Engineered algal systems for the treatment of anaerobic digestate: A meta-analysis.

The objective of this review was to provide quantitative insights into algal growth and nutrient removal in anaerobic digestate. To synthesize the relevant literature, a meta-analysis was conducted using data from 58 articles to elucidate key factors that impact algal biomass productivity and nutrient removal from anaerobic digestate. On average, algal biomass productivity in anaerobic digestate was significantly lower than that in synthetic control media (p < 0.05) but large variation in productivity was observed. A mixed-effects multiple regression model across study revealed that biological or chemical pretreatment of digestate significantly increase productivity (p < 0.001). In contrast, the commonly used practice of digestate dilution was not a significant factor in the model. High initial total ammonia nitrogen suppressed algal growth (p = 0.036) whereas initial total phosphorus concentration, digestate sterilization, CO2 supplementation, and temperature were not statistically significant factors. Higher growth corresponded with significantly higher NH4-N and phosphorus removal with a linear relationship of 6.4 mg NH4-N and 0.73 mg P removed per 100 mg of algal biomass growth (p < 0.001). The literature suggests that suboptimal algal growth in anaerobic digestate could be due to factors such as turbidity, high free ammonia, and residual organic compounds. This analysis shows that non-dilution approaches, such as biological or chemical pretreatment, for alleviating algal inhibition are recommended for algal digestate treatment systems.

Indole-3-acetic acid promotes growth in bloom-forming Microcystis via an antioxidant response.

Interactions between bacteria and phytoplankton in the phycosphere facilitate and constrain biogeochemical cycling in aquatic ecosystems. Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) is a bacterially produced chemical signal that promotes growth of phytoplankton and plants. Here, we explored the impact of IAA on bloom-forming cyanobacteria and their associated bacteria. Exposure to IAA and its precursor, tryptophan, resulted in a strong growth response in a bloom of the freshwater cyanobacterium, Microcystis. Metatranscriptome analysis revealed the induction of an antioxidant response in Microcystis upon exposure to IAA, potentially allowing populations to increase photosynthetic rate and overcome internally generated reactive oxygen. Our data reveal that co-occurring bacteria within the phycosphere microbiome exhibit a division of labor for supportive functions, such as nutrient mineralization and transport, vitamin synthesis, and reactive oxygen neutralization. These complex dynamics within the Microcystis phycosphere microbiome are an example of interactions within a microenvironment that can have ecosystem-scale consequences.

Drivers of cyanotoxin and taste-and-odor compound presence within the benthic algae of human-disturbed rivers.

Freshwater benthic algae form complex mat matrices that can confer ecosystem benefits but also produce harmful cyanotoxins and nuisance taste-and-odor (T&O) compounds. Despite intensive study of the response of pelagic systems to anthropogenic change, the environmental factors controlling toxin presence in benthic mats remain uncertain. Here, we present a unique dataset from a rapidly urbanizing community (Kansas City, USA) that spans environmental, toxicological, taxonomic, and genomic indicators to identify the prevalence of three cyanotoxins (microcystin, anatoxin-a, and saxitoxin) and two T&O compounds (geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol). Thereafter, we construct a random forest model informed by game theory to assess underlying drivers. Microcystin (11.9 ± 11.6 µg/m2), a liver toxin linked to animal fatalities, and geosmin (0.67 ± 0.67 µg/m2), a costly-to-treat malodorous compound, were the most abundant compounds and were present in 100 % of samples, irrespective of land use or environmental conditions. Anatoxin-a (8.1 ± 11.6 µg/m2) and saxitoxin (0.18 ± 0.39 µg/m2), while not always detected, showed a systematic tradeoff in their relative importance with season, an observation not previously reported in the literature. Our model indicates that microcystin concentrations were greatest where microcystin-producing genes were present, whereas geosmin concentrations were high in the absence of geosmin-producing genes. Together, these results suggest that benthic mats produce microcystin in situ but that geosmin production may occur ex situ with its presence in mats attributable to adsorption by organic matter. Our study broadens the awareness of benthic cyanobacteria as a source of harmful and nuisance metabolites and highlights the importance of benthic monitoring for sustaining water quality standards in rivers.

