Dense Patches Research Articles

A 1 × 2 Low-Profile Filtering Antenna Array Using Strip Dense Dielectric Patch.

A 1 × 2 low-profile filtering antenna array is proposed, using an H-shape resonator to feed two strip dense dielectric patch (DDP) resonators. The even-odd mode of the H-shape resonator and the TMδ1 mode of the strip DDP resonator form the radiation band. Additionally, the odd-odd mode of the H-shape resonator excites the TMδ2 mode of the strip DDP resonator, thus achieving an upper-edge radiation null for the filtering response. The H-shape resonator not only participates in the antenna array radiation, but also excites two strip media patches at the same time, avoiding the traditional power distribution network and effectively reducing the complexity of the antenna array. In addition, compared with the reported dielectric filtering antenna designs, this design has the advantageous features of a low profile, a compact structure, wide bandwidth and a simplified structure. For example, the antenna prototype operating at 4.9 GHz achieves 10 dB impedance, a matching bandwidth of 7.1%, a maximum gain of 8.6 dBi and the compact size of 1.29 × 0.18 × 0.038 λ03, without requiring a traditional power division network.

First report on the occurrence of Gonyaulax polygramma bloom during the onset of Noctiluca scintillans bloom along the Tuticorin coast, southeast coast of India

Dense and green-coloured patches were encountered on the sea surface waters of the Tuticorin coast on 22nd October 2022. Microscopic investigation revealed that the discoloration is caused by plankton, green Noctiluca scintillans. In order to find out the causes that trigger the bloom of N. scintillans, plankton samples were collected for 5 days in fourteen days duration from 22nd October to 4th November. During the peak bloom period, the abundance and biovolume of N. scintillans reached 1.56 × 104 cells/L and 21.8 × 1010μm3/L, respectively. The highest concentration (73.65 mg/m3) of chlorophyll-a was recorded during blooming period that was caused by Gonyaulax polygramma and endosymbiont, Pedinomonas noctilucae in N. scintillans. Formation of G. polygramma bloom is being reported for the first time in Tuticorin, southeast coast of India, with a species abundance of 36.9 × 104 cells/L. Present study concluded that besides the optimum hydrological conditions and eutrophic nature of the system, abundant prey (G. polygramma) facilitated the N. scintillans bloom.

Effects of Patch Density and Incoming Sediment on Flow Characteristics and Bed Morphology

This study focuses on the effects of vegetation patch density, bed condition, and incoming sediment on flow structure and bed morphology within and around a patch. The variation in upstream adjustment velocity is not well defined for low-density vegetation patches but decreases with increasing patch density in high-density patches. The length of the upstream adjustment region is greater for high-density vegetation. Incoming sediment causes a reduction in both the steady wake velocity and the length of the steady wake at a low density. The length of the recovery region increases with density when vegetation is sparse, but remains constant in a dense patch. Additionally, the length of the recovery region decreases due to incoming sediment. Turbulent kinetic energy is not affected by the bedform and incoming sediment when reaching its first peak. However, the second maximum of the turbulent kinetic energy increases when the bed is movable. The evolution of bed morphology is closely related to the flow structure and the growth of the von Karman vortex street. Both the rising length and the adjusted length decrease with increasing patch density, while the incoming sediment causes an increase in the adjusted length. Behind the patch wake, the first minimum elevation, maximum elevation, and second minimum elevation decrease as the patch density increases. These values, in turn, increase with the sediment supply upstream of the flume.

Occurrence of leaf spot caused by Stemphylium vesicarium on Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) in China.

