Early Life Stages Research Articles

Otolith chemistry reveals ontogenetic movement of the Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni) in the Amundsen Sea polynya, Antarctica

The Amundsen Sea polynya is one of the richest areas of primary productivity in Antarctica. The Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni, TOA) is a commercially valuable circum-Antarctic fish that undertakes ontogenetic movements on the continental shelf. However, the movement and distribution of this species remain unclear in the polynya, especially in the data-poor Amundsen Sea polynya. Along with hydrological and fishery survey data in the Amundsen Sea polynya, the otolith chemistry of TOA from three areas along the ice shelf of the Dotson–Getz Trough was analyzed to explore the movement pattern of this species. The elemental composition deposited during early life in the otolith core did not show significant differences, indicating that TOA in the Amundsen Sea polynya probably experienced a similar hydrological environment at the early life stage or might originate from the same spawning ground. However, the elemental composition deposited at the otolith edge showed that SrCa−1 and LiCa−1 differ in otolith chemistry between areas along the Amundsen Sea coast. In conjunction with additional data from the fish sampled in these areas, this study reveals that TOA show an ontogenetic movement from westward along the ice shelf in the Amundsen Sea polynya. A deeper area (with a depth of over 1000 m) in the west box provides a fish pool for TOA, which needs to be conserved in the fishery management of toothfish populations.

Dynamic impact of delivery modes on gut microbiota in preterm infants hospitalized during the initial 4 weeks of life

Preterm infants face a high risk of various complications, and their gut microbiota plays a pivotal role in health. Delivery modes have been reported to affect the development of gut microbiota in term infants, but its impact on preterm infants remains unclear. Here, we collected fecal samples from 30 preterm infants at five-time points within the first four weeks of life. Employing 16 S rRNA sequencing, principal coordinates analysis, the analysis of similarities, and the Wilcoxon rank-sum test, we examined the top dominant phyla and genera, the temporal changes in specific taxa abundance, and their relationship with delivery modes, such as Escherichia-Shigella and Enterococcus based on vaginal delivery and Pluralibacter related to cesarean section. Moreover, we identified particular bacteria, such as Taonella, Patulibacter, and others, whose proportions fluctuated among preterm infants born via different delivery modes at varying time points, as well as the microbiota types and functions. These results indicated the influence of delivery mode on the composition and function of the preterm infant gut microbiota. Importantly, these effects are time-dependent during the early stages of life. These insights shed light on the pivotal role of delivery mode in shaping the gut microbiota of preterm infants and have significant clinical implications for their care and management.

Habitat persistency analysis with HEM‐PEAK: A novel approach for the assessment of hydropeaking impacts and mitigation measure design

AbstractHydropeaking is one of the most severe pressures of hydropower on aquatic ecosystems. The discharge fluctuations due to turbine operations cause frequent shifts in hydraulic habitat characteristics such as flow velocity and water depth. Those rapid changes on a daily or sub daily basis, however, are beyond the possibilities of evolutionary adaptations of aquatic organisms, especially for fish in their sensitive early life stages. Thus, one central aim in terms of the evaluation of hydropeaking impacts or the design of mitigation measures is the analysis or establishment of hydraulically stable habitat conditions. This study presents a novel habitat assessment tool to quantify hydraulically stable habitat conditions in the form of a persistency of suitable habitats in hydropeaking reaches. The HEM‐PEAK tool determines areas that contain equal ranges of depth‐averaged flow velocity and water depth for both base flow and peak flow in three categories. Those areas also exclude dewatering sites, which have to be seen as ‘residual risk for stranding’. In the present study, the model was used to evaluate the YOY habitats of brown trout and grayling. The model was tested for 14 hydropeaking reaches to evaluate the quantity of habitat persistency for different morphological characteristics, such as straight, winding, alternating gravel bars and bifurcation reaches. The findings reveal that there is no relationship between hydraulically stable habitat conditions with reach scale bed slope or the magnitude of dewatering areas. However, the changes in specific discharge in relation to bankfull width could be negatively related to the magnitude of hydraulically stable habitat conditions independent of the morphological type. This relationship is minor for summer scenarios compared to spring, as the initial habitat quality during the increased base flow conditions is already limiting the availability of suitable habitats which might have persistency during peak flow. In detail, several self‐forming bars like point bars and artificial structures like groins and coarse rip‐rap could be determined, which could be explicitly addressed in terms of mitigation measure design based on the application of the HEM‐PEAK tool.

