Genomic and physiological characterization of Kitasatospora sp. nov., an actinobacterium with potential for biotechnological application isolated from Cerrado soil.

An Actinobacteria - Kitasatospora sp. K002 - was isolated from the soil of Cerrado, a savanna-like Brazilian biome. Herein, we conducted a phylogenetic, phenotypic and physiological characterization, revealing its potential for biotechnological applications. Kitasatospora sp. K002 is an aerobic, non-motile, Gram-positive bacteria that forms grayish-white mycelium on solid cultures and submerged spores with vegetative mycelia on liquid cultures. The strain showed antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli. Genomic analysis indicated that Kitasatospora xanthocidica JCM 4862 is the closest strain to K002, with a dDDH of 32.8-37.8% and an ANI of 86.86% and the pangenome investigations identified a high number of rare genes. A total of 60 gene clusters of 22 different types were detected by AntiSMASH, and 22 gene clusters showed low similarity (< 10%) with known compounds, which suggests the potential production of novel bioactive compounds. In addition, phylogenetic analysis and morphophysiological characterization clearly distinguished Kitasatospora sp. K002 from other related species. Therefore, we propose that Kitasatospora sp. K002 should be recognized as a new species of the genus Kitasatospora - Kitasatospora brasiliensis sp. nov. (type strains = K002).

Caregiver's cognitive traits are associated with pup fitness in a cooperatively breeding mammal.

Studies across diverse taxa have revealed the importance of early life environment and parenting on characteristics later in life. While some have shown how early life experiences can impact cognitive abilities, very few have turned this around and looked at how the cognitive skills of parents or other carers during early life affect the fitness of young. In this study, we investigate how the characteristics of carers may affect proxies of fitness of pups in the cooperatively breeding banded mongoose (Mungos mungo). We gave adult mongooses a spatial memory test and compared the results to the success of the pups those individuals cared for. Our results show a tradeoff between speed and accuracy in the spatial memory task, with those individuals which were faster to move between cups in the test arena making more erroneous re-visits to cups that they had already checked for food. Furthermore, the accuracy of their carer predicted future survival, but not weight gain of the pups and the effect was contrary to expected, with pups that were cared for by less accurate individuals being more likely to survive to adulthood. Our research also provides evidence that while younger carers were less accurate during the test, the age of the carer did not have an impact on the chance of raising young that live to sexual maturity. Our findings suggest that banded mongoose carers' cognitive traits have fitness consequences for the young they care for, affecting the chance that these young live to maturity.

The social formation of fitness: lifetime consequences of prenatal nutrition and postnatal care in a wild mammal population.

Research in medicine and evolutionary biology suggests that the sequencing of parental investment has a crucial impact on offspring life history and health. Here, we take advantage of the synchronous birth system of wild banded mongooses to test experimentally the lifetime consequences to offspring of receiving extra investment prenatally versus postnatally. We provided extra food to half of the breeding females in each group during pregnancy, leaving the other half as matched controls. This manipulation resulted in two categories of experimental offspring in synchronously born litters: (i) 'prenatal boost' offspring whose mothers had been fed during pregnancy, and (ii) 'postnatal boost' offspring whose mothers were not fed during pregnancy but who received extra alloparental care in the postnatal period. Prenatal boost offspring lived substantially longer as adults, but postnatal boost offspring had higher lifetime reproductive success (LRS) and higher glucocorticoid levels across the lifespan. Both types of experimental offspring had higher LRS than offspring from unmanipulated litters. We found no difference between the two experimental categories of offspring in adult weight, age at first reproduction, oxidative stress or telomere lengths. These findings are rare experimental evidence that prenatal and postnatal investments have distinct effects in moulding individual life history and fitness in wild mammals. This article is part of the theme issue 'Evolutionary ecology of inequality'.

Seasonal and diel modulation of DOM in a mangrove-dominated estuary.