The fitness consequences of wildlife conservation translocations: a meta-analysis.

Conservation translocation is a common strategy to offset mounting rates of population declines through the transfer of captive- or wild-origin organisms into areas where conspecific populations are imperilled or completely extirpated. Translocations that supplement existing populations are referred to as reinforcements and can be conducted using captive-origin animals [ex situ reinforcement (ESR)] or wild-origin animals without any captive ancestry [in situ reinforcement (ISR)]. These programs have been criticized for low success rates and husbandry practices that produce individuals with genetic and performance deficits, but the post-release performance of captive-origin or wild-origin translocated groups has not been systematically reviewed to quantify success relative to wild-resident control groups. To assess the disparity in post-release performance of translocated organisms relative to wild-resident conspecifics and examine the association of performance disparity with organismal and methodological factors across studies, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 821 performance comparisons from 171 studies representing nine animal classes (101 species). We found that translocated organisms have 64% decreased odds of out-performing their wild-resident counterparts, supporting claims of systemic issues hampering conservation translocations. To help identify translocation practices that could maximize program success in the future, we further quantified the impact of broad organismal and methodological factors on the disparity between translocated and wild-resident conspecific performance. Pre-release animal enrichment significantly reduced performance disparities, whereas our results suggest no overall effects of taxonomic group, sex, captive generation time, or the type of fitness surrogate measured. This work is the most comprehensive systematic review to date of animal conservation translocations in which wild conspecifics were used as comparators, thereby facilitating an evaluation of the overall impact of this conservation strategy and identifying specific actions to increase success. Our review highlights the need for conservation managers to include both sympatric and allopatric wild-reference groups to ensure the post-release performance of translocated animals can be evaluated. Further, our analyses identify pre-release animal enrichment as a particular strategy for improving the outcomes of animal conservation translocations, and demonstrate how meta-analysis can be used to identify implementation choices that maximize translocated animal contributions to recipient population growth and viability.

Positive and negative impacts of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum on water quality.

Flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum, a by-product of carbon-based energy sources, has typically been incorporated as a component of concrete mixes and wallboard and beneficially used as an agricultural amendment to enhance terrestrial crop production and improve the quality of runoff. These various uses for the by-product aid in reducing the amount that is ultimately landfilled. Limited studies have investigated its benefits when used directly in aquatic settings, such as ponds and lakes, to increase hardness and potentially mitigate eutrophication. A 36-day field mesocosm experiment tested a larger range of FGD gypsum concentrations (500-2000 mg/L) than those previously tested in the literature to investigate its desired and potentially undesired impacts on water quality, including the algal community. High FGD gypsum concentrations, 1000 and 2000 mg/L, were found to have more undesired impacts than the 500 mg/L treatment, including an initial spike in cyanobacteria, a decrease in total zooplankton abundance, and an increase in certain trace metals in the highest treatment. Ultimately, the 500 mg/L FGD gypsum treatment was found to have fewer undesired impacts while still resulting in significant desired effects, including those on hardness and pH, as well as moderate reductions in algal abundance. This experiment provides a better understanding of the effects of FGD gypsum when directly used in an aquatic setting, determines an optimal dose for future field experiments, and helps provide the groundwork for developing an upper threshold on FGD gypsum so as to not have the negative effects outweigh the positive.

Long-term missing role of small colloids and nanoparticles on the loading and speciation of phosphorus in catfish aquaculture ponds in west Alabama.