Flow-through imaging and automated analysis of oil-exposed early stage Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua)

Toxicology studies in early fish life stages serve an important function in measuring the impact of potentially harmful substances, such as crude oil, on marine life. Morphometric analysis of larvae can reveal the effects of such substances in retarding growth and development. These studies are labor intensive and time consuming, typically resulting in only a small number of samples being considered. An automated system for imaging and measurement of experimental animals, using flow-through imaging and an artificial neural network to allow faster sampling of more individuals, has been described previously and used in toxicity experiments. This study compares the performance of the automated imaging and analysis system with traditional microscopy techniques in measuring biologically relevant endpoints using two oil treatments as positive controls. We demonstrate that while the automated system typically underestimates morphometric measurements relative to analysis of manual microscopy images, it shows similar statistical results to the manual method when comparing treatments across most endpoints. It allows for many more individual specimens to be sampled in a shorter time period, reducing labor requirements and improving statistical power in such studies, and is noninvasive allowing for repeated sampling of the same population.

Anthropogenic noise disrupts early-life development in a fish with paternal care

Anthropogenic noise is a global pollutant but its potential impacts on early life-stages in fishes are largely unknown. Here, using controlled laboratory experiments, we tested for impacts of continuous or intermittent exposure to low-frequency broadband noise on early life-stages of the common goby (Pomatoschistus microps), a marine fish with exclusive paternal care. Neither continuous nor intermittent noise exposure had an effect on filial cannibalism, showing that males were capable and willing to care for their broods. However, broods reared in continuous noise covered a smaller area and contained fewer eggs than control broods. Moreover, although developmental rate was the same in all treatments, larvae reared by males in continuous noise had, on average, a smaller yolk sac at hatching than those reared in the intermittent noise and control treatments, while larvae body length did not differ. Thus, it appears that the increased consumption of the yolk sac reserve was not utilised for increased growth. This suggests that exposure to noise in early life-stages affects fitness-related traits of surviving offspring, given the crucial importance of the yolk sac reserve during the early life of pelagic larvae. More broadly, our findings highlight the wide-ranging impacts of anthropogenic noise on aquatic wildlife living in an increasingly noisy world.

Comprehensive spatial distribution of patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP) and its relation to socio-economic factors.

The functional-cognitive impact of first-episode psychosis (FEP) is extremely relevant and implies dysfunction from early life stages like adolescence and youth. Like other illnesses, FEP incidence is also influenced by environmental factors. It is necessary to attend to this age group with early interventions and to act on the environmental factors that the literature correlates with increased FEP incidence: socio-economic aspects, social adversity, bullying at school or cannabis use. In this context, identifying the areas of cities where FEP patients concentrate is important to perform early interventions. The spatial analysis of patient distribution in a whole city is one way to identify the most vulnerable areas and to propose psycho-social interventions for the possible prevention and/or early detection of FEP by improving urban mental health. An epidemiological study of point patterns to determine the areas of a city with a higher incidence of patients with FEP. To do so, the addresses of FEP cases were georeferenced from 1 January 2016 to 31 October 2022, and 109 FEP patients were analysed. Data from a random sample of 383 controls, comprising their addresses, age, and sex, were randomly obtained from the official city council database. By GIS, the areas with higher FEP incidence were analysed to see if they coincided with the zones where inhabitants with lower incomes lived. The risk ratio of the FEP patients was compatible with the constant risk ratio in Albacete (p = 0.22). When performing the process separately with cases and controls only in men and women, the results were not significant for both distributions (p value: 0.12 and 0.57, respectively). Nonetheless, areas within the city had a significantly higher risk. These groups of cases coincided with those who had lower income and more inequality for women, but this pattern was not clear for men. Classifying city areas per income can help to determine the zones at higher risk of FEP, which would allow early healthcare and preventive measures for these zones.