Red clover (Trifolium pratense) is becoming increasingly important in grassland systems (sheep and beef) due to its high productivity, protein content and nitrogen-fixing ability which allows lower N fertilizer use (Murray et al. 2007). In June 2021, an unidentified foliar disease occurred seriously in experimental fields of red clover (25.61°N, 102.48°E) in Kunming city, Yunnan Province, China. Disease incidence was approximately 55% with an average disease severity of 41.1% in the fields (about 1.5 ha). Initially, the symptoms consisted of cicular to oval leaf spots with dark brown edges. In severely diseased plots, the diseased spots continued to expand and fuse along the leaf veins, forming long and narrow leaf spots, and the middle of the leaves were decayed and hollow. To isolate the pathogen, small pieces (3×3 mm) from the margin of infected lesions were surface-sterilized in 75% ethanol solution for 30 s, 1% NaClO solution for 90 s, rinsed three times with sterilized distilled water, air dried, and plated onto potato dextrose agar (PDA). The same fungus was isolated in 90% of the samples and purified by transferring the hyphal tip from the edge of colonies to fresh PDA plates. The colonies produced relatively dense light-grayish aerial mycelium in the early stage, which turned grayish upon mature, and then dark brown on the back of the colonies with dense small black patches. Conidiophores were unbranched, straight or flexuous, accompanied by slight or obvious swelling of its apical cells. Conidia were olive brown, irregularly round, 1 to 3 transverse septa, 0 to 2 longitudinal or oblique septa, and measured 16.0 - (24.8)- 30.1 × 13.9 - (21.4) - 28.6 µm (n = 50). Morphological characteristics were consistent with those described for Stemphylium vesicarium (Simmons, 1967). For molecular identification, total genomic DNA was isolated from mycelia collected from 6 day-old colonies of three representative isolates LZQF-1-LZQF-3 using the Omega D3195 fungal genomic DNA extraction kit. Fragments of three genes, including those encoding the ITS region of rDNA, calmodulin gene (cmdA), and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gpd) regions of isolates LZQF-1-LZQF-3 were amplified by the primers described previously (Woudenberg et al. 2017) and sequenced. Resulting sequences of representative strain LZQF-1 were deposited in GenBank with accession numbers of OL615093 (ITS), OL624541 (cmdA) and OL624538 (gpd), respectively. A nucleotide BLAST search revealed ITS, cmdA and gpd sequences to be 100%, 100% and 99.0% similar to the corresponding sequences (accessions numbers KU850563.1, KU850853.1 and KU850710.1) of ex-type strain CBS 370.51 of S. vesicarium. The three locus datasets were combined by SequenceMatrix 1.8 (Vaidya et al. 2011), and the strain LZQF-1-LZQF-3 and S. vesicarium (CBS 192.86, CBS 370.51 and CBS 205.82) formed a subclade with 99% bootstrap support. Pathogenicity tests were performed on LZQF-1 in a greenhouse at 18 °C-26 °C with 75% relative humidity. Three pots each containing three 50-day-old red clover were sprayed with the conidial suspension (3 × 105 conidia/ml) while another three pots were sprayed with sterile water as a control. Two weeks later, the inoculated leaves showed oval leaf spots with dark brown edges, distinctive symptoms of S. vesicarium infection. S. vesicarium was reisolated and confirmed by morphological and molecular features. There were no symptoms on the control leaves. S. vesicarium as a pathogen causing leaf spot disease has been reported on red clover in Canada (Jasalavich et al. 1995) and in Russia (Babuschkina et al. 1995). To our knowledge, this is the first report of leaf spot of red clover caused by S. vesicarium in China. The identification of Stemphylium leaf spot lays the groundwork for future investigations into epidemiology and management of S. vesicarium on red clover.

A Cocktail of Plankton and Organochlorines for Whale Shark in the Foraging Areas of Nosy Be (Madagascar)