Rivers and estuaries are the main links between continents and oceans. The Paraíba do Sul River is among the most important rivers of the southeastern Brazilian region, carrying an average of 0.08 Tg of dissolved organic matter (DOM) to the ocean but has been facing significant changes in river discharge. In this study, we aimed to provide insights into the sources and transformations of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) and fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM) sources across a salinity gradient under changing river discharge scenarios. Three spatial surveys were performed covering the entire salinity gradient of the main estuarine channel and surrounding mangrove waters under contrasting river discharge (178 to 1240 m3 s-1), and diel sampling was conducted in the mangrove tidal creek. The characterization of DOM through the parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) model identified six components across the river-ocean gradient and mangrove creek: terrestrial origin (C1 - fulvic acid and C2 and C3 - humic-like), protein-like (C4), tryptophan-like (C5), and tyrosine-like (C6). Our results showed a shift in DOM composition and contribution along the salinity gradient, from terrestrial (C3) to autochthonous (C5 and C6) signatures. The October-17 dry campaign was characterized by a higher proportion of microbial protein-like component C4 and a lower contribution of humic-like components compared to February-17 and March-18 across the salinity gradient with an increase in the mixing zone. The DOM compositions of the February 17 dry and March 18 wet campaigns were similar. Additionally, the March-18 wet campaign, marked by the highest river discharge, showed higher inputs of terrestrial DOM (C1-C3 components) compared to February-17 in the estuary, which allowed DOM to be transported rather than transformed. The mangrove diel study showed that tidal fluctuations are also an important driver of carbon input to the mangrove creek with a possible impact on DOM composition in estuarine waters.

Leaders of war: modelling the evolution of conflict among heterogeneous groups.

War, in human and animal societies, can be extremely costly but can also offer significant benefits to the victorious group. We might expect groups to go into battle when the potential benefits of victory (V) outweigh the costs of escalated conflict (C); however, V and C are unlikely to be distributed evenly in heterogeneous groups. For example, some leaders who make the decision to go to war may monopolize the benefits at little cost to themselves ('exploitative' leaders). By contrast, other leaders may willingly pay increased costs, above and beyond their share of V ('heroic' leaders). We investigated conflict initiation and conflict participation in an ecological model where single-leader-multiple-follower groups came into conflict over natural resources. We found that small group size, low migration rate and frequent interaction between groups increased intergroup competition and the evolution of 'exploitative' leadership, while converse patterns favoured increased intragroup competition and the emergence of 'heroic' leaders. We also found evidence of an alternative leader/follower 'shared effort' outcome. Parameters that favoured high contributing 'heroic' leaders, and low contributing followers, facilitated transitions to more peaceful outcomes. We outline and discuss the key testable predictions of our model for empiricists studying intergroup conflict in humans and animals. This article is part of the theme issue 'Intergroup conflict across taxa'.

A veil of ignorance can promote fairness in a mammal society.

Rawls argued that fairness in human societies can be achieved if decisions about the distribution of societal rewards are made from behind a veil of ignorance, which obscures the personal gains that result. Whether ignorance promotes fairness in animal societies, that is, the distribution of resources to reduce inequality, is unknown. Here we show experimentally that cooperatively breeding banded mongooses, acting from behind a veil of ignorance over kinship, allocate postnatal care in a way that reduces inequality among offspring, in the manner predicted by a Rawlsian model of cooperation. In this society synchronized reproduction leaves adults in a group ignorant of the individual parentage of their communal young. We provisioned half of the mothers in each mongoose group during pregnancy, leaving the other half as matched controls, thus increasing inequality among mothers and increasing the amount of variation in offspring birth weight in communal litters. After birth, fed mothers provided extra care to the offspring of unfed mothers, not their own young, which levelled up initial size inequalities among the offspring and equalized their survival to adulthood. Our findings suggest that a classic idea of moral philosophy also applies to the evolution of cooperation in biological systems.

Mussismilia braziliensis White Plague Disease Is Characterized by an Affected Coral Immune System and Dysbiosis.

Infectious diseases are one of the major drivers of coral reef decline worldwide. White plague-like disease (WPL) is a widespread disease with a complex etiology that infects several coral species, including the Brazilian endemic species Mussismilia braziliensis. Gene expression profiles of healthy and WPL-affected M. braziliensis were analyzed in winter and summer seasons. The de novo assembly of the M. braziliensis transcriptome from healthy and white plague samples produced a reference transcriptome containing 119,088 transcripts. WPL-diseased samples were characterized by repression of immune system and cellular defense processes. Autophagy and cellular adhesion transcripts were also repressed in WPL samples, suggesting exhaustion of the coral host defenses. Seasonal variation leads to plasticity in transcription with upregulation of intracellular signal transduction, apoptosis regulation, and oocyte development in the summer. Analysis of the active bacterial rRNA indicated that Pantoea bacteria were more abundant in WPL corals, while Tistlia, Fulvivirga, and Gammaproteobacteria Ga0077536 were more abundant in healthy samples. Cyanobacteria proliferation was also observed in WPL, mostly in the winter. These results indicate a scenario of dysbiosis in WPL-affected M. braziliensis, with the loss of potentially symbiotic bacteria and proliferation of opportunistic microbes after the start of the infection process.

Ecogenomics and metabolic potential of the South Atlantic Ocean microbiome.