Increasing loading of phosphorus (P) into freshwater systems is deemed as one of the key drivers triggering harmful algal blooms (HABs). However, conventional water quality monitoring of P normally uses the operational cutoff (e.g., 450-nm filter membrane) to separate particulate and dissolved phases (entities passing through the 450-nm membrane are regarded as dissolved phase), which completely neglects the roles of small colloids (450-100 nm) and nanoparticles (100-1 nm). Herein, a new particle size separation approach was used to separate water samples collected from catfish aquaculture ponds in west Alabama into six size fractions: large particles (>1000 nm), large colloids (1000-450 nm), small colloids (450-100 nm), large nanoparticles (100-50 nm), small nanoparticles (50-1 nm), and the truly dissolved phase (<1 nm). The speciation and concentration of P in these six size fractions were then investigated using Hedley's sequential extraction method. The new particle size separation results showed that particle loading (mass) followed the order: >1000 nm, 450-100 nm, 1000-450 nm, 100-50 nm, and 50-1 nm. This is mainly due to the abundance of large-sized (>1000 nm) zooplankton and phytoplankton such as algae and cyanobacteria in the catfish aquaculture ponds. Importantly, the small colloid (450-100 nm) and nanoparticle (100-1 nm) size fractions, which were previously regarded as the dissolved phase using the 450-nm membrane filtration operation, accounted for ∼41.8% of the total particle mass. The Hedley's sequential extraction results showed that sodium hydroxide (NaOH)-extracted P represented the largest P pool, followed by water (H2O)- and sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3)-extracted P pools. Smaller particles exhibited a higher loading of P due to their large surface areas. These new findings suggest that the new particle size separation approach needs to be adopted for future water quality monitoring and mitigation of HABs in freshwater ecosystems.

Most treatments to control freshwater algal blooms are not effective: Meta-analysis of field experiments.

Harmful algal blooms negatively impact freshwater, estuarine, and marine systems worldwide, including those used for drinking water, recreation, and aquaculture, through the production of toxic and nontoxic secondary metabolites as well as hypoxic events that occur when algal blooms degrade. Consequently, water resource managers often utilize chemical, bacterial, physical, and/or plant-based treatments to control algal blooms and improve water quality. However, awareness of available treatments may be limited, and there is ambiguity among the effects of algal bloom treatments across studies. Such variation within the literature and lack of knowledge of other tested treatments leave uncertainty for water resource managers when deciding what treatments are best to control algal blooms and improve water quality. Our primary objective was to synthesize data from 39 published and unpublished studies that used one of 28 chemical, bacterial, physical, and/or plant-based treatments in field experiments on various water quality measurements, including phytoplankton pigments and cell density, cyanobacterial toxins (microcystin), and common off-flavors (i.e., taste and odor compounds; geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol). We hypothesized that treatments would improve water quality. Across all studies and treatment types (227 effect sizes), water quality improvements were observed when measured at the time of greatest decline following treatment or at the end of the experiment. However, these findings were primarily mediated by only four chemicals, namely copper sulfate, hydrogen peroxide, peracetic acid, and simazine. None of the bacterial, physical, or plant-based treatments were shown to significantly improve water quality by themselves. Results from this synthesis quantitatively showed that most treatments fail to improve water quality in the field and highlight the need for more research on existing and alternative treatments.

The Microbiome as a Maternal Effect: A Systematic Review on Vertical Transmission of Microbiota.

The microbiome is an interactive and fluctuating community of microbes that colonize and develop across surfaces, including those associated with organismal hosts. A growing number of studies exploring how microbiomes vary in ecologically relevant contexts have recognized the importance of microbiomes in affecting organismal evolution. Thus, identifying the source and mechanism for microbial colonization in a host will provide insight into adaptation and other evolutionary processes. Vertical transmission of microbiota is hypothesized to be a source of variation in offspring phenotypes with important ecological and evolutionary implications. However, the life-history traits that govern vertical transmission are largely unexplored in the ecological literature. To increase research attention to this knowledge gap, we conducted a systematic review to address the following questions: (1) How often is vertical transmission assessed as a contributor to offspring microbiome colonization and development? (2) Do studies have the capacity to address how maternal transmission of microbes affects the offspring phenotype? (3) How do studies vary based on taxonomy and life history of the study organism, as well as the experimental, molecular, and statistical methods employed? Extensive literature searches reveal that many studies examining vertical transmission of microbiomes fail to collect whole microbiome samples from both maternal and offspring sources, particularly for oviparous vertebrates. Additionally, studies should sample functional diversity of microbes to provide a better understanding of mechanisms that influence host phenotypes rather than solely taxonomic variation. An ideal microbiome study incorporates host factors, microbe-microbe interactions, and environmental factors. As evolutionary biologists continue to merge microbiome science and ecology, examining vertical transmission of microbes across taxa can provide inferences on causal links between microbiome variation and phenotypic evolution.

