Variation and correlation in the timing of breeding of North Atlantic seabirds across multiple scales.

Timing of breeding, an important driver of fitness in many populations, is widely studied in the context of global change, yet despite considerable efforts to identify environmental drivers of seabird nesting phenology, for most populations we lack evidence of strong drivers. Here we adopt an alternative approach, examining the degree to which different populations positively covary in their annual phenology to infer whether phenological responses to environmental drivers are likely to be (a) shared across species at a range of spatial scales, (b) shared across populations of a species or (c) idiosyncratic to populations. We combined 51 long-term datasets on breeding phenology spanning 50 years from nine seabird species across 29 North Atlantic sites and examined the extent to which different populations share early versus late breeding seasons depending on a hierarchy of spatial scales comprising breeding site, small-scale region, large-scale region and the whole North Atlantic. In about a third of cases, we found laying dates of populations of different species sharing the same breeding site or small-scale breeding region were positively correlated, which is consistent with the hypothesis that they share phenological responses to the same environmental conditions. In comparison, we found no evidence for positive phenological covariation among populations across species aggregated at larger spatial scales. In general, we found little evidence for positive phenological covariation between populations of a single species, and in many instances the inter-year variation specific to a population was substantial, consistent with each population responding idiosyncratically to local environmental conditions. Black-legged kittiwake Rissa tridactyla was the exception, with populations exhibiting positive covariation in laying dates that decayed with the distance between breeding sites, suggesting that populations may be responding to a similar driver. Our approach sheds light on the potential factors that may drive phenology in our study species, thus furthering our understanding of the scales at which different seabirds interact with interannual variation in their environment. We also identify additional systems and phenological questions to which our inferential approach could be applied.

A comparison of understanding of the amphibian crisis by zoo visitors across three countries.

Despite the global declines in the rate of amphibians, evaluation of public understanding of the crisis has not yet been carried out. We surveyed visitors (n = 1,293) at 15 zoos in Brazil, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, using a certainty-based assessment method to compare visitor knowledge of the global amphibian crisis. We further analyzed zoo educational material about amphibians to explore its potential to raise awareness through amphibian-focused environmental education. Visitors in the three countries had relatively little understanding of amphibians and the global amphibian crisis. When the degree of confidence in answering the questions (high, medium, and low) is accounted for, correct answers varied between 28% and 39%. This compared to scores of between 58% and 73% when the degree of confidence in responding was not accounted for. However, specific areas of knowledge (e.g., biology, conservation, biogeography, and conceptual ideas) varied significantly across the countries. Visitors had a weaker grasp of biogeographical and conservation issues than general amphibian biology. Zoo visitors in Brazil knew less about amphibian conservation than those in New Zealand or the United Kingdom. There was less amphibian-focused content in educational materials in zoos in Brazil than there was in the United Kingdom. Improving information about the global amphibian crisis may increase support for future conservation actions. Outreach education is one of the most important approaches in any strategic planning for conservation of species. Amphibian-focused environmental education at institutions such as zoos and aquaria can be a crucial intervention to support amphibian conservation worldwide.

Prevalence and obstetric outcome of women with red cell antibodies in pregnancy at the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, West Yorkshire, England.

OBJECTIVE: The prevalence of red cell antibodies in pregnancy varies with ethnicity and geographical location, while the obstetric outcome depends on the available standard of care. Despite being the tertiary fetal medicine centre in West Yorkshire, the prevalence of red cell antibodies, and the outcome of pregnancies associated with these antibodies at the Leeds University Teaching Hospitals Trust remains unreported. This article aims to provide this information for the purpose of patient education and counselling. STUDY DESIGN: The data of pregnant women with red cell antibodies between January 2011 and December 2016 was obtained from the Trust's database and reconciled with the Fetal Medicine Unit records using Viewpoint©. Fetal anaemia requiring in utero transfusion (IUT) was defined as a Middle Cerebral Artery Peak Systolic Velocities ≥ 1.5multiple of the median expected for gestational age. The mean gestational age at delivery, and perinatal outcomes of the pregnancies were recorded. RESULT: Overall, 398 of the 96, 692 pregnant women that were screened had red cell antibodies, giving a prevalence of 1: 242 pregnancies. The Anti- E and Anti-M antibodies were the most common (114 women; 28.6%, and 112 women; 28.1% respectively), but did not cause fetal anaemia in isolation, while anti-D alloimmunization was the predominant indication for in-utero transfusion (IUT). Anti-DE and anti-Kell antibodies had the highest mean number of transfusions per pregnancy. The mean gestational age at delivery was 34 ± 2weeks. Post-transfusion fetal demise was recorded in two hydropic fetuses, both at a gestational age of 25 weeks; giving a transfusion-related mortality rate of 2.5%. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of red cell antibodies at West Yorkshire is lower compared with reports from other Caucasian populations.Nevertheless, these antibodies are important causes of iatrogenic preterm delivery and fetal morbidity. The prognosis is however good with prompt diagnosis and management.