The unique combination of depth, salinity, and water masses make the South Atlantic Ocean an ecosystem of special relevance within the global ocean. Yet, the microbiome of this ecosystem has received less attention than other regions of the global Ocean. This has hampered our understanding of the diversity and metabolic potential of the microorganisms that dwell in this habitat. To fill this knowledge gap, we analyzed a collection of 31 metagenomes from the Atlantic Ocean that spanned the epipelagic, mesopelagic and bathypelagic zones (surface to 4000 m). Read-centric and gene-centric analysis revealed the unique taxonomic and functional composition of metagenomes from each depth zone, which was driven by differences in physical and chemical parameters. In parallel, a total of 40 metagenome-assembled genomes were obtained, which recovered one third of the total community. Phylogenomic reconstruction revealed that many of these genomes are derived from poorly characterized taxa of Bacteria and Archaea. Genomes derived from heterotrophic bacteria of the aphotic zone displayed a large apparatus of genes suited for the utilization of recalcitrant organic compounds such as cellulose, chitin and alkanes. In addition, we found genomic evidence suggesting that mixotrophic bacteria from the bathypelagic zone could perform carbon fixation through the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle, fueled by sulfur oxidation. Finally, we found that the viral communities shifted throughout the water column regarding their targeted hosts and virus-to-microbe ratio, in response to shifts in the composition and functioning their microbial counterparts. Our findings shed light on the microbial and viral drivers of important biogeochemical processes that take place in the South Atlantic Ocean.

Spontaneous abortion as a response to reproductive conflict in the banded mongoose.

When breeding females compete for limited resources, the intensity of this reproductive conflict can determine whether the fitness benefits of current reproductive effort exceed the potential costs to survival and future fertility. In group-living species, reproductive competition can occur through post-natal competition among the offspring of co-breeding females. Spontaneous abortion could be a response to such competition, allowing females to curtail reproductive expenditure on offspring that are unlikely to survive and to conserve resources for future breeding opportunities. We tested this hypothesis using long-term data on banded mongooses, Mungos mungo, in which multiple females within a group give birth synchronously to a communal litter that is cared for by other group members. As predicted, abortions were more likely during dry periods when food is scarce, and in breeding attempts with more intense reproductive competition. Within breeding events, younger, lighter females carrying smaller fetuses were more likely to abort, particularly those that were also of lower rank. Our results suggest that abortion may be a means by which disadvantaged females conserve resources for future breeding attempts in more benign conditions, and highlight that female reproductive competition may be resolved long before the production of offspring.

Modelling the influence of environmental parameters over marine planktonic microbial communities using artificial neural networks.

Guanabara Bay is a tropical estuarine ecosystem that receives massive anthropogenic impacts from the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro. This ecosystem suffers from an ongoing eutrophication process that has been shown to promote the emergence of potentially pathogenic bacteria, giving rise to public health concerns. Although previous studies have investigated how environmental parameters influence the microbial community of Guanabara Bay, they often have been limited to small spatial and temporal gradients and have not been integrated into predictive mathematical models. Our objective was to fill this knowledge gap by building models that could predict how temperature, salinity, phosphorus, nitrogen and transparency work together to regulate the abundance of bacteria, chlorophyll and Vibrio (a potential human pathogen) in Guanabara Bay. To that end, we built artificial neural networks to model the associations between these variables. These networks were carefully validated to ensure that they could provide accurate predictions without biases or overfitting. The estimated models displayed high predictive capacity (Pearson correlation coefficients ≥0.67 and root mean square error ≤ 0.55). Our findings showed that temperature and salinity were often the most important factors regulating the abundance of bacteria, chlorophyll and Vibrio (absolute importance ≥5) and that each of these has a unique level of dependence on nitrogen and phosphorus for their growth. These models allowed us to estimate the Guanabara Bay microbiome's response to changes in environmental conditions, which allowed us to propose strategies for the management and remediation of Guanabara Bay.

Unraveling Ocyptamus and the Baccha legacy (Diptera: Syrphidae): redefinition of groups and new species descriptions.

