Phylogenetic structure of body shape in a diverse inland ichthyofauna.

Body shape is a fundamental metric of animal diversity affecting critical behavioral and ecological dynamics and conservation status, yet previously available methods capture only a fraction of total body-shape variance. Here we use structure-from-motion (SFM) 3D photogrammetry to generate digital 3D models of adult fishes from the Lower Mississippi Basin, one of the most diverse temperate-zone freshwater faunas on Earth, and 3D geometric morphometrics to capture morphologically distinct shape variables, interpreting principal components as growth fields. The mean body shape in this fauna resembles plesiomorphic teleost fishes, and the major dimensions of body-shape disparity are similar to those of other fish faunas worldwide. Major patterns of body-shape disparity are structured by phylogeny, with nested clades occupying distinct portions of the morphospace, most of the morphospace occupied by multiple distinct clades, and one clade (Acanthomorpha) accounting for over half of the total body shape variance. In contrast to previous studies, variance in body depth (59.4%) structures overall body-shape disparity more than does length (31.1%), while width accounts for a non-trivial (9.5%) amount of the total body-shape disparity.

Correlation of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater with COVID-19 disease burden in sewersheds.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), is shed in feces and the viral ribonucleic acid (RNA) is detectable in wastewater. A nine-week wastewater epidemiology study of ten wastewater facilities, serving 39% of the state of Utah or 1.26 M individuals was conducted in April and May of 2020. COVID-19 cases were tabulated from within each sewershed boundary. RNA from SARS-CoV-2 was detectable in 61% of 126 wastewater samples. Urban sewersheds serving >100,000 individuals and tourist communities had higher detection frequencies. An outbreak of COVID-19 across two communities positively correlated with an increase in wastewater SARS-CoV-2 RNA, while a decline in COVID-19 cases preceded a decline in RNA. SARS-CoV-2 RNA followed a first order decay rate in wastewater, while 90% of the RNA was present in the liquid phase of the influent. Infiltration and inflow, virus decay and sewershed characteristics should be considered during correlation analysis of SAR-CoV-2 with COVID-19 cases. These results provide evidence of the utility of wastewater epidemiology to assist in public health responses to COVID-19.