Seas and oceans are contaminated by persistent organic pollutants (POPs), which are released into the environment by human activities. The chemical-physical properties of POPs induce high persistence and toxicity in marine organisms from the lowest to the highest trophic levels. Phyto- and zooplankton are at the base of the food chain, and they can adsorb and accumulate these xenobiotic compounds. Therefore, all planktophagous species, including the whale shark (Rhincodon typus), are susceptible to ingesting these contaminants during feeding. From October to December, whale sharks migrate along the north-west coast of Madagascar in search of dense patches of plankton. During scientific expeditions to the whale sharks’ foraging areas in the waters of the island of Nosy Be (which is in the north-west of Madagascar), plankton samples were taken. In these samples, the presence and levels of some chlorinated xenobiotics (HCB, DDT and its metabolites, and PCBs) were evaluated in order to estimate the possible impact of whale shark diet on organochlorine (OC) accumulation. The fresh plankton biomass sampled from this region did not seem to be sufficient for the sustenance of the animals, which suggests that the daily contamination input of Rhincodon typus individuals, depending on their plankton diet, is minimal.

Population structure and habitat assessment for two commercial clam species exploited in small-scale fisheries

Small-scale fisheries play a crucial role in providing food and jobs in local communities worldwide. Nonetheless, their environmental impact remains poorly understood. To assess the effect of different levels of harvesting pressure on clam population dynamics, we selected three areas for study within each of three intertidal shellfish beds (in NW Spain) on the basis of historical harvesting pressure. The abundance (up to 149 ind m−2) of the introduced clam Ruditapes philippinarum of marketable size was much greater than that of the native R. decussatus (up to 20 ind m−2) in all three beds, which is consistent with the low level of recruitment of the native species. Our results suggest that the harvesting pressure did not significantly affect reproduction, which was asynchronous across beds, and that the reproductive period was longer in R. philippinarum than in R. decussatus. Nonetheless, the intertidal system was strongly affected by harvesting, as bare sediment was typical in frequently harvested areas, while sparse or dense patches of the seagrass Zostera noltei occurred in areas where harvesting pressure was scarce or null. The abundance and diversity of non-commercial infaunal species were greatest in unharvested areas. However, commercial clams were not abundant in these areas, possibly due to natural habitat preferences or artificial seeding and movement of clams along the beds. Management plans based on local knowledge of ecosystems are needed to maintain sustainable stocks of R. decussatus and also to limit the effects of harvesting on the systems.

The economics of early inequality.

We examine three recent frameworks that attempt to explain early inequality. One explanation involves the emergence of dense and predictable resource patches in the Holocene, together with differential asset accumulation and inheritance by individuals or households. In this view, agriculture and pastoralism led to greater inequality because farmland and animal herds were readily inherited. Another explanation involves the distinction between ideal free and ideal despotic population distributions, together with factors that could trigger a transition from the former to the latter. We offer a third framework based on economic concepts. In our view, inequality initially arose across locations (insider-outsider inequality) and reflected geographical differences in resource endowments at those locations. As population densities increased, the barriers to individual migration across locations included fewer kinship linkages and the use of force by insiders to exclude outsiders. These barriers became important with the transition from mobile to sedentary foraging and predate agriculture. Insider-outsider inequality was followed by stratification within settlements (elite-commoner inequality), which arose at still higher population densities. We see these three theoretical approaches as distinct but complementary. While they overlap, each emphasizes some phenomena and processes ignored by the other two. This article is part of the theme issue 'Evolutionary ecology of inequality'.

Community forests as beacons of conservation: Enabling local populations monitor their biodiversity

AbstractHabitat fragmentation is one of the main threats to biodiversity in Africa. In this article, we highlight the importance of conserving the Guinean forests of West Africa, which are rich in biodiversity and endemism but threatened by habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation. The size of forest patches is critical, with larger fragments containing more species than smaller ones. The protection of intact, dense forest patches is vital for any conservation strategy in West Africa, but improving the management of forests that are already used for logging and hunting is also essential. Community forests (CFs) can play a crucial role in conservation, especially if there is a substantial network that can promote ecological connectivity. However, biomonitoring in CFs remains a challenge due to inadequate resources. By developing standardised, easy‐to‐apply and inexpensive methods for biomonitoring, communities can be involved in biomonitoring instead of relying solely on scientists and expensive equipment. We present a monitoring framework here where we suggest local communities should become the main agents for biomonitoring in their own forests; we highlight a five‐step scheme. The importance of the various CFs in terms of conservation should be made through a combination of accurate, standardised face‐to‐face interviews with selected persons in the target communities and biomonitoring be based on the RAPELD scheme. The latter will be implemented after specifically training local ‘wise’ persons. We are proposing a kind of ‘citizen science’ scheme, applied to enhance the ability of local communities to monitor their own biodiversity.

