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Climate Change-Induced Landscape Alterations Increase Nutrient Sequestration and Cause Severe Oligotrophication of Subarctic Lakes
Get PDFWe combined decadal data (23-35 y) on nutrient concentrations for nine subarctic lakes with satellite imagery of vegetation (NDVI) to link the ongoing nutrient declines to the climate change-induced greening of landscapes. Total phosphorus water concentrations (Total-P) showed declining trends for all nine lakes, ranging from 1.5%-3.6%/y over the last decades. For most of the lakes' drainage areas, NDVI showed a dramatic increase during the 1990s and leveled off between 2001 and 2020. P sequestration in the lakes' drainage areas generally increased by 12%-30% between 1983-1994 and 2001-2020, with an exception of one high-elevation lake for which P sequestration more than doubled. Area-specific P-sequestration estimates for 1983-1994 averaged 1.04 +/- 0.10 tons P/km2 among all lakes but increased by 12%-33% for eight of the nine lakes during 2001-2020. Similar trends were found for nitrogen (N) sequestration, although these were an order of magnitude higher. These estimates illustrate long-term changes in the sequestration of N and P by terrestrial vegetation in the region. Total-P and DIN water concentrations showed negative correlations with both the NDVImax of their drainage areas and plot-scale measurements of tundra dwarf shrub cover. These correlations explained 51.8%-75.4% of the variability in declining nutrient water concentrations and showed the strong links between terrestrial vegetation development and declines in nutrient inputs to downstream lakes. Similar processes are likely ongoing in other parts of the Arctic where vegetation development is progressing, but are either not detected due to the lack of long-term monitoring data or compensated for by nutrients released from thawing permafrost and/or thermokarst slumps. Upscaling our P- and N-sequestration estimates for the nine lakes to the entire Arctic/alpine ecoregion in Sweden showed an average increase of 12.0 +/- 1.7 Mtons P and 122.6 +/- 17.5 Mtons N between the periods 1982-1994 and 2001-2020
Associations between endometrial macrophages and persistence of endometritis in postpartum dairy cows
Get PDFCows can spontaneously recover from postpartum endometritis. An early predictive diagnosis could avoid unnecessary treatment of recovery cows thus limiting the emergence of antimicrobial resistance, and provide timed treatment to persistent cases. This study first characterised the presence, proportion and phenotype of endometrial macrophages (Mu) in postpartum dairy cows (n = 173) with distinct endometrial health status. Neutrophils (PMN) and Mu counts were evaluated in Diff-Quickstained uterine cytology slides at 21 and 42 days postpartum (DPP). At 21 DPP, the Mu proportion was higher in cows later recovering than in cows with persistent endometritis until 42 DPP, and the PMN:Mu ratio was higher in persistent than in recovery cows. Immuno-labelling showed that at 21 DPP, recovery cows had higher M2 (CD163+) counts and lower M1:M2 ratio than cows with persistent endometritis, whereas M1 (CD86+) counts were not different. Immuno-labelling of tissue sections from biopsy samples collected at 42 DPP showed that total Mu and M2 counts were higher in cows with persistent endometritis than in recovery cows. In conclusion, results evidence that the persistence of endometritis is associated with a retarded/failure of Mu-driven, namely M2-driven, pro-resolving mechanisms. This suggests that endometrial Mu content at 21 DPP shows the potential to assist in predicting the recovery or persistence of postpartum endometritis in dairy cows, and prompts for comprehensive validation studies. (c) 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of The animal Consortium. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Host transcriptome profiling for resistance against lumpy skin disease (LSD)
Get PDFObjective Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is an acute or subacute systemic viral disease of cattle that shows variation in the response of cattle to LSD virus infection. To better understand the mechanisms underlying this response diversity in field studies and under carefully controlled artificial infections, we studied the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between two resilient versus three susceptible Holstein bulls before an infection challenge and three time points after that. Results The host transcriptome profiling revealed that IL1RAP gene expression could be a potential determinant in distinguishing between resilient and susceptible cattle (padj < 0.05). It was significantly shifted from up-regulated prior to infection to down-regulated three days post-infection in the LSD-resilient cattle. Its expression remained up-regulated among the susceptible cattle post-infection compared to pre-infection. The results showed that seven days post-infection may be a critical time point for LSD infection. The Gene Ontology (GO) and KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) pathway enrichment test showed a few enriched GO terms and pathways relevant to the LSD and the involvement of the IL1RAP gene. This pilot study, with limited statistical power, is the first to investigate bovine gene expression profiling in response to LSDV