An Integrated Testing Strategy (ITS) to assess the environmental compatibility of wood protection techniques

To quantify the possible impact of different wood protection techniques on the aquatic environment, we applied a tiered Integrated Testing Strategy (ITS) on leachates obtained from untreated (UTW) Norway spruce (Picea abies), specimens treated with a copper-ethanolamine-based preservative solution, complying with the Use Class 3 (UC3), and specimens thermally modified (TM). Different maturation times in water were tested to verify whether toxicant leaching is time-dependent. Tier I tests, addressing acute effects on Aliivibrio fischeri, Raphidocelis subcapitata, and Daphnia magna, evidenced that TM toxicity was comparable or even lower than in UTW. Conversely, UC3 significantly affected all species compared to UTW, also after 30 days of maturation in water, and was not considered an environmentally acceptable wood preservation solution. Tier II (effects on early-life stages of Lymnea auricularia) and III (chronic effects on D. magna and L. auricularia) performed on UTW and TM confirmed the latter as an environmentally acceptable treatment, with increasing maturation times resulting in decreased adverse effects. The ITS allowed for rapid and reliable identification of potentially harmful effects due to preservation treatments, addressed the choice for a less impacting solution, and can be effective for manufacturers in identifying more environmentally friendly solutions while developing their products.

Acute toxicity testing of 6PPD-quinone on the estuarine-dependent sport fish, Sciaenops ocellatus.

Recently, large-scale fish kills in the Pacific Northwest were linked to tire wear particles (TWPs) left on roadways, with the lethality attributed to 6PPD-quinone. which has a median lethal concentration of <1 µg/L for selected salmonids. However, there remains a paucity of 6PPD-quinone toxicity values developed for estuarine fish species, which is particularly significant because estuaries receiving inflows from highly urbanized watersheds are especially vulnerable to TWP contamination. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the toxicity of 6PPD-quinone to an economically and ecologically important estuarine-dependent fish-red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus). Here, we examined the relative sensitivities of three early life stages within red drum: embryonic, larval, and post-settlement for 24-72 hours, depending on the life stage. Exposure concentrations ranged from 10 μg/L to 500 μg/L. We also assessed the sub-lethal impacts of 6PPD-quinone exposure on development during embryonic and larval stages, including body and organ sizes. Our results indicate that red drum are not acutely sensitive to 6PPD-quinone at each early life stage tested. We also found that yolk-sac larvae did not exhibit sub-lethal morphological impacts in a dose-dependent manner, regardless of exposure during embryonic and larval stages. These data are the first to assess the impacts of 6PPD-quinone on estuarine-dependent non-model fishes.

Short communication: Lifetime musical activity and resting-state functional connectivity in cognitive networks.

Participation in multimodal leisure activities, such as playing a musical instrument, may be protective against brain aging and dementia in older adults (OA). Potential neuroprotective correlates underlying musical activity remain unclear. This cross-sectional study investigated the association between lifetime musical activity and resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) in three higher-order brain networks: the Default Mode, Fronto-Parietal, and Salience networks. We assessed 130 cognitively unimpaired participants (≥ 60 years) from the baseline cohort of the DZNE-Longitudinal Cognitive Impairment and Dementia Study (DELCODE) study. Lifetime musical activity was operationalized by the self-reported participation in musical instrument playing across early, middle, and late life stages using the Lifetime of Experiences Questionnaire (LEQ). Participants who reported musical activity during all life stages (n = 65) were compared to controls who were matched on demographic and reserve characteristics (including education, intelligence, socioeconomic status, self-reported physical activity, age, and sex) and never played a musical instrument (n = 65) in local (seed-to-voxel) and global (within-network and between-network) RSFC patterns using pre-specified network seeds. Older participants with lifetime musical activity showed significantly higher local RSFC between the medial prefrontal cortex (Default Mode Network seed) and temporal as well as frontal regions, namely the right temporal pole and the right precentral gyrus extending into the superior frontal gyrus, compared to matched controls. There were no significant group differences in global RSFC within or between the three networks. We show that playing a musical instrument during life relates to higher RSFC of the medial prefrontal cortex with distant brain regions involved in higher-order cognitive and motor processes. Preserved or enhanced functional connectivity could potentially contribute to better brain health and resilience in OA with a history in musical activity. German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS00007966, 04/05/2015).

Effect of Pb, Cu and Zn on development and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway genes expression of Ctenopharyngodon idella.