Settlement of the Tropical Box Mussel, Septifer bilocularis: Effects of Site, Position, and Substratum

The box tropical mussel Septifer bilocularis lives attached to a hard substratum, forming a dense aggregation or patch. The aggregation occurs at the time of larvae settlement in response to different cues. Larvae may have a positive response whereas larvae may settle and attach to the substratum, while in a negative response, postpone settling occurs. Byssus threads are produced and attached to the substratum, and for some reason, they are affected by many variables. We studied whether the attachment was affected by sites, position in the patch, and substratum. Large and small patches of mussel beds were selected arbitrarily, each in 3 replicates. Substrata of palm, coconut, polypropylene fibres, and mussel shells with byssus threads, each in 4 replicates, were distributed randomly into a PVC plate with 16 holes. The PVC plates with experimental substrata were placed along the edge and in the middle of large and small patches. A three-factorial ANOVA was then performed on samples of sites, position in patches, and substratum as main effects. A significant effect of sites, position within patches, and substratum as well were found. A significantly high number of new settlers in small patches than in other positions within patches occurred. The larger number of new settlers was found on coconut, palm, and polypropylene fibres, while low numbers on the mussel shells with byssus threads were found. The new settlers of S. bilocularis (<1 mm) with transparent shells were observed attached to coconut, palm, and polypropylene fibres. In contrast, the new settlers ranged from >1 mm to 3 mm with dark green shells attached to mussel shells with byssus threads. This study suggests that early settlement occurs when mussels’ larvae first settle and attach to coconut, palm, and polypropylene fibres before reattaching to adult shells with byssus threads.

A Comparative Study on the Hot Dense Plasma and Cold Patch by Using Multi‐Instrument Observations

AbstractThe polar cap hot patch is an enhanced density structure which is associated with particle precipitation, ion upflow and flow shears. Based on combined observations from DMSP satellites, EISCAT radar, and all‐sky imager at the Chinese Yellow River Station, the plasma characteristics and evolution of hot dense plasma and classical polar cap patch are investigated. Both of them show enhanced F region density, but the hot dense plasma is associated with higher electron temperature and enhanced E region electron density caused by particle precipitation. Compared to the cold patch, the hot dense plasma is closer to the cusp region and is associated with strong auroral emissions. Based on the joint observations, the evolution of the hot/cold dense plasma is discussed. In the initial phase the dense plasma comes from the sunlit lower latitude region, or from particle precipitation in the duskside auroral oval, and is heated locally by poleward moving auroral structures in the dayside auroral oval. Next the patches move poleward into the polar cap where a decaying electron temperature (i.e., less precipitation) gradually transform them into a cold patch.

Pollinator spillover: Hay cutting of grass with white clover, Trifolium repens, displaces bees and increases their abundance in adjacent patches of bramble, Rubus fruticosus

White clover, Trifolium repens, is a legume used widely in agriculture due to its ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen and improve soil fertility. Due to increasing cost of artificial fertiliser and concern over environmental impact, growing white clover in permanent grassland or in rotation with arable crops can potentially reduce cost and impact while maintaining productivity. White clover is also a source of pollen and nectar for pollinators and may contribute to alleviating floral resource shortages, which is one cause of pollinator decline. However, recent work has shown that agricultural plants grown in dense patches or monocultures can affect competition for floral resources by causing pollinators to aggregate and spillover into surrounding areas. Pollinator spillover can occur spatially by affecting density in nearby areas, or temporally, by affecting pollinator abundance at different times in relation to flowering. Here we examine whether growing and cutting of white clover in fields causes local pollinator spillover by surveying insects in landscapes around three fields planted with white clover and perennial ryegrass per summer over two years. Pollinator abundance was quantified in the fields and on bramble (Rubus fruticosus) in areas which were adjacent (<20 m) or distant (>1 km) before and after the fields were cut for hay. Honeybees and bumblebees, the main pollinators foraging on white clover, were 147% more abundant in adjacent survey areas after hay cut, indicating that mass-flowering of white clover planted with grass can cause spillover of pollinators. Implementing extensive management practices, such as reducing cutting frequency or grazing intensity, will extend the availability of floral resources produced by white clover.

