abandoned agricultural soil, evaluate the survival and mortality of the tree species, and further compare the soil dynamics among the three ecosystems to describe the initial state and short-term changes in the soil environment. The research plot was set in the Doubek area, 20 km East of Prague. Moreover, soil-improving materials, Humac (1.0 tha-1) and Alginite (1.5 tha-1), were established on the side of the control plot at the afforested part. The heights of plantations of tree species were measured from 2020 to 2024. Furthermore, 47 soil samples were collected at varying depths from three ecosystems (afforested soil, arable land, and old forest) in 2022. A single-factor ANOVA was run, followed by a post hoc test. The result shows that the Control-C plot (Castanea Sativa + Platanus acerifolia + Corylus colurna + agricultural soil without amendment) had the highest total growth (mean annual increment in the year 2024) for Castanea sativa (KS = 40.90 +/- a21.61) and Corylus colurna (LS = 55.62 +/- 59.68); Alginite-A (Castanea Sativa + Platanus acerifolia + Corylus colurna + Alginite) did best for Platanus acerifolia (PT = 39.85 +/- 31.52); and Humac-B (Castanea Sativa + Platanus acerifolia + Corylus colurna + Humac) had the lowest growth. Soil dynamics among the three ecosystems showed that the old forest (plot two) significantly differs from arable soil (plot one), Humac and Platanus on afforested land (plot three), Platanus and Alginite on afforested land (plot four), and Platanus without amendment (plot five) in horizon three (the subsoil or horizon B) and in horizon four (the parent material horizon or horizon C). Results document the minor response of plantations to soil-improving matters at relatively rich sites, good growth of plantations, and initial changes in the soil characteristics in the control C plot. We recommend both sparing old forests and the afforestation of abandoned agricultural soils using a control treatment for improved tree growth and sustained soil quality. Further studies on the species' invasiveness are needed to understand them better
One-pot synthesis of thermally reversible materials using maleimide-polysaccharide and furan-lignin derivatives
Get PDFThe bio-based materials potato starch (St) and Kraft lignin (KL) were chemically modified to create a thermally responsive network through a reversible Diels–Alder (DA) reaction between maleimide and furan groups present in St and KL, respectively. To achieve this, St was esterified in a one-pot synthesis at room temperature with 6-maleimidohexanoic acid (6-MHA) to produce St 6MHA aligning with the 12 principles of green chemistry, which was confirmed by FTIR, 1 H, 13C, and 2D NMR spectroscopy. Furan (Fu) groups were introduced to KL by reacting furfuryl glycidyl ether with the phenol entities of KL, forming KL-Fu. The structures of the KL-Fu derivatives were characterized using FTIR, 1 H, 13C, and 31P spectroscopy, as well as TGA. St 6-MHA and KL-Fu were then subjected to thermal cycloaddition through the DA reaction. Furthermore, controlled retro-DA reactions were induced thermally and confirmed by FTIR and 1 H NMR spectroscopy. DSC analysis of the final products revealed the thermally responsive nature of the system. This study highlights the significant potential of such a thermally responsive system, demonstrating that effective chemical modification of abundant renewable feedstock can enable the development of high-value materials thereof
Experimental determination of factors causing crashes involving automated vehicles
Get PDFEmergence of technologies to replace human action is occurring in many sectors, with autonomous vehicles being a leading example. Autonomous vehicles do not require human interaction and instead employ various devices to perform essential operations. This paper assesses factors which cause autonomous vehicles to suffer crashes, using field data collected by the Californian Department of Motor Vehicles. Data on these highly automated vehicles (AVs) were clustered based on degree and direction of impact, and analyzed by coding in Excel and RStudio programming. A novel feature of the work is that all clustering, analysis, application of association rules, and determination of degrees of severity of crashes were done by RStudio programming and that the direction of autonomous vehicles impacts was identified based on field data. Our analysis reveals that weather conditions, maneuvering, road conditions, and lighting are major factors in autonomous vehicles crashes. Rear-end crash and minor scratches to autonomous vehicles are the most frequent forms of damage, based on the available data. This study underscores the critical need for enhanced sensor technologies and improved algorithms to better handle adverse weather conditions, complex maneuvers, and varying road and lighting conditions. By identifying the most frequent types of damage, such as rear-end crashes and minor scratches, this research provides valuable insights for manufacturers and policymakers aiming to improve the safety and reliability of autonomous vehicles. The findings can inform future design improvements and regulatory measures, ultimately contributing to the reduction of crash rates and the advancement of autonomous vehicle technology
Relevance of European small-scale fisheries trapped by data limitations