Pollution of the aquatic environment with heavy metals is a serious environmental problem, since they accumulate in aquatic organisms and can affect their development and worsen their condition. According to the scheme of Fig. 1 zinc (Zn), copper (Cu) or lead (Pb) were studied when exposed to concentrations of: Zn (0.01; 0.1; 1mg/L), Cu (0.001; 0.01; 0.1mg/L), Pb (0.006; 0.06; 0.6mg/L) for 144h after fertilization (hpf) on the grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), one of the important commercial fish species of Kazakhstan, the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the expression of genes of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway involved in development. All metals significantly reduced survival, hatching rate, and changed biometric parameters and heart rate of cupid larvae. In addition, these metals (mainly Pb and Cu) inhibited superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and mRNA transcription of genes encoding genes of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. These results showed that Pb, Cu and Zn not only affect the survival and development of fish at an early stage of life, but also cause oxidative stress and prevent fish detoxification.

The Impacts of Osmotic Stress During the Critical Window of Development on Protein and Histone PTM Alterations in California grunion

The California Grunion, Leuresthes tenuis, can experience a broad range of salinities during their early life stages, with their nursery grounds measuring salinities of 21 to 42ppt under normal conditions. Due to the unique subterrestrial incubation of their eggs within the sand of California beaches, it is not unlikely for this marine fish to hatch in non-seawater conditions, whereafter the larvae may transition to relatively diluted estuaries or concentrated harbors to develop as juveniles for several months. Consequently, they are an ideal system to study the impacts of ecologically relevant salinity stress on the alteration of proteins and histone post-translational modifications (PTMs) during early development. The study of the relationship between the critical window of development (CWD), in which sexual bipotential is lost, and the longevity of protein landscape and histone PTM changes has not been widely explored. The CWD is of interest as this is when the gametes of this species become set. Therefore, we hypothesize that histone PTM changes that occur during this time may thus be a form of heritable epigenetics. Thus, hypo-and-hyperosmotic exposures of L. tenuis hatchlings during this window, and past it, attempt to identify if the CWD is relevant to the presence and persistence of protein and histone PTM changes under salinity stress. We hypothesize that exposure to osmotic stress during the CWD will result in induced compensatory mechanisms in the protein landscape of the California grunion larvae, as well as persistent alterations in the histone PTMs in the larvae. To elucidate the relationship between these factors, California grunion larvae were exposed in replicate to one of three chronic salinity treatments (16ppt, 32ppt, or 40ppt) for the duration of their CWD (68dph), with 16ppt and 40ppt inducing hypoosmotic and hyperosmotic stress respectively. Chronic post-CWD exposures and recovery times until 98dph were used to determine whether the CWD or prolonged salinity exposures were key to alterations in the histone PTM and protein landscape of the larvae. After each timepoint, L. tenuis were culled and processed for histone PTM enrichment and proteomic analysis. At the time of culling, there were no significant differences in survivorship between replicates and experimental groups, with statistically significant different deaths between groups occurring only shortly after hatching. Skyline and MSstats were used in the analysis of the statistical significance of differential regulation of proteins and histone PTMs under stress conditions versus the controls. Of special interest is the osmoregulatory mechanisms involved in the myo-inositol biosynthesis pathway, with analysis focusing on the abundance of histone acetylation, amidation, ubiquitylation, and 4-hydroxynonelation in histone PTMs, as the accumulations of these have been found to be correlated with osmotic stress in some fish tissues. Funding provided by NSF IOS-2209383 and NSF GRFP. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Bisphenol AP Exposure-Induced Inflammatory Response in Zebrafish Embryos Revealed by Transcriptomic Analysis.

Bisphenol AP (BPAP) is a bisphenol analogue that is used as a substitute for BPA in industrial production and is now commonly found in the environment. Currently, there is limited information available on its developmental toxicity in aquatic organisms. This study exploited zebrafish embryos to investigate the adverse effects of BPAP exposure during their early life stages. The results revealed that BPAP had a median lethal concentration (LC50) of 36, 22, and 8.5 μmol/L for zebrafish embryos at 24, 48, and 72 h post fertilization (hpf), respectively. Additionally, exposure to BPAP led to abnormal development in zebrafish embryos, including hatching delay, malformation, and inhibition of spontaneous movements. Transcriptomic analysis further revealed that BPAP exposure upregulated the mRNA expression levels of genes related to inflammatory pathways, such as il1b, ptgs2b, and fosab, indicating the induction of an inflammatory response. Overall, our findings provide early and valuable insights into the environmental and health risks associated with BPAP exposure.