On Clustering of Floating Tracers in Random Velocity Fields

AbstractIn this paper, we investigate the aggregation of a floating tracer into clusters. Motivated by observations of dense patches of buoyant material in the real ocean (e.g., microplastic pollutants, plankton, and sargassum), we develop an idealized model that can reproduce the clustering process. A stochastic, kinematic 2D velocity field is chosen to represent turbulent oceanic surface currents, with a weakly divergent component. Lagrangian particles are introduced and we track their concentrations. We differ from delta‐correlated fields used in previous studies by including finite time correlations. Clustering in these fields can be compared to the traditional setting, through global measures and cluster detection algorithms. The enhanced velocity fields can be deformed using various interpolation methods. We can then investigate the sensitivity of clustering to the representation of temporal/spatial velocity structure to inform future studies of this phenomenon. We find coherency of time‐correlated velocities leads to significantly faster rates of clustering, causing a larger number of longer lived/more populated clusters to form. Clustering is likely relevant to a host of biogeochemical processes of urgent interest, such as phytoplankton blooms and the ecological risk of microplastic pollutants. This work aims to establish an accurate basis for clustering simulations, to enable further exploration.

Mapping of Phragmites in estuarine wetlands using high-resolution aerial imagery

Phragmites australis is a widespread invasive plant species in the USA that greatly impacts estuarine wetlands by creating dense patches and outcompeting other plants. The invasion of Phragmites into wetland ecosystems is known to decrease biodiversity, destroy the habitat of threatened and endangered bird species, and alter biogeochemistry. While the impact of Phragmites is known, the spatial extent of this species is challenging to document due to its fragmented occurrence. Using high-resolution imagery from the National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) from 2017, we evaluated a geospatial method of mapping the spatial extent of Phragmites across the state of DE. Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and principal component analysis (PCA) bands are generated from the NAIP data and used as inputs in a random forest classifier to achieve a high overall accuracy for the Phragmites classification of around 95%. The classified gridded dataset has a spatial resolution of 1m and documents the spatial distribution of Phragmites throughout the state's estuarine wetlands (around 11%). Such detailed classification could aid in monitoring the spread of this invasive species over space and time and would inform the decision-making process for landscape managers.

Abstract PD4-01: PD4-01 Spatial transcriptomics reveals a substantial heterogeneity in TNBC tumor and stroma compartments with potential clinical implications