Increasing Quality and Frequency of Goals-of-Care Documentation in the Highest-Risk Surgical Candidates: One-Year Results of the Surgical Pause Program.

Patient values may be obscured when decisions are made under the circumstances of constrained time and limited counseling. The objective of this study was to determine if a multidisciplinary review aimed at ensuring goal-concordant treatment and perioperative risk assessment in high-risk orthopaedic trauma patients would increase the quality and frequency of goals-of-care documentation without increasing the rate of adverse events. Methods: We prospectively analyzed a longitudinal cohort of adult patients treated for traumatic orthopaedic injuries that were neither life- nor limb-threatening between January 1, 2020, and July 1, 2021. A rapid multidisciplinary review termed a "surgical pause" (SP) was available to those who were ≥80 years old, were nonambulatory or had minimal ambulation at baseline, and/or resided in a skilled nursing facility, as well as upon clinician request. Metrics analyzed include the proportion and quality of goals-of-care documentation, rate of return to the hospital, complications, length of stay, and mortality. Statistical analysis utilized the Kruskal-Wallis rank and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests for continuous variables and the likelihood-ratio chi-square test for categorical variables. Results: A total of 133 patients were either eligible for the SP or referred by a clinician. Compared with SP-eligible patients who did not undergo an SP, patients who underwent an SP more frequently had goals-of-care notes identified (92.4% versus 75.0%, p = 0.014) and recorded in the appropriate location (71.2% versus 27.5%, p < 0.001), and the notes were more often of high quality (77.3% versus 45.0%, p < 0.001). Mortality rates were nominally higher among SP patients, but these differences were not significant (10.6% versus 5.0%, 5.1% versus 0.0%, and 14.3% versus 7.9% for in-hospital, 30-day, and 90-day mortality, respectively; p > 0.08 for all). Conclusions: The pilot program indicated that an SP is a feasible and effective means of increasing the quality and frequency of goals-of-care documentation in high-risk operative candidates whose traumatic orthopaedic injuries are neither life- nor limb-threatening. This multidisciplinary program aims for goal-concordant treatment plans that minimize modifiable perioperative risks. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Sorptive removal of phosphorus by flue gas desulfurization gypsum in batch and column systems.

Phosphorus (P) over-loading is often a central topic due to its linkage to harmful algal blooms (HABs) and its importance in wastewater treatment that has fueled immediate remediation attempts to reduce P loading from point (e.g., wastewater) and nonpoint sources (e.g., fertilizers). Conventional remediation techniques (e.g., filtration) are often expensive, ineffective, and difficult to implement at large scales. The flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum produced as an energy plant waste byproduct has recently been advocated as a physiochemical remediation strategy for P through sorptive removal. However, limited research is available on the practical applications of FGD gypsum for P removal from water. Herein, batch sorption experiments were performed to investigate the sorptive removal efficiency of P by FGD gypsum under environmentally relevant P concentrations (0.01-0.25 mM). In parallel, fixed-bed column experiments packed with FGD gypsum were performed using elevated P concentrations (0.1-1.0 mM) to understand the scalability of FGD gypsum for large-scale practical applications. During batch experiments, P sorption equilibrium was reached within 24 h that includes an initially fast step (via boundary layer diffusion), followed by a slow rate-determining step (via intraparticle diffusion). P sorption kinetics followed the pseudo second-order kinetics, indicating chemisorption. P sorption at equilibrium can be simulated by both the Freundlich and Langmuir sorption isotherms. The Langmuir sorption isotherm yielded a maximum sorption capacity (Qmax) of 36.1 mM kg-1. The fixed-bed column experimental results showed that sorption rate depends on the applied flow rate, irrespective of the tested P concentrations. Our findings can be extrapolated to evaluate the feasibility and scalability of FGD gypsum in removing P to counteract P runoff and mitigate HABs and P-loaded wastewater.