The systematics of Ocyptamus sensu lato has been reviewed, its species groups redefined, and some taxa resurrected. These and other related taxa are diagnosed to aid in distinguishing between them. The status of the following genera is revised: Calostigma Shannon stat. rev., Hermesomyia Vockeroth stat. rev., Hybobathus Enderlein stat. rev., Mimocalla Hull stat. rev., Orphnabaccha Hull stat. rev., Pipunculosyrphus Hull stat. rev., Pseudoscaeva Vockeroth stat. rev., and Styxia Hull stat. rev. New species of the Neotropical genus Ocyptamus are described from Costa Rica and Venezuela: Ocyptamus maximus Thompson sp. nov., Ocyptamus myiophagus Thompson sp. nov., and Ocyptamus megafemur Thompson sp. nov. In addition, an identification key for the genera and species groups of Ocyptamus sensu lato is provided, as well as a redescription of Syrphus sargoides Macquart.Lectotypes are designated for Doros disjuncta Sack, Baccha placiva Williston, Baccha pulla Sack, Ocyptamus funebris Macquart, Syrphus sargoides, and Syrphus immaculatus Macquart. Moreover, Syrphus immaculatus Macquart is considered to be a species of the genus Toxomerus, and new species synonyms are also given: Baccha atypica Curran is a junior synonym of Syrphus conjunctus Wiedemann; Baccha flata Hull and Doros disjuncta Sack are jun. syn. of Syrphus sargoides Macquart; Baccha bromleyi Curran is a jun. syn. of Ocyptamus funebris Macquart; Baccha sepia Hull, Baccha danaida Hull, Baccha violacea Hull, and Baccha ursula Hull are all synonyms of Ocyptamus pullus (Sack); Baccha nerissa Hull is a jun. syn. of Pelecinobaccha hiantha (Hull); and Baccha panamensis Curran is a jun. syn. of Pelecinobaccha transatlantica (Schiner).

The impact of ileal pouch-anal anastomosis on graft survival following liver transplantation for primary sclerosing cholangitis.

BACKGROUND: Liver transplantation is the only life-extending intervention for primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). Given the co-existence with colitis, patients may also require colectomy; a factor potentially conferring improved post-transplant outcomes. AIM: To determine the impact of restorative surgery via ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) vs retaining an end ileostomy on liver-related outcomes post-transplantation. METHODS: Graft survival was evaluated across a prospectively accrued transplant database, stratified according to colectomy status and type. RESULTS: Between 1990 and 2016, 240 individuals with PSC/colitis underwent transplantation (cumulative 1870 patient-years until first graft loss or last follow-up date), of whom 75 also required colectomy. A heightened incidence of graft loss was observed for the IPAA group vs those retaining an end ileostomy (2.8 vs 0.4 per 100 patient-years, log-rank P = 0.005), whereas rates between IPAA vs no colectomy groups were not significantly different (2.8 vs 1.7, P = 0.1). In addition, the ileostomy group experienced significantly lower graft loss rates vs. patients retaining an intact colon (P = 0.044). The risks conferred by IPAA persisted when taking into account timing of colectomy as related to liver transplantation via time-dependent Cox regression analysis. Hepatic artery thrombosis and biliary strictures were the principal aetiologies of graft loss overall. Incidence rates for both were not significantly different between IPAA and no colectomy groups (P = 0.092 and P = 0.358); however, end ileostomy appeared protective (P = 0.007 and 0.031, respectively). CONCLUSION: In PSC, liver transplantation, colectomy + IPAA is associated with similar incidence rates of hepatic artery thrombosis, recurrent biliary strictures and re-transplantation compared with no colectomy. Colectomy + end ileostomy confers more favourable graft outcomes.

UK clinical guideline for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis.

INTRODUCTION: In 2008, the UK National Osteoporosis Guideline Group (NOGG) produced a guideline on the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, with an update in 2013. This paper presents a major update of the guideline, the scope of which is to review the assessment and management of osteoporosis and the prevention of fragility fractures in postmenopausal women and men age 50 years or over. METHODS: Where available, systematic reviews, meta-analyses and randomised controlled trials were used to provide the evidence base. Conclusions and recommendations were systematically graded according to the strength of the available evidence. RESULTS: Review of the evidence and recommendations are provided for the diagnosis of osteoporosis, fracture-risk assessment, lifestyle measures and pharmacological interventions, duration and monitoring of bisphosphonate therapy, glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis, osteoporosis in men, postfracture care and intervention thresholds. CONCLUSION: The guideline, which has received accreditation from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE), provides a comprehensive overview of the assessment and management of osteoporosis for all healthcare professionals who are involved in its management.

Proposal of fifteen new species of Parasynechococcus based on genomic, physiological and ecological features.

Members of the recently proposed genus Parasynechococcus (Cyanobacteria) are extremely abundant throughout the global ocean and contribute significantly to global primary productivity. However, the taxonomy of these organisms remains poorly characterized. The aim of this study was to propose a new taxonomic framework for Parasynechococcus based on a genomic taxonomy approach that incorporates genomic, physiological and ecological data. Through in silico DNA-DNA hybridization, average amino acid identity, dinucleotide signatures and phylogenetic reconstruction, a total of 15 species of Parasynechococcus could be delineated. Each species was then described on the basis of their gene content, light and nutrient utilization strategies, geographical distribution patterns throughout the oceans and response to environmental parameters.