Abstract Background Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a heterogeneous disease characterized by at least five molecular subtypes, namely basal like (BL), immunomodulatory (IM), luminal androgen receptor (LAR), mesenchymal (M) and mesenchymal stem like (MSL), associated with distinct gene expression, genomic and tumor microenvironment (TME) profiles. Recent technological advances allow to investigate intratumor geographic heterogeneity ignored by bulk tumor analyses. Here, we deployed spatial transcriptomics (ST) to interrogate tumor and stroma compartments heterogeneity and assess its association with clinical outcome. Methods Spatial transcriptomics (Visium® Spatial Gene Expression, 10X Genomics) was performed on a retrospective series of 94 case-control TNBC samples matched for known clinic-pathological parameters with available long term outcome. Detailed morphological annotations spanning 11 histomorphological categories were performed by a breast dedicated pathologist assisted by the automated QuPath digital pathology software. Bioinformatic analyses were performed using in house pipelines. Results We investigated the distribution of each morphological category across the five TNBC molecular subtypes. We found that LAR, M and MSL, even though they had less tumor cells, had more patches of very small size (p&amp;lt; 0.0001). On the other hand, BL and IM had few large and dense patches. Stroma had an opposite distribution compared to tumor, with LAR and MSL being enriched with stroma (p&amp;lt; 00001). Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes were specific of the IM (p&amp;lt; 0.0001) and to a lesser extent the BL subtype. Normal structures, like fat tissue (p&amp;lt; 0.008), lactiferous ducts (p&amp;lt; 0.03) and vessels (p&amp;lt; 0.02), were more present in MSL and LAR. The differences between the molecular subtypes are mirrored at the level of their cell composition and tumor organization, suggesting the possibility to assess TNBC molecular subtypes from imaging data alone. At the gene expression level, spatial deconvolution analyses revealed the co-existence of tumor and stroma compartments from different TNBC subtypes within a tumor sample of a given subtype as defined by bulk tumor analysis. Interestingly, these different tumor-stroma combinations were associated with prognosis. For example, M tumors associated with MSL stroma seem to have a better prognosis than M tumors with an M stroma (p=0.001). Furthermore, spatial resolution of the gene expression identified 418 individual clusters (median 4 clusters per sample) associated with specific molecular and cellular features highlighting a substantial intra-patient heterogeneity. These clusters were further grouped into 11 ecotypes associated with distinct hallmarks and pathways, including EMT, angiogenesis, DNA repair and immune profiles revealing an important inter-patient heterogeneity beyond TNBC classification. Interestingly, 2 ecotypes were identified within the IM subtype associated with distinct clinical outcome, with ecotype 6 characterized by high EMT, mesenchymal stroma and worse prognosis (p = 0,021). Conclusion To our knowledge, this is the largest study demonstrating the substantial intra- and inter-patient heterogeneity characterizing TNBC at an unprecedented level, with differences both in tumor and stroma composition as well as spatial organization and clinical outcome. Our results hightlight the need to consider TNBC heterogeneity for patient care and future clinical development including immunotherapy. Citation Format: Xiaoxiao Wang, David Venet, Frédéric Lifrange, Denis Larsimont, Mattia Rediti, Linnea Stenbeck, David Gacquer, Floriane Dupont, Ghizlane Rouas, Matteo Serra, Joakim Lundeberg, Françoise Rothé, Christos Sotiriou. PD4-01 Spatial transcriptomics reveals a substantial heterogeneity in TNBC tumor and stroma compartments with potential clinical implications [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2022 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2022 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(5 Suppl):Abstract nr PD4-01.

Conditional statistics of Reynolds stress in open channel flows with modeled canopies of homogeneous and heterogeneous density

The flow structures under the effects of heterogeneous canopies have been shown to be significantly different from those under the effects of homogeneous canopies. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the changes in density and density uniformity of the canopy affect the turbulent characteristics of the flow in a partially vegetated channel. A comparative experiment is conducted, including two cases of homogeneous canopy with different densities and one case of heterogeneous canopy consisting of alternating sparse and dense vegetation patches. While the lateral profiles of Reynolds stress, magnitudes of quadrant motions, and high-order moments of velocity fluctuations present a high similarity within the shear layer, variations in both the density and density uniformity of the canopy markedly affect the turbulence at the interface between the canopy and the main channel. The results show that canopy density heterogeneity enhances the momentum exchange at the interface and promotes the penetration of stress-driven flow into the sparse vegetation patch while inhibiting its penetration into the dense vegetation patch. An analogy can be drawn between the canopy flow with sufficient density and the turbulent rough-wall boundary layers based on the turbulent statistics within the shear layer. Furthermore, the effect of increased canopy density on the flow corresponds well to the effect of decreased wall roughness. By using the cumulant expansion method, the assumption of structural similarity present in wall-bounded flows is found to be applicable to the canopy flows considered in this study.