Functionality of dietary antimicrobial peptides in aquatic animal health: Multiple meta-analyses.

Effects of antimicrobial peptides (AMP) added to diets on aquatic animal health and body function are influenced by multiple factors such as animal species, initial body weight, the dosage of AMP and feeding duration. However, there is limited knowledge on the relationship between these factors and the body function of aquatic animals. Here, we aimed to perform multiple meta-analyses to investigate the effects of dietary AMP on growth performance (feed conversion ratio [FCR], specific growth rate [SGR]), enzyme activity (superoxide dismutase activity [SOD], lysozyme activity [LSA]), disease resistance (cumulative survival rate [CSR], the expression of immune-related genes [GENE]) and the abundance of gut microbiota (MICRO) from a pool of empirical studies. Additionally, the dose-effect model was applied to determine the optimal AMP dose, initial body weight and feeding duration to maximize body function. To conduct the meta-analyses, we included 34 publications that estimated 705 effect sizes across 21 fish, 2 shrimp and 2 shellfish species. The results confirmed that the inclusion of AMP in the diet can significantly improve SGR, SOD, LSA, CSR and GENE and decrease FCR for aquatic animals. Interestingly, our findings implied a slight positive effect of AMP on MICRO albeit with a limited number of studies available on fish gut microbial communities. Although no significant linear or quadratic relationship was predicted by meta-regression, the dose-effect indicated that the optimal AMP doses for FCR, SGR, SOD and LSA were 707.5, 750.0, 1,050.0 and 937.5 mg/kg, respectively. Taken together, fish with an initial body weight of 30 g could be fed with a dose of 600 to 800 mg/kg for 2 mo when AMP-supplemented diets were applied in aquaculture, which can effectively improve body function and health while lowering aquafeed costs. In addition, more studies should address fish gut microbiota to delimitate the influence of dietary AMP on MICRO in the future.

Complex effects of dissolved organic matter, temperature, and initial bloom density on the efficacy of hydrogen peroxide to control cyanobacteria.

Harmful cyanobacterial blooms plague reservoirs and lakes used for a variety of purposes, such as recreation and drinking water. Chemical controls are frequently used to mitigate the occurrence of cyanobacterial blooms given that many are fast-acting and effective at reducing cyanobacterial abundance. Recent research has identified hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as an environmentally friendly alternative to algaecides that have typically been used, such as copper sulfate. To build on past studies, these experiments sought to further understand how well H2O2 treatments reduce cyanobacteria in complex eutrophic conditions, as well as to assess treatment effects on a non-target phytoplankter, a green alga. We assessed the effectiveness of H2O2 (at treatments of 2-16 mg L-1) under varying environmental conditions in a controlled laboratory setting, including (1) dissolved organic matter (DOM) concentrations (humic acid; 0-60 mg L-1), (2) temperature (20, 25, and 32 °C), and (3) initial algal biomass (chlorophyll-a; 82-371 µg L-1). In contrast to our expectations, neither DOM concentration nor temperature meaningfully impacted the effectiveness of H2O2 at reducing cyanobacteria. However, initial algal biomass as well as H2O2 treatment dose greatly influenced the effectiveness of the algaecide on cyanobacteria. Treatments of ≥ 8 mg H2O2 L-1 on algal biomass were significantly buffered with higher DOM and lower temperature, and the biological significance of these findings should be explored further. Across all experiments, H2O2 concentrations of 0.03-0.12 mg H2O2 L-1 µg chlorophyll L-1 were effective at significantly reducing cyanobacteria with varying effects on algal biomass. Thus, water resource managers are encouraged to consider how ambient levels of phytoplankton biomass may affect the ability of H2O2 to control cyanobacterial blooms prior to treatment.

