First-year Survival Research Articles

Predation strongly limits demography of a keystone migratory herbivore in a recovering transfrontier ecosystem.

Large herbivore migrations are imperiled globally; however the factors limiting a population across its migratory range are typically poorly understood. Zambia's Greater Liuwa Ecosystem (GLE) contains one of the largest remaining blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus taurinus) migrations, yet the population structure, vital rates, and limiting factors are virtually unknown. We conducted a long‐term demographic study of GLE wildebeest from 2012 to 2019 of 107 collared adult females and their calves, 7352 herd observations, 12 aerial population surveys, and concurrent carnivore studies. We applied methods of vital rate estimation and survival analysis within a Bayesian estimation framework. From herd composition observations, we estimated rates of fecundity, first‐year survival, and recruitment as 68%, 56%, and 38% respectively, with pronounced interannual variation. Similar rates were estimated from calf‐detections with collared cows. Adult survival rates declined steadily from 91% at age 2 years to 61% at age 10 years thereafter dropping more sharply to 2% at age 16 years. Predation, particularly by spotted hyena, was the predominant cause of death for all wildebeest ages and focused on older animals. Starvation only accounted for 0.8% of all unbiased known natural causes of death. Mortality risk differed substantially between wet and dry season ranges, reflecting strong spatio‐temporal differences in habitat and predator densities. There was substantial evidence that mortality risk to adults was 27% higher in the wet season, and strong evidence that it was 45% higher in the migratory range where predator density was highest. The estimated vital rates were internally consistent, predicting a stable population trajectory consistent with aerial estimates. From essentially zero knowledge of GLE wildebeest dynamics, this work provides vital rates, age structure, limiting factors, and a plausible mechanism for the migratory tendency, and a robust model‐based foundation to evaluate the effects of potential restrictions in migratory range, climate change, predator–prey dynamics, and poaching.

ABCL-297 Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis Singularity: A Multicenter Retrospective Study

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is characterized by an excessive inflammatory response due to aberrant activation of macrophages and T lymphocytes. Cases of primary HLH (genetic mutations) are usually diagnosed in childhood, while secondary cases (due to neoplasms or infections, among others) appear predominantly in adults. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential to reduce the high mortality rate associated with this syndrome. A retrospective multicenter analysis of 55 patients diagnosed with HLH between 2004 and 2021 in five Spanish centers was performed. The main etiologies, treatment strategies employed, and the evolution of the patients are described. Median age at diagnosis was 54 years (range 0-82). All patients in whom the determination was performed presented hyperferritinemia (>10000ng/mL in 56.5%) and 89% had cytopenias. Bone marrow hemophagocytosis was observed in 87.3%. HLH was primary in 4 patients (3 of them belonged to the same family and had a homozygous mutation in the UNC13D gene) and the remaining 92.7% were secondary, with the most frequent causes being neoplasms (45.1%, mostly lymphomas) and infections (35.3%). Regarding treatment, primary HLH received the usual HLH-04 protocol (Spanish Society of HLH), which includes etoposide, corticosteroids, and cyclosporine; two patients achieved complete response (CR) and could be consolidated with allogeneic transplantation. Treatment of secondary HLH was directed at the underlying cause. Of the patients who were able to receive treatment, 42% achieved CR, with a median of 23 days to response, and only 13% of these patients relapsed. First-year overall survival was 40%. Patients with HLH secondary to neoplasia had significantly lower overall survival than those secondary to infection (30.4% vs. 66.7%; p=0.027). It should also be noted that 42% of the patients died within the first month of diagnosis and that 27% were diagnosed with necropsy, and therefore did not initiate treatment. In primary HLH the only potentially curative treatment is allogeneic transplantation. In secondary HLH a high diagnostic suspicion is essential in order to identify and treat the underlying etiology. The prognosis of the disease continues to be disappointing, so efforts should focus on early diagnosis and the search for new therapeutic strategies.

Translocation as an ultimate conservation measure for the long-term survival of a critically endangered freshwater mussel

Pseudunio auricularius (Spengler, 1793) is one of the most threatened unionid species worldwide. Translocation is considered one of the ultimate actions that can save this species from extinction in the Iberian Peninsula. Since 2013, massive mortalities have been recorded in the Canal Imperial de Aragón (CIA), an anthropogenic habitat where the highest density of P. auricularius had been recorded in Spain. An adequacy habitat index was calculated assigning scores to different environmental variables to select the most suitable river stretches receiving the translocated specimens. A total of 638 specimens have been translocated: 291 in 2017, 291 in 2018, and 56 in 2019. The first-year survival in the group of individuals translocated in 2017 was 41.6%. The next year, 95% of these specimens were found alive, suggesting a successful initial establishment. Specimens translocated in 2018 and 2019 showed a survival of c. 69% and 49%, respectively. In contrast, the control group left in CIA in 2017 showed a much lower survival rate of 19.7% after one year, which remained equally low during the next two years. Currently, the conditions in the Ebro River seem to allow a higher survival rate for P. auricularius than those in the CIA; nevertheless, future monitoring should confirm their long-term success.