Species distribution modelling of Monotheca buxifolia (Falc.) A. DC.: Present distribution and impacts of potential climate change

Species distribution modelling (SDM) is an important tool to examine the possible change in the population range and/or niche-shift under current environment and predicted climate change. Monotheca buxifolia is an economically and ecologically important tree species inhabiting Pakistan and Afghanistan in dense patches, and species range is contracting rapidly. This study hypothesize that predicted climate change might remarkably influence the existing distribution pattern of M. buxifolia in the study area. A total of 75 occurrence locations were identified comprising M. buxifolia as a dominant tree species. The Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) algorithm was utilized to perform the SDM under current (the 1970s–2000s) and two future climate change scenarios (shared socioeconomic pathways: SSPs 245 and 585) of two time periods (the 2050s and 2070s). The optimal model settings were assessed, and simulation precision was assessed by examining the partial area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (pAUC-ROC). The results showed that out of 39 considered bio-climatic, topographic, edaphic, and remote sensing variables which were utilized in the preliminary model, 6 variables including precipitation of warmest quarter, topographic diversity, global human modification of terrestrial land, normalized difference vegetation index, isothermality, and elevation (in order) were the most influential drivers, and utilized in all reduced SDMs. A high predictive performance (pAUC-ROC; >0.9) of all the considered SDMs was recorded. A total of about 67,684 km2 of geographical area was predicted as suitable habitat (p > 0.8) for M. buxifolia, and Pakistan is the leading country (with about 54,975 km2 of suitable land area) under the current climate scenario. Overall, the existing distribution of the tree species in the study area might face considerable loss (i.e. rate of change %; −27 to −107) in future, and simultaneously a northward (high elevation) niche shift is predicted for all the considered future climate change scenarios. Hence, development and implementation of a coordinated conservation program is required on priority basis to save the tree species in its native geographic range.

Effects of the invasive leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula L.) on plant community structure are altered by management history

Invasive species threaten biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, often causing changes in plant community composition and, thus, the functional traits of that community. Quantifying changes in traits can help us understand invasive species impacts on communities; however, both the invader and the plant community may be responding to the same environmental drivers. In North America, leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula L.) is a problematic invader that reduces plant diversity and forage production for livestock. Its documented effects on plant communities differ amongst studies, however, potentially due to differences in productivity or land management. To identify the potential effects of leafy spurge on plant communities, we quantified leafy spurge abundance, plant species richness, forage production, functional group composition and community weighted mean traits, intensively at a single site and extensively across ten sites differing in management. We then tested how leafy spurge abundance related to these variables as a function of site management activities. Leafy spurge abundance was consistently associated with fewer plant species, reduced forage production and more invasive grass. Community-weighted specific root length also consistently increased with leafy spurge abundance, suggesting that belowground competition may be important in determining co-existence with leafy spurge. Other changes were dependent on management. Native forbs were excluded as leafy spurge became more abundant, but only in grazed sites as these species were already absent from ungrazed sites. Taller plants better persisted in dense leafy spurge patches, but only in grazed sites, consistent with either facilitation of taller species via associational defences or competitive exclusion of shorter species in ungrazed sites and dense leafy spurge patches. These results show that, despite some emergent properties of invasion, management context can alter invasion impacts by causing changes in the plant community and its interactions with the invader.

Coral-Focused Climate Change Adaptation and Restoration Based on Accelerating Natural Processes: Launching the “Reefs of Hope” Paradigm