Can correlational analyses help determine the drivers of microcystin occurrence in freshwater ecosystems? A meta-analysis of microcystin and associated water quality parameters.

Microcystin (MC) is a toxic secondary metabolite produced by select cyanobacteria that threatens aquatic and terrestrial organisms over a diverse range of freshwater systems. To assess the relationship between environmental parameters and MC, researchers frequently utilize correlational analyses. This statistical methodology has proved useful when summarizing complex water quality monitoring datasets, but the correlations between select parameters and MC have been documented to vary widely across studies and systems. Such variation within the peer-reviewed literature leaves uncertainty for resource managers when developing a MC monitoring program. The objective of this research is to determine if correlational analyses between environmental parameters and MC are helpful to resource managers desiring to understand the drivers of MC. Environmental (i.e., physical, chemical, and biological) and MC correlation data were retrieved from an estimated 2,643 waterbodies (largely from the north temperate region) and synthesized using a Fisher's z meta-analysis. Common water quality parameters, such as chlorophyll, temperature, and pH, were positively correlated with MC, while transparency was negatively correlated. Interestingly, 12 of the 15 studied nitrogen parameters, including total nitrogen, were not significantly correlated with MC. In contrast, three of the four studied phosphorus parameters, including total phosphorus, were positively related to MC. Results from this synthesis quantitatively reinforces the usefulness of commonly measured environmental parameters to monitor for conditions related to MC occurrence; however, correlational analyses by themselves are often ineffective and considering what role a parameter plays in the ecology of cyanobacterial blooms in addition to MC production is vital.

The presence of a draining sinus is associated with failure of re-implantation during two-stage exchange arthroplasty.

Background: Reinfection rates after two-stage exchange arthroplasty for prosthetic joint infection (PJI) have been reported as high as 33 % in the literature. Understanding risk factors for treatment failure will help to preoperatively counsel patients on the likelihood of successful treatment and possibly influence the surgeon's treatment algorithm. This study aimed to delineate whether the presence of a draining sinus tract is associated with risk of failure of two-stage exchange arthroplasty. Methods: We performed a single institution, multi-center retrospective chart review of outcomes of patients treated for PJI with two-stage exchange arthroplasty between June 2006 and May 2016. For patients treated prior to 2011, PJI was defined based on the preoperative work-up and intraoperative findings as determined by the attending surgeon. After 2011, PJI was defined using MSIS consensus criteria. All patients had a minimum of follow-up of 2 years or treatment failure prior to 2 years. Treatment failure was defined as reinfection or failure to complete two-stage exchange secondary to persistent infection or other host factors. Operative reports and clinical notes were reviewed to assess for presence of a draining sinus tract. Results: 240 patients were treated for PJI with intended two-stage exchange arthroplasty. The overall rate of treatment failure was 29.6 % ( 71 / 240 ), while the overall rate of reinfection was 13.3 % ( 32 / 240 ). A total of 39 patients did not complete second stage revision; final treatment for these patients was amputation, fusion, or chronic antibiotic suppression. A total of 52 of 240 patients (21.7 %) had a draining sinus tract at presentation. Patients with a sinus tract were significantly less likely to be replanted compared to those without a sinus tract at presentation (13.3 % vs. 26.9 %, p = 0.02 ). However, when accounting for all mechanisms of treatment failure, including reinfection following replantation, there was no statistically significant difference detected between the sinus and no-sinus groups (27.7 % vs. 36.5 %, p = 0.22 ). Discussion: A draining sinus tract represents a chronic, deep infectious process with ultimate compromise of overlying soft tissues. Thus we hypothesized it would be associated with failure in a two-stage exchange arthroplasty. These data demonstrate that patients with a draining sinus are significantly less likely to undergo re-implantation. This provides evidence to the paucity of data surrounding draining sinuses and two-stage PJI treatment.

Perioperative Blood Management in Total Joint Arthroplasty.