Distribution and host range of the microsporidian Pleistophora mulleri.

Microsporidia of the genus Pleistophora are important parasites of fish and crustacea. Pleistophora mulleri has been described previously as a parasite of the gammarid amphipod crustacean Gammarus duebeni celticus in Irish freshwater habitats. Through a survey of European G. duebeni populations, P. mulleri was found to be widely distributed in the western British Isles (Wales, Scotland, and the Isle of Man), and populations of the subspecies Gammarus duebeni duebeni as well as G. d. celticus were infected. Pleistophora infections were also detected in G. d. duebeni sampled from the Bay of Gdansk on Poland's Baltic coast, indicating a wide distribution of Pleistophora in European G. duebeni. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA, 18S rRNA, and Rpb1 genes of P. mulleri suggest that this species may be synonymous with P. typicalis, a parasite of fish. These findings suggest that amphipod crustaceans may act as intermediate or reservoir hosts for microsporidian parasites of fish.

Oceanography and life history predict contrasting genetic population structure in two Antarctic fish species.

Understanding the key drivers of population connectivity in the marine environment is essential for the effective management of natural resources. Although several different approaches to evaluating connectivity have been used, they are rarely integrated quantitatively. Here, we use a 'seascape genetics' approach, by combining oceanographic modelling and microsatellite analyses, to understand the dominant influences on the population genetic structure of two Antarctic fishes with contrasting life histories, Champsocephalus gunnari and Notothenia rossii. The close accord between the model projections and empirical genetic structure demonstrated that passive dispersal during the planktonic early life stages is the dominant influence on patterns and extent of genetic structuring in both species. The shorter planktonic phase of C. gunnari restricts direct transport of larvae between distant populations, leading to stronger regional differentiation. By contrast, geographic distance did not affect differentiation in N. rossii, whose longer larval period promotes long-distance dispersal. Interannual variability in oceanographic flows strongly influenced the projected genetic structure, suggesting that shifts in circulation patterns due to climate change are likely to impact future genetic connectivity and opportunities for local adaptation, resilience and recovery from perturbations. Further development of realistic climate models is required to fully assess such potential impacts.

Comparative phylogeography of three trematomid fishes reveals contrasting genetic structure patterns in benthic and pelagic species.

Population genetics patterns of marine fish in general and of Southern Ocean fish in particular range from virtual panmixia over ocean-wide scale to deeply fragmented populations. However the causes underlying these different patterns are not properly understood. In this paper, we tested the hypotheses that population connectivity is positively related to a combination of life history traits, namely duration of pelagic larval period and the tendency towards pelagic life style in the adulthood. To do so, we analysed the variability of six microsatellite and one mitochondrial marker (cytochrome b) in three Southern Ocean fish species (Trematomus newnesi, Trematomus hansoni and Trematomus bernacchii). They share a recent common ancestor but notably differ in their duration of pelagic larval period as well as pelagic versus benthic lifestyle. We sampled over a range of more than 5000 km for all three species and used a number of population genetics tools to investigate past and contemporary levels of connectivity. All species experienced population fluctuations, but coalescent simulations suggested that contemporary populations are in migration-drift equilibrium. Although global F(ST) values were rather low, a significant population structure separated the High-Antarctic from the Peninsular regions in all species. The level of genetic differentiation was much lower in the pelagic versus benthic species. Present data suggest that past and present genetic structuring in the Southern Ocean are indeed related with the ecological traits of Antarctic fish, however the relative importance of individual factors remains unclear.

NfCR1, the first non-LTR retrotransposon characterized in the Australian lungfish genome, Neoceratodus forsteri, shows similarities to CR1-like elements.

The genomes of lungfish, together with those of some urodele amphibians, are the largest of all vertebrate genomes. It has been assumed that the bulk of the DNA making up these large genomes has been derived from repeat elements, like the noncoding DNA of those genomes that have been sequenced (e.g., human). In an attempt to characterize repeat sequences in the lungfish genome, we have isolated, by restriction enzyme digestion of genomic DNA, sequences of a repeat element in Neoceratodus forsteri, the most primitive of the living lungfishes. The fragments sequenced from the EcoRI and BglII digests were used to perform genome walking PCR in order to obtain the full sequence of the repeat element. This element shares homology with the non-LTR (LINE) element, Chicken Repeat 1 (CR1), described for several vertebrates and some invertebrates; we have called it N. forsteri CR1 (NfCR1). NfCR1 shares all the domains of other CR1 elements but it also has several unique features that suggest it may no longer be active in the lungfish genome. It occurs in both full-length and 5'-truncated versions and in its present "inactive" form represents approximately 0.05% of the lungfish genome.