The widespread demise of coral reefs due to climate change is now a certainty, and investing in restoration without facing this stark reality risks failure. The 50 Reefs Initiative, the dominant adaptation model for coral reefs is examined, and a new coral-focused paradigm is proposed, based on helping coral reefs adapt to rising temperature, to ensure that as many coral species as possible survive locally over time. With pilot sites established in six Pacific Island nations, genebank nurseries of bleaching resistant corals are secured in cooler waters, to help prevent their demise as heat stress increases. Unbleached corals selected during bleaching events are included. From these nurseries corals are harvested to create nucleation patches of genetically diverse pre-adapted corals, which become reproductively, ecologically and biologically viable at reef scale, spreading out over time. This “Reefs of Hope” paradigm, modelled on tropical forest restoration, creates dense coral patches, using larger transplants or multiple small fragments elevated on structures, forming fish habitat immediately. The fish help increase coral and substratum health, which presumably will enhance natural larval-based recovery processes. We also hypothesize that incoming coral recruits, attracted to the patch, are inoculated by heat adapted algal symbionts, facilitating adaptation of the wider reef. With global emissions out of control, the most we can hope for is to buy precious time for coral reefs by saving coral species and coral diversity that will not likely survive unassisted.

Population Ecology and Habitat use of the Sea Slug Elysia pusilla (Bergh, 1872) (Sacoglossa) in A Tropical Halimeda macroloba Decaisne Meadow

Relationship between abundance of specialist marine herbivores and their food sources is poorly known because these herbivores are relatively rare in marine systems. The relationship between the cryptic sea slug Elysia pusilla (Bergh, 1872) and its host alga, Halimeda macroloba Decaisne, was evaluated in terms of spatial association and habitat utilization in a tropical algal meadow in southern Thailand that exclusively comprised of H. macroloba. The density of H. macroloba and of E. pusilla egg masses varied temporally throughout the sampling period, but temporal variation was not detected in the density of E. pusilla individuals, which was generally low with a maximum of 4 individuals per 400 cm2. Analysis suggests that the occurrence of the slug and its egg masses might be determined by the availability of the algal host. The slug was more likely to be observed in dense patches of algae that which offered a large total algal surface area. Occurrence of the slug was also higher when the algae were abundant. The numbers of slugs, egg masses and grazing marks were higher on mature thalli, which have larger surface areas than younger thalli. Egg masses and grazing marks were observed more often on segments at terminal positions on thalli. According to previous works, these segments contain low levels of accumulated calcium carbonate and high levels of secondary metabolites, which are sequestered by the slug and used to deter predators. The findings provide an insight into the life history of E. pusilla and variations in a natural population which that were previously little known.&#x0D; HIGHLIGHTS&#x0D; &#x0D; The relationship between the cryptic sea slug Elysia pusilla (Bergh, 1872) and its host alga, Halimeda macroloba Decaisne, was evaluated in terms of spatial association and habitat utilization in a tropical algal meadow in southern Thailand&#x0D; The slug pusilla was more likely to be observed in dense patches of its algal host H. macroloba&#x0D; Occurrence of the slug was also higher when the algae were abundant&#x0D; The numbers of slugs, egg masses and grazing marks were higher on mature thalli&#x0D; Egg masses and grazing marks were observed more often on segments at terminal positions on thalli&#x0D; &#x0D; GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Temporal origin of mouse claustrum and development of its cortical projections.

The claustrum is known for its extensive connectivity with many other forebrain regions, but its elongated shape and deep location have made further study difficult. We have sought to understand when mouse claustrum neurons are born, where they are located in developing brains, and when they develop their widespread connections to the cortex. We established that a well-characterized parvalbumin plexus, which identifies the claustrum in adults, is only present from postnatal day (P) 21. A myeloarchitectonic outline of the claustrum can be derived from a triangular fiber arrangement from P15. A dense patch of Nurr1+ cells is present at its core and is already evident at birth. Bromodeoxyuridine birth dating of forebrain progenitors reveals that the majority of claustrum neurons are born during a narrow time window centered on embryonic day 12.5, which is later than the adjacent subplate and endopiriform nucleus. Retrograde tracing revealed that claustrum projections to anterior cingulate (ACA) and retrosplenial cortex (RSP) follow distinct developmental trajectories. Claustrum-ACA connectivity matures rapidly and reaches adult-like innervation density by P10, whereas claustrum-RSP innervation emerges later over a protracted time window. This work establishes the timeline of claustrum development and provides a framework for understanding how the claustrum is built and develops its unique connectivity.