Preoperative anemia is an established risk factor for complications following total joint arthroplasty. Postoperative anemia can be managed with allogeneic blood transfusion, but this has inherent risks. A thorough preoperative workup can help to diagnose anemia and optimize these patients for surgery to minimize the need for postoperative transfusion. Perioperatively, the amount of blood loss can be minimized by using hypotensive anesthetic techniques and administering antifibrinolytic agents. Last, in the event that allogeneic blood transfusion is still required, strict transfusion guidelines should be followed. Evidence-based interventions for preoperative, perioperative, and postoperative blood management in total joint arthroplasty will be reviewed.

A New Method to Address the Importance of Detoxified Enzyme in Insecticide Resistance - Meta-Analysis.

Insect-borne diseases, such as malaria, and plant pathogens, like the tobacco mosaic virus, are responsible for human deaths and poor crop yields in communities around the world. The use of insecticides has been one of the major tools in pest control. However, the development of insecticide resistance has been a major problem in the control of insect pest populations that threaten the health of both humans and plants. The overexpression of detoxification genes is thought to be one of the major mechanisms through which pests develop resistance to insecticides. Hundreds of research papers have explored how overexpressed detoxification genes increase the resistance status of insects to an insecticide in recent years. This study is, for the first time, a synthesis of these resistance and gene expression data aimed at (1) setting up an example for the application of meta-analysis in the investigation of the mechanisms of insecticide resistance and (2) seeking to determine if the overexpression detoxification genes are responsible for insecticide resistance in insect pests in general. A strong correlation of increased levels of insecticide resistance has been observed in tested insects with cytochrome P450 (CYP), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), and esterase gene superfamilies, confirming that the overexpression of detoxification genes is indeed involved in the insecticide resistance through the increased metabolism of insecticides of insects, including medically (e.g., mosquito and housefly) and agriculturally (e.g., planthopper and caterpillar) important insects.

Why Do Insects Close Their Spiracles? A Meta-Analytic Evaluation of the Adaptive Hypothesis of Discontinuous Gas Exchange in Insects.

The earliest description of the discontinuous gas exchange cycle (DGC) in lepidopterous insects supported the hypothesis that the DGC serves to reduce water loss (hygric hypothesis) and facilitate gaseous exchange in hyperoxia/hypoxia (chthonic hypothesis). With technological advances, other insect orders were investigated, and both hypotheses were questioned. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the merit of both hypotheses. This included 46 insect species in 24 families across nine orders. We also quantified the percent change in metabolic rates per °C change of temperature during the DGC. The DGC reduced water loss (-3.27 ± 0.88; estimate ± 95% confidence limits [95% CI]; p < 0.0001) in insects. However, the DGC does not favor gaseous exchange in hyperoxia (0.21 ± 0.25 [estimate ± 95% CI]; p = 0.12) nor hypoxia, but did favor gaseous exchange in normoxia (0.27 ± 0.26 [estimate ± 95% CI]; p = 0.04). After accounting for variation associated with order, family, and species, a phylogenetic model reflected that metabolic rate exhibited a significant, non-zero increase of 8.13% (± 3.48 95% CI; p < 0.0001) per °C increase in temperature. These data represent the first meta-analytic attempt to resolve the controversies surrounding the merit of adaptive hypotheses in insects.

Local adaptation mediates direct and indirect effects of multiple stressors on consumer fitness.