Acclimation capacity to global warming of amphibians and freshwater fishes: Drivers, patterns, and data limitations.

Amphibians and fishes play a central role in shaping the structure and function of freshwater environments. These organisms have a limited capacity to disperse across different habitats and the thermal buffer offered by freshwater systems is small. Understanding determinants and patterns of their physiological sensitivity across life history is, therefore, imperative to predicting the impacts of climate change in freshwater systems. Based on a systematic literature review including 345 experiments with 998 estimates on 96 amphibian (Anura/Caudata) and 93 freshwater fish species (Teleostei), we conducted a quantitative synthesis to explore phylogenetic, ontogenetic, and biogeographic (thermal adaptation) patterns in upper thermal tolerance (CTmax) and thermal acclimation capacity (acclimation response ratio, ARR) as well as the influence of the methodology used to assess these thermal traits using a conditional inference tree analysis. We found globally consistent patterns in CTmax and ARR, with phylogeny (taxa/order), experimental methodology, climatic origin, and life stage as significant determinants of thermal traits. The analysis demonstrated that CTmax does not primarily depend on the climatic origin but on experimental acclimation temperature and duration, and life stage. Higher acclimation temperatures and longer acclimation times led to higher CTmax values, whereby Anuran larvae revealed a higher CTmax than older life stages. The ARR of freshwater fishes was more than twice that of amphibians. Differences in ARR between life stages were not significant. In addition to phylogenetic differences, we found that ARR also depended on acclimation duration, ramping rate, and adaptation to local temperature variability. However, the amount of data on early life stages is too small, methodologically inconsistent, and phylogenetically unbalanced to identify potential life cycle bottlenecks in thermal traits. We, therefore, propose methods to improve the robustness and comparability of CTmax/ARR data across species and life stages, which is crucial for the conservation of freshwater biodiversity under climate change.

Developmental toxicity and potential mechanisms exposed to polystyrene microplastics and polybrominated diphenyl ethers during early life stages of fat greenling (Hexagrammos otakii)

The occurrence of microplastics (MPs) in aquatic ecosystems and their ability to absorb hydrophobic pollutants, such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs), is currently a significant concern. MPs, which are the main breakdown product of plastics, have been frequently detected in the environment, posing serious threats to organisms’ health. One particular pollutant, 2,2′,4,4′-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47), is a dominant congener of PBDEs and is highly toxic to organisms. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the exposure of marine fishes to PBDEs through MPs and their combined toxic effects. In this study, the embryo toxicity of Hexagrammos otakii was conducted to investigate the combined effects of MPs and BDE-47. The results showed that MPs and BDE-47 co-exposure had detrimental effects on embryonic development, such as reduced hatchability, increased mortality, decreased heart rate, and body malformation. Moreover, the combined toxicity of these substances appeared more pronounced harmful effects compared to exposure to BDE-47 alone. Histopathological examination revealed that co-exposure can cause greater damage to hatching glands and yolk. The enrichment of Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways included phagosome, metabolism of xenobiotics by cytochrome P450, TCA cycle, and Wnt signaling pathway, which are closely related to embryonic growth. BDE-47 and MPs may activate the Wnt signaling pathway to affect the normal development of embryos. Our results suggest that MPs and BDE-47 exposure may cause growth disorders in the early life stages of H.otakii, leading to abnormal embryonic development. All these results will contribute to the further study of the ecological risk assessment and toxicity of MPs and organic pollutant mixtures in marine fish.