Mineral fertilization in tropical reforestation: seedling growth and survival of ten native tree species in Tabasco, Mexico

A reforestation trial was carried out with ten native tree species under four different doses of mineral fertilizer in the lowland tropics in Tabasco, Mexico. In six one-hectare plots, 2415 seedlings of Brosimum alicastrum, Calophyllum brasiliense, Ceiba pentandra, Colubrina arborescens, Diphysa americana, Enterolobium cyclocarpum, Handroanthus chrysanthus, Pimenta dioica, Pouteria sapota, and Tabebuia rosea were planted in a randomized design. The mineral fertilizer consisted of a single initial dose of 0 g, 150 g, 375 g or 750 g nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium (NPK), as well as micronutrients (Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Zn, S). First-year survival and median height increment of transplanted seedlings were analyzed with statistical confidence intervals. Whereas overall first-year survival for Ceiba pentandra for all fertilization doses combined was 66%, it was only 12% for Brosimum alicastrum. On the other hand, median height increment was 102 cm for Enterolobium cyclocarpum, whereas it was only 7 cm for Pimenta dioica. The survival of six of the planted species was apparently affected by the salinity effect caused by mineral fertilization. The only species that benefited from mineral fertilization in a statistically significant way was C. pentandra. In conclusion, mineral fertilization in tropical reforestation is not recommended in general. Appropriate species selection is far more important for favorable survivorship and height increment.

Conserving wetlands in agroecosystems can sustain aerial insectivore productivity and survival

Agricultural intensification simplifies natural landscapes and frequently results in the loss of biodiversity. Wetlands are highly productive and may offset these losses, but the amount of wetland area needed to support declining avian species on farmland is unknown. Using an avian aerial insectivore, the Tree Swallow ( Tachycineta bicolor (Vieillot, 1808)), we tested whether a gradient of pond area (visible surface water in wetland basins within 500 m of nest boxes; range 0.2%–30% pond area) at cropland and grassland sites was related to aquatic insect biomass, reproductive success, and adult female or nestling body condition. Aquatic insect biomass was ∼2–8 times higher at the cropland sites with intermediate (5.2%) pond areas than at sites with the highest (15.6%) and lowest (0.2%) pond areas. Swallow clutch initiation date was ∼3–4 days earlier, and nestling body condition and model-predicted first-year survival were ∼10% higher among cropland sites with more pond area and were comparable to birds hatched at grassland sites. Loss of ponds due to agricultural drainage can reduce aquatic insect prey during the breeding season with apparent individual and demographic consequences for insectivorous birds. Overall, the results suggest that where wetlands are conserved, intensive croplands can sustain Tree Swallow populations.

Anti-Thymocyte Globulin Protects Against Ischemia Reperfusion Injury in the Immediate Post Heart Transplant Period

<h3>Purpose</h3> Ischemia reperfusion injury after heart transplant is not uncommon. This may lead to rejection and endothelial cell dysfunction with subsequent development of cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV). It has been reported that the use of anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) as induction therapy post-transplant may lessen the ischemia reperfusion injury that occurs to donor hearts. This has not been confirmed. <h3>Methods</h3> Between 2010 and 2020, we assessed 1082 heart transplant patients and divided them into those who received induction with ATG versus those who did not. In our program, ATG is given to patients who are sensitized or have baseline serum creatinine >2.0 mg/dL to delay initiation of tacrolimus. Weekly endomyocardial biopsy samples were reviewed for the first month after heart transplantation for ischemia reperfusion injury. First year outcomes included survival and freedom from CAV (stenosis ≥30%). <h3>Results</h3> Patients who underwent induction therapy with ATG had significantly greater freedom from any ischemia reperfusion injury noted on weekly endomyocardial biopsies in the first month post-transplant. There was no difference between the two groups in first-year survival and freedom from CAV. <h3>Conclusion</h3> ATG as induction therapy appears to provide protection against ischemia reperfusion injury in donor hearts. Longer follow-up is needed to show potential outcomes benefit. This finding should be confirmed in a randomized clinical trial.

Woody-plant encroachment: Precipitation, herbivory, and grass-competition interact to affect shrub recruitment.