Get PDFLandings by species and their associated fishing effort are crucial for stock assessment and estimating fishing mortality. While large scale fisheries (LSF) have historically received more attention, interest in standardized data from small scale fisheries (SSF) has increased significantly over the last decade. This study characterizes SSF and ongoing fishing activity data collection across 17 European countries, from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean, using 2019 as a reference year. The analysis reveals that 88% of commercial active fishing vessels are smaller than 15 m in total length and that such SSF (as considered in this study) accounts for over 83% of the total days at sea and 12% of the landed weight. However, fishing activity data collection for SSF is less comprehensive compared to LSF. Vessels larger than 10 m typically report their fishing activities in logbooks and sales notes, whereas for <10 m vessels, only 40% provide additional data sources to sales notes, namely with declarative forms. This results in significant data gaps and inaccuracies, especially regarding fishing effort, gears used, or fishing locations. This is especially true for vessels smaller than 10 m, likely as a product of having comparatively less ongoing requirements put in place, whereas vessels between 10 and 15 m also present fewer data reporting obligations (e.g. large part of this fleet is not covered by geo-localization data especially for the [10-12) m vessels) compared to vessels above 15 m (LSF). In the end, SSF fisheries have not only less data available than LSF, but their provided information is also consequently subject to more inconsistencies and inaccuracies. Therefore, a concerted effort will be needed to improve SSF data quality through coordinated, harmonized, and comparable data collection efforts across countries. Recommendations include enhancing data reporting requirements for smaller vessels, implementing supplementary technological solutions, and conducting cross-checks of census information with sampling data. Additionally, the development and use of geolocation devices and apps are recommended to enhance the accuracy and completeness of SSF fishing activity data collection
Guidance for Practitioners When Selecting Low-growing Shrubs for Challenging Urban Sites: A Systematic Literature Review of Information on Drought Tolerance and Ecosystem Services
Get PDFUrban sites are often characterized by limited space and harsh growing conditions, which present many challenges for plants. Shrubs constitute a significant proportion of the plant material used in urban plantings. Because of their variability in size, form, and habitat requirements, they are helpful design elements for the greening of cities. Therefore, it is incumbent on practitioners to have detailed information about the tolerance of shrubs to environmental stresses to inform their choices. The increasing prevalence of dry and unpredictable rainfall patterns further compounds these. The issue of water stress represents a significant constraint for plants in urban environments. Consequently, those responsible for selecting plants for such areas must consider drought tolerance when making their choices. The objectives of this study were to ascertain the current availability of information regarding drought tolerance and the provision of ecosystem services of selected shrub species and to evaluate the extent to which this information provides guidance to practitioners. To achieve this, books, nursery catalogues, and academic articles were subjected to a review process. A total of 10 European nurseries were consulted to select five common and five uncommon low-growing shrub species for the subsequent literature screening. The species-specific information was extracted by considering findings concerning the tolerance to environmental stresses, the provision of ecosystem services, the recommendations for use in urban environments, and the natural habitat of the species. The findings indicated that extant information was available for most species. However, this information was frequently generic, contradictory, concerned with botanical characteristics rather than site-related information, or excessively focused on a singular stress factor in a controlled setting, thereby limiting its utility for practitioners. The knowledge documented in books is predominantly unsubstantiated and based on the author's experiences and qualitative observations. These findings underscore the necessity for reliable quantitative assessments of stress tolerance in numerous widely used shrub species to inform professionals' plant selections for urban environments and ecosystem services
Overcoming tetracycline pollution in soils through the addition of a mycorrhizal fungal species Funneliformis mosseae
Get PDFThe presence of residual antibiotics in the black soils of northeastern China poses a significant threat to food safety. This study investigated the potential of Funneliformis mosseae, one of the predominant biocontrol fungi in northeastern China, to mitigate the negative effects of tetracycline contamination (40 mg kg⁻¹) in soil. Advanced biotechnological methods were employed to assess plant growth, soil microbial antioxidant enzyme activity, and soil fertility. Additionally, changes in microbial diversity, composition, and abundance at both the phylum and genus levels were analyzed through high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA and ITS gene regions of soil microorganisms. The results demonstrated that F. mosseae colonization in tetracycline-contaminated soils significantly improved soybean growth. Enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity in the soybean plants further contributed to increased resistance against tetracycline stress. Notably, F. mosseae colonization was associated with lower tetracycline levels, elevated total nitrogen (TN) content in the soil, alongside a shift in microbial diversity and abundance favoring nitrogen-fixing bacteria. This indicated that F. mosseae colonization influenced the bacterial and fungal community composition, altering the relative abundance of dominant microbial taxa and modulating the overall soil microenvironment. In conclusion, the application of F. mosseae effectively mitigated tetracycline-induced stress, improved soil health, and provided a promising strategy for the bioremediation of antibiotic-contaminated agricultural soils