Land use change and coastal water darkening drive synchronous dynamics in phytoplankton and fish phenology on centennial timescales

AbstractAt high latitudes, the suitable window for timing reproductive events is particularly narrow, promoting tight synchrony between trophic levels. Climate change may disrupt this synchrony due to diverging responses to temperature between, for example, the early life stages of higher trophic levels and their food resources. Evidence for this is equivocal, and the role of compensatory mechanisms is poorly understood. Here, we show how a combination of ocean warming and coastal water darkening drive long‐term changes in phytoplankton spring bloom timing in Lofoten Norway, and how spawning time of Northeast Arctic cod responds in synchrony. Spring bloom timing was derived from hydrographical observations dating back to 1936, while cod spawning time was estimated from weekly fisheries catch and roe landing data since 1877. Our results suggest that land use change and freshwater run‐off causing coastal water darkening has gradually delayed the spring bloom up to the late 1980s after which ocean warming has caused it to advance. The cod appear to track phytoplankton dynamics by timing gonadal development and spawning to maximize overlap between offspring hatch date and predicted resource availability. This finding emphasises the importance of land–ocean coupling for coastal ecosystem functioning, and the potential for fish to adapt through phenotypic plasticity.

An extensive investigation into the bioactive component of breast milk, lactation, and clinical application of Galactagogues: A review

Nowadays, people are becoming more and more conscious of the link between nutrition, diet, and health. This bond is established from birth. In addition to being thought of as the finest nutrition for a newborn to preserve its physical and nutritional well-being, breastfeeding is usually seen as the best choice for a baby during the early stages of life. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) advises breastfeeding exclusively for six months, after which the mother and child may decide to continue nursing in addition to introducing supplemental meals for the remainder of the baby's first year or beyond. Since breast milk includes a variety of bioactive ingredients, including proteins, vitamins, nucleotides, oligosaccharides, immunoglobulin, and some minerals, it is often regarded as the major nutritional supply for babies. A crucial opportunity for intervention to improve breastfeeding success is when inadequate supply of breast milk is often identified as the primary reason for early breastfeeding cessation. When non-drug breastfeeding support approaches fail to improve a persistently poor milk production, mothers frequently turn to drugs called galactagogues for assistance. Galactagogues function by interfering with the complex hormonal balance that controls breastfeeding, specifically with regard to prolactin and oxytocin. The available data about the effectiveness and safety of pharmacological treatments for lactation insufficiency is assessed in this narrative review. The majority of research has focused on the use of domperidone, and studies have indicated that there are modest short-term improvements for breast milk production. While there is less evidence supporting metoclopramide safety and efficacy than there is for domperidone, metoclopramide functions similarly to domperidone, thus in the event that domperidone is ineffective, it may be a good alternative for therapy. Lack of information on alternative medicines, such as metformin, oxytocin, prolactin, and herbal remedies, renders their clinical usage unreasonable. The study points out important gaps in the data and makes recommendations for possible future research topics related to galactagogues' impact on nursing.

Lethal combination for seedlings: extreme heat drives mortality of drought-exposed high-elevation pine seedlings.

Hotter drought- and biotically-driven tree mortality are expected to increase with climate change in much of the western United States, and species persistence will depend upon ongoing establishment under novel conditions or migration to track ecological niche requirements. High-elevation tree species may be particularly vulnerable to increasing water stress as snowpack declines, increasing the potential for adult mortality and simultaneous regeneration failures. Seedling survival will be determined by ecophysiological limitations in response to changing water availability and temperature. We exposed seedlings from populations of Pinus longaeva, Pinus flexilis, and Pinus albicaulis to severe drought and concurrent temperature stress in common gardens testing timing of drought onset under two different temperature regimes. We monitored seedling functional traits, physiological function, and survival. The combined stressors of water limitation and extreme heat led to conservative water use strategies and declines in physiological function, with these joint stressors ultimately exceeding species' tolerances and leading to complete episodic mortality across all species. Growing conditions were the primary determinant of seedling trait expression, with seedlings exhibiting more drought-resistant traits such as lower specific leaf area in the hottest, driest treatment conditions. Water stress-induced stomatal closure was also widely apparent. Under adequate soil moisture, seedlings endured prolonged exposure to high air and surface temperatures, suggesting broad margins for survival. The critical interaction between soil moisture and temperature suggests that rising temperatures will exacerbate growing season moisture stress. Our results highlight the importance of local conditions over population- and species-level influences in shaping strategies for stress tolerance and resistance to desiccation at this early life stage. By quantifying some of the physiological consequences of drought and heat that lead to seedling mortality, we can better understand the future effects of global change on the composition and distribution of high-elevation conifer forests.