Швеція інвестує в майбутніх лідерів
Get PDFКоли війна руйнує університети й змушує студентів ховатися в укриттях замість того, щоб відвідувати лекції, студенти шукають, де їм можна продовжити навчання
GJAE is Preparing for Future Developments in the Scientific System: New Policies Regarding Data and AI
Get PDFInter-observer reliability in forest conservation value assessments
Get PDFIdentifying and safeguarding forests of high conservation value is central to sustainable forest management. Qualitative and semi-quantitative surveys of forest conservation indicators often form the evidence base for management decisions. However, it remains unclear how consistently different surveyors assess such indicators using these methods. In this study, we evaluated inter-observer reliability (IOR) among triplets of professional biologists conducting independent surveys in 14 boreal, conifer-dominated forest stands in south-central Sweden. Surveyors recorded 50 qualitative indicators (presence-absence) and 20 semi-quantitative indices (counts and ordinal scores). We hypothesized that semi-quantitative assessments would yield higher IOR, as they are based on structured counts and ordinal scales applied within defined plots, which may reduce subjectivity. Contrary to this expectation, several qualitative indicators - based on presence-absence observations at stand scale - showed equal or even higher IOR. For example, the overall IOR for the qualitative composite score was good (intra-class correlation coefficients; ICC = 0.84), while many semi-quantitative indicators reached only moderate levels (ICC = 0.50-0.70). Indicators related to downed deadwood exhibited moderate to substantial IOR across both methods, while indicators involving standing structures, such as high nature value (HNV) trees and tree microhabitats, showed lower IOR. Our findings highlight that indicator-specific characteristics (e.g., subjectivity, rarity), rather than assessment method alone, influence reliability. Excluding low-reliability structural (e.g., tree microhabitats) indicators from qualitative protocols slightly improved overall agreement. We recommend integrating IOR analyses to refine survey protocols, guide surveyor training, and improve consistency in forest conservation value assessments. Even small-scale IOR evaluations - such as those involving three independent surveyors - can yield valuable insights into observer bias within relatively homogeneous groups of professional surveyors. Future research should expand such analyses to a wider range of ecosystems, indicator types, and surveyor backgrounds to strengthen the robustness and credibility of qualitative and semi-quantitative forest conservation value assessments
From semi-controlled environment to field trials: Testing pot entrance designs for Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua)
Get PDFGillnet fishing is associated with challenges, including bycatch of endangered, threatened, and protected (ETP) species and conflicts with marine mammals. Fish pots represent a sustainable alternative to gillnets due to their low bycatch risk of ETP species; furthermore, they can be designed to minimize seal predation. However, improvements in catch efficiency are necessary to enable their commercial implementation. Among the key factors influencing pot catch efficiency, the design of the pot entrance plays a crucial role. Therefore, optimizing the entrance is essential to improve catches. This study evaluated the catch efficiency of different experimental pot entrance designs under commercial fishing conditions (e.g., commercial fishing vessel and fishing grounds), building on findings from previous experiments in semi-controlled environments. We investigated the effects of entrance design parameters, including funnel netting colour, funnel length, and acrylic fingers as fish retention device on the catch rates of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). The colour of the funnel netting (transparent vs. white) had no significant effect on catch efficiency. In contrast, increased funnel length and the addition of acrylic fingers at the entrance significantly improved catch rates. Catch performance was also compared with a pot design used by a commercial fisher, which yielded higher catch rates than all experimental variants, indicating that design features beyond entrance configuration contribute to overall efficiency. These findings demonstrate the value of integrating semi-controlled experiments with field trials and the need for further design optimizations to support the development of more effective and sustainable fishing gear
Nutritional quality of feed resources used by smallholder dairy farmers in the Northern Province of Rwanda