Lytic to temperate switching of viral communities.

Microbial viruses can control host abundances via density-dependent lytic predator-prey dynamics. Less clear is how temperate viruses, which coexist and replicate with their host, influence microbial communities. Here we show that virus-like particles are relatively less abundant at high host densities. This suggests suppressed lysis where established models predict lytic dynamics are favoured. Meta-analysis of published viral and microbial densities showed that this trend was widespread in diverse ecosystems ranging from soil to freshwater to human lungs. Experimental manipulations showed viral densities more consistent with temperate than lytic life cycles at increasing microbial abundance. An analysis of 24 coral reef viromes showed a relative increase in the abundance of hallmark genes encoded by temperate viruses with increased microbial abundance. Based on these four lines of evidence, we propose the Piggyback-the-Winner model wherein temperate dynamics become increasingly important in ecosystems with high microbial densities; thus 'more microbes, fewer viruses'.

Sherborn's influence on Systema Dipterorum.

Flies make up more than 10% of the planetary biota and our well-being depends on how we manage our coexistence with flies. Storing and accessing relevant knowledge about flies is intimately connected with using correct names, and Systema Dipterorum provides a single authoritative classification for flies developed by consensus among contributors. The 160,000 species of flies currently known are distributed among 160 recent families and some 12,000 genera, which with their synonyms encompass a total of more than a quarter of a million names. These names and their associated classification are shared with relevant global solutions. Sherborn appears to have done remarkably well indexing Diptera names with an overall error rate estimated to be close to 1%.

Trends in Indigenous and non-Indigenous caesarean section births in the Northern Territory of Australia, 1986-2012: a total population-based study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine trends in caesarean section deliveries and factors associated with these trends for Indigenous and non-Indigenous mothers. DESIGN: Total population-based study. SETTING: Northern Territory of Australia, 1986-2012. POPULATION: Pregnancies among Northern Territory residents, limited to singleton live births with cephalic presentations delivered at 37-42 weeks' gestation (n = 78 561). METHODS: Descriptive analyses of demographic and obstetric risk factors. Poisson regression with robust variance to estimate the likelihood of caesarean delivery with and without labour compared with vaginal delivery, over time and between Indigenous and non-Indigenous mothers, adjusting for risk factors. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Trends in caesarean sections and risk of caesarean delivery compared with vaginal delivery. RESULTS: The total rate of caesarean deliveries in the Northern Territory increased between 1986 and 2012. From the year 2000, the rise was driven by increases in caesareans with labour among nulliparous mothers and no labour caesareans among multiparous mothers. Increases in demographic and obstetric risk factors explained the rise in caesareans with labour among nulliparous Indigenous mothers, whereas other unmeasured variables contributed to the rise among non-Indigenous mothers. Increases in previous caesarean delivery contributed to the rise in all caesareans among multiparous mothers. Following adjustment, the risk of Indigenous nulliparous mothers having a caesarean with labour was 47% greater than for non-Indigenous nulliparous mothers [adjusted risk ratio 1.47 (95% CI 1.34-1.60)]. CONCLUSIONS: Increases in demographic and obstetric risk factors partially explained the increase in caesarean rates in the Northern Territory and the contribution of these factors differed between Indigenous and non-Indigenous mothers. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Caesarean section rates increased between 1986 and 2012 in the Northern Territory of Australia.

Elevated glucocorticoid concentrations during gestation predict reduced reproductive success in subordinate female banded mongooses.

Dominant females in social species have been hypothesized to reduce the reproductive success of their subordinates by inducing elevated circulating glucocorticoid (GC) concentrations. However, this 'stress-related suppression' hypothesis has received little support in cooperatively breeding species, despite evident reproductive skews among females. We tested this hypothesis in the banded mongoose (Mungos mungo), a cooperative mammal in which multiple females conceive and carry to term in each communal breeding attempt. As predicted, lower ranked females had lower reproductive success, even among females that carried to term. While there were no rank-related differences in faecal glucocorticoid (fGC) concentrations prior to gestation or in the first trimester, lower ranked females had significantly higher fGC concentrations than higher ranked females in the second and third trimesters. Finally, females with higher fGC concentrations during the third trimester lost a greater proportion of their gestated young prior to their emergence from the burrow. Together, our results are consistent with a role for rank-related maternal stress in generating reproductive skew among females in this cooperative breeder. While studies of reproductive skew frequently consider the possibility that rank-related stress reduces the conception rates of subordinates, our findings highlight the possibility of detrimental effects on reproductive outcomes even after pregnancies have become established.