Anthropogenic impacts are expected to increase the co-occurrence of stressors that can fundamentally alter ecosystem structure and function. To cope with stress, many organisms locally adapt, but how such adaptations affect the ability of an organism to manage co-occurring stressors is not well understood. In aquatic ecosystems, elevated temperatures and harmful algal blooms are common co-stressors. To better understand the role and potential trade-offs of local adaptations for mitigating the effects of stressors, Daphnia pulicaria genotypes that varied in their ability to consume toxic cyanobacteria prey (i.e., three tolerant and three sensitive) were exposed to five diets that included combinations of toxic cyanobacteria, Microcystis aeruginosa, and a green alga, Ankistrodesmus falcatus, under two temperatures (20 °C vs. 28 °C). A path analysis was conducted to understand how local adaptations affect energy allocation to intermediate life history traits (i.e., somatic growth, fecundity, survival) that maximize Daphnia fitness (i.e., population growth rate). Results from the 10-day study show that tolerant Daphnia genotypes had higher fitness than sensitive genotypes regardless of diet or temperature treatment, suggesting toxic cyanobacteria tolerance did not cause a decrease in fitness in the absence of cyanobacteria or under elevated temperatures. Results from the path analysis demonstrated that toxic cyanobacteria had a stronger effect on life history traits than temperature and that population growth rate was mainly constrained by reduced fecundity. These findings suggest that local adaptations to toxic cyanobacteria and elevated temperatures are synergistic, leading to higher survivorship of cyanobacteria-tolerant genotypes during summer cyanobacterial bloom events.

Systematic review and meta-analyses on the effects of whole-body vibration on bone health.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whole body vibration influence on human bone density and bone biomarkers. METHODS: We identified studies in Medline, Web of Science, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health, SPORTDiscus, Embase and Cochrane from inception to November 2021. Human randomized controlled trials involving commercially available whole body vibration platforms were included. Outcomes included bone density mean difference and serum concentrations of biomarkers (Procollagen type 1 N-terminal Propeptides, Osteocalcin, Bone specific alkaline phosphatase, and C-terminal Telopeptide of type 1 collagen). Random effects model (Hedges' g effect-size metric and 95% confidence-intervals) compared whole body vibration effect on bone density and bone biomarkers. Moderator analyses assessed health status, age, menopausal status, vibration type, vibration frequency, and study duration influence. RESULTS: Meta-analysis of 30 studies revealed bone density improvement after whole body vibration (Hedges' g = 0.11; p = 0.05; 95% CI = 0.00, 0.22). Whole body vibration improved bone density in healthy (Hedges' g = 0.10; p = 0.01; 95% CI = 0.02, 0.17) and postmenopausal women (Hedges' g = 0.09; p = 0.02; 95% CI = 0.01, 0.18). Bone density also increased following side-alternating whole body vibration intervention (Hedges' g = 0.21; p = 0.02; 95% CI = 0.04, 0.37). Whole body vibration had no significant effect on either bone formation biomarkers (Hedges' g = 0.22; p = 0.01; 95% CI = 0.05, 0.40) or bone resorption biomarkers (Hedges' g = 0.03; p = 0.74; 95% CI = -0.17, 0.23). CONCLUSION: Whole body vibration may be clinically useful as non-pharmacological/adjunct therapy to mitigate osteoporosis risk in healthy postmenopausal females. Additional studies are needed to determine the underlying mechanisms.

Draft genomes for one Microcystis-resistant and one Microcystis-sensitive strain of the water flea, Daphnia pulicaria.

Daphnia species are well-suited for studying local adaptation and evolutionary responses to stress(ors) including those caused by algal blooms. Algal blooms, characterized by an overgrowth (bloom) of cyanobacteria, are detrimental to the health of aquatic and terrestrial members of freshwater ecosystems. Some strains of Daphnia pulicaria have demonstrated resistance to toxic algae and the ability to mitigate toxic algal blooms. Understanding the genetic mechanism associated with this toxin resistance requires adequate genomic resources. Using whole-genome sequence data mapped to the Daphnia pulex reference genome (PA42), we present reference-guided draft assemblies from one tolerant and one sensitive strain of D. pulicaria, Wintergreen-6 (WI-6), and Bassett-411 (BA-411), respectively. Assessment of the draft assemblies reveal low contamination levels, and high levels (95%) of genic content. Reference scaffolds had coverage breadths of 98.9-99.4%, and average depths of 33X and 29X for BA-411 and WI-6, respectively. Within, we discuss caveats and suggestions for improving these draft assemblies. These genomic resources are presented with a goal of contributing to the resources necessary to understand the genetic mechanisms and associations of toxic prey resistance observed in this species.