Get PDFThe study aimed to analyse both the type and quality of available feed resources used by smallholder dairy farmers in the Northern Province of Rwanda during the transition period from the short rainy season to the short dry season. A total of 218 feed samples were collected from 178 households. Twenty different feed types were identified and classified into: roadside vegetation (51%), cultivated grasses (45%), crop residues (23%), and cultivated trees (2%). Similar feeds from the same village and district were pooled, and the results from 175 feed samples were analysed for crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF), and ash. Organic matter digestibility (OMD) and metabolisable energy (ME) content of the samples was calculated based on in vitro gas production at 24 h (GP24). Among all feed resources used, 42, 32, 12, and 9% of the households, respectively, minimally used feed such as Napier grass, assorted grasses, Digitaria, and maize stover. The CP content varied (p < 0.0001) between 4.4% in banana pseudo-stem and 34.8% in Elderberry tree. Only sweet potato vines, elderberry trees, and maize stover had significantly (p < 0.0001) higher OMD than the other feeds. The ME values ranged from 4.2 to 10.7 MJ/kg DM, with the lowest values reported for roadside vegetation (Commelina and gallant soldier), and the highest for Elderberry tree. Possible interventions such as training farmers in forage management and optimising the use of available feed resources, along with supplementing of higher-quality feed, can escalate productivity
The protein kinases KIPK and KIPK-LIKE1 suppress overbending during negative hypocotyl gravitropic growth in Arabidopsis
Get PDFPlants use environmental cues to orient organ and plant growth, such as the direction of gravity or the direction, quantity, and quality of light. During the germination of Arabidopsis thaliana seeds in soil, negative gravitropism responses direct hypocotyl elongation such that the seedling can reach the light for photosynthesis and autotrophic growth. Similarly, hypocotyl elongation in the soil also requires mechanisms to efficiently grow around obstacles such as soil particles. Here, we identify KIPK (KINESIN-LIKE CALMODULIN-BINDING PROTEIN-INTERACTING PROTEIN KINASE) and the paralogous KIPKL1 (KIPK-LIKE1) as genetically redundant regulators of gravitropic hypocotyl bending. Moreover, we demonstrate that the homologous KIPKL2 (KIPK-LIKE2), which shows strong sequence similarity, must be functionally distinct. KIPK and KIPKL1 are polarly localized plasma membrane-associated proteins that can activate PIN-FORMED auxin transporters. KIPK and KIPKL1 are required to efficiently align hypocotyl growth with the gravity vector when seedling hypocotyls are grown on media plates or in soil, where contact with soil particles and obstacle avoidance impede direct negative gravitropic growth. Therefore, the polar KIPK and KIPKL1 kinases have different biological functions from the related AGC1 family kinases D6PK (D6 PROTEIN KINASE) or PAX (PROTEIN KINASE ASSOCIATED WITH BRX).Protein kinases are essential for enabling seedlings to grow against gravity, potentially by facilitating the appropriate distribution of auxin throughout the growing seedling hypocotyl
Host Species-Microbiome Interactions Contribute to Sphagnum Moss Growth Acclimation to Warming
Get PDFSphagnum moss is the dominant plant genus in northern peatlands responsible for long-term carbon accumulation. Sphagnum hosts diverse microbial communities (microbiomes), and its phytobiome (plant host + constituent microbiome + environment) plays a key role in nutrient acquisition along with carbon cycling. Climate change can modify the Sphagnum-associated microbiome, resulting in enhanced host growth and thermal acclimation as previously shown in warming experiments. However, the extent of microbiome benefits to the host and the influence of host-microbe specificity on Sphagnum thermal acclimation remain unclear. Here, we extracted Sphagnum microbiomes from five donor species of four peatland warming experiments across a latitudinal gradient and applied those microbiomes to three germ-free Sphagnum species grown across a range of temperatures in the laboratory. Using this experimental system, we test if Sphagnum's growth response to warming depends on the donor and/or recipient host species, and we determine how the microbiome's growth conditions in the field affect Sphagnum host growth across a range of temperatures in the laboratory. After 4 weeks, we found that the highest growth rate of recipient Sphagnum was observed in treatments of matched host-microbiome pairs, with rates approximately 50% and 250% higher in comparison to maximum growth rates of non-matched host-microbiome pairs and germ-free Sphagnum, respectively. We also found that the maximum growth rate of host-microbiome pairs was reached when treatment temperatures were close to the microbiome's native temperatures. Our study shows that Sphagnum's growth acclimation to temperature is partially controlled by its constituent microbiome. Strong Sphagnum host-microbiome species specificity indicates the existence of underlying, unknown physiological mechanisms that may drive Sphagnum's ability to acclimatize to elevated temperatures. Together with rapid acclimation of the microbiome to warming, these specific microbiome-plant associations have the potential to enhance peatland resilience in the face of climate change