Contribution of Immune Responses to the Cardiotoxicity and Hepatotoxicity of Deltamethrin in Early Life Stage Zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Deltamethrin (DM) is a widely used insecticide that has demonstrated developmental toxicity in the early life stages of fish. To better characterize the underlying mechanisms, embryos from Tg(cmlc2:RFP), Tg(apo14:GFP), and Tg(mpx:GFP) transgenic strains of zebrafish were exposed to nominal DM concentrations of 0.1, 1, 10, 25, and 50 μg/L until 120 h post-fertilization (hpf). Heart size increased 56.7%, and liver size was reduced by 17.1% in zebrafish exposed to 22.7 and 24.2 μg/L DM, respectively. RNA sequencing and bioinformatic analyses predicted that key biological processes affected by DM exposure were related to inflammatory responses. Expression of IL-1 protein was increased by 69.0% in the 24.4 μg/L DM treatment, and aggregation of neutrophils in cardiac and hepatic histologic sections was also observed. Coexposure to resatorvid, an anti-inflammatory agent, mitigated inflammatory responses and cardiac toxicity induced by DM and also restored liver biomass. Our data indicated a complex proinflammatory mechanism underlying DM-induced cardiotoxicity and hepatotoxicity which may be important for key events of adverse outcomes and associated risks of DM to early life stages of fish.

The lionfishes: Comparative development of Pterois volitans, Dendrochirus barberi, and D. hemprichi (Scorpaeniformes: Scorpaenidae: Pteroinae) and discrimination of their early life stages from non-pteroine scorpaenid genera in the Western North Atlantic

Despite the threat that lionfishes pose to non-native marine ecosystems worldwide, their early life stages (ELS) remain difficult to distinguish from morphologically similar taxa due to inadequate descriptions and poorly defined taxonomic characters. Two members of the Indo-Pacific marine assemblage commonly known as lionfishes, zebrafishes, firefishes, turkeyfishes, and butterfly-cods (Scorpaeniformes: Scorpaenidae: Pteroinae) are invasive in the Western North Atlantic (WNA). Here, we describe the ELS of Pterois volitans, Dendrochirus barberi, and two transforming larvae and an early juvenile of D. hemprichi; review the early development of D. zebra and a larva described as D. bellus; identify characteristics that distinguish P. volitans from the four members of Dendrochirus; and compile meristic and distribution data for all currently valid species of lionfishes worldwide based on recent revisions and updated nomenclature. We also briefly describe a small juvenile of two poorly known non-pteroine deep-water scorpaenids, and discuss characteristics that distinguish the five pteroines from non-pteroine scorpaenid genera in the WNA. Differences in relative length and elevation of the parietal and nuchal spines, and in pigmentation patterns distinguish P. volitans from the four members of Dendrochirus. Pterois volitans has parietal spines two or more times longer than the nuchals with both sets of spines oriented about 30° above the longitudinal axis of the head, whereas the four members of Dendrochirus have relatively short parietal and nuchal spines subequal in length that lay flatter against the cranium (i.e., elevation ≤15° above longitudinal axis of head). Transforming larvae of the four members of Dendrochirus also develop saddles of pigment along the dorsal and ventral margins of the body that P. volitans lacks at the sizes examined. One or more of the following suite of traits distinguish larvae of the five pteroines from those of non-pteroine scorpaenids and other morphologically similar taxa: the presence or absence of a “shield” of pigment over the dorsolateral margin of the visceral mass (may be reduced or augmented with scattered blotches of pigment in larger larvae of some taxa); the relative length, elevation, and placement of the parietal and nuchal spines; the presence or absence of a small slit behind the fourth gill arch; differences in pectoral-fin length, shape, and extent of pigmentation; the relative size, length, and placement of spines along the posterior shelf of the preopercle (PPO); and the presence or absence, number, and placement of spine(s) along the opercle.

Nutritional support for immune health during infections

Infectious diseases are common in underdeveloped and developing countries. Malnutrition plays an important role in disease etiology, remarkably increasing morbidity and mortality risks during the early stages of life, such as infancy and childhood. Nutrients such as glutamine, arginine, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, zinc, selenium, iron, vitamins A, C, E, D and B6, components of breast milk, and adequate energy intake strengthen the immune system, reduce infection risk, and play a key role in combating diseases. This review highlights the importance of nutrition for the treatment of infectious diseases.