Woody-plant encroachment is a global phenomenon that has been affecting the southwestern United States since the late 1800s. Drought, overgrazing, herbivory, and competition between grasses and shrub seedlings have been hypothesized as the main drivers of shrub establishment. However, there is limited knowledge about the interactions among these drivers. Using a rainfall manipulation system and various herbivore exclosures, we tested hypotheses about how precipitation (PPT), competition between grasses and shrub seedlings, and predation affect the germination and first-year survival of mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa), a shrub that has encroached in Southern Great Plains and Chihuahuan Desert grasslands. We found that mesquite germination and survival (1) increased with increasing PPT, then saturated at about the mean growing season PPT level, (2) that competition between grasses and shrub seedlings had no effect on either germination or survival, and (3) that herbivory by small mammals decreased seedling establishment and survival, while ant granivory showed no effect. In addition to its direct positive effect on survival, PPT had an indirect negative effect via increasing small mammal activity. Current models predict a decrease in PPT in the southwestern United States with increased frequency of extreme events. The non-linear nature of PPT effects on Mesquite recruitment suggests asymmetric responses, wherein drought has a relatively greater negative effect than the positive effect of wet years. Indirect effects of PPT, through its effects on small mammal abundance, highlight the importance of accounting for interactions between biotic and abiotic drivers of shrub encroachment. This study provides quantitative basis for developing tools that can inform effective shrub management strategies in grasslands and savannas.

Significance of promoter methylation of multiple tumor suppressor genes in hepatocellular carcinoma

BackgroundMethylation of the promoter at CpG islands is a mechanism of silencing tumor suppressor genes and therefore enhances cancer progression. The study aimed to examine promoter methylation frequencies of five tumor suppressor genes in hepatocellular carcinoma and their implication on the first-year outcome of surgical resection of the tumor. Fifty specimens of hepatocellular carcinoma and the adjacent non-tumorous liver tissue were collected from the surgically resected hepatic tumor. The status of promoter methylation of tumor suppressor genes RASSF1A, CHFR, MGMT, GSTP1, and hMLH1 was investigated using methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction.ResultsThe frequency of promoter methylation of these tumor suppressors genes (TSG) genes in hepatocellular carcinoma was significantly higher than non-tumorous tissue all, P < 0.05, with a methylation rate of 80% in RASSF1A, 70% in CHFR, 46% in GSTP1, 56% in MGMT, and 10% in hMLH1. Methylation of RASSF1A, CHFR, and MGMT promoter genes was significantly associated with decreased first-year postoperative survival and increased recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma, P < 0.05.ConclusionMethylated RASSF1A, CHRF, and MGMT promoters indicated poor prognosis among patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and may serve as potential prognostic indicators in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Influence of environmental and population factors on Prince William Sound herring spawning phenology

Shifts in spawning phenology may impact the early life stages of small pelagic fishes, affecting their first-year survival and recruitment. In Prince William Sound, Pacific herring is a key forage species that once supported commercial and subsistence fisheries for many decades, but collapsed in 1993 and has yet to recover. Starting in 1980, spawn timing shifted earlier by approximately 2-4 wk over a 27 yr period, then abruptly shifted later by approximately 3 wk over the next 7 yr. We quantified the influence of 15 environmental and population-level covariates on these spawn timing shifts using generalized linear models. Earlier spawn timing was associated with higher biomass in the eastern sound and older mean age in the western sound. Across the entire sound, earlier spawning was associated with weaker downwelling, weaker meridional winds, and the positive phase of the Pacific-North American teleconnection pattern, which is characterized by warmer North Pacific waters. These results are a critical first step towards assessing how changes in spawning phenology impact first-year survival of herring offspring and potentially contribute to persistent poor recruitment that has inhibited the recovery of the Prince William Sound population.

A demographic model to support customary management of a culturally important waterfowl species

Scientific support invited by Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLC) to assist with customary environmental management can improve conservation and community livelihoods. For example, demographic models can help to understand how alternative wildlife management strategies affect population dynamics and harvest sustainability. We developed a demographic model to assist Ngāi Tahu, the southern-most Māori tribe in Aotearoa/New Zealand, in customary management of a culturally important population of Black Swans (<em>kakī anau</em>, <em>Cygnus atratus</em>). We used recent demographic data, including results of an experimental egg harvest study, to inform <em>tangata tiaki</em> (Ngāi Tahu environmental guardians) about how customary egg harvest and background pressure from sport hunting of swans aged ≥ 1 year differentially affect population growth. We also assessed how sport hunting of swans affects the sustainability of customary egg harvest. Estimated population growth (1.018 or presently growing 1.8% annually; 95% CI: 0.808–1.241) was most sensitive to changes in adult and subadult survival, followed by juvenile (first-year) survival, breeding propensity, and nest hatching success. Uncertainty in population growth was almost entirely attributable to uncertainty in swan survival rates after hatching. Sustainable population-level rates of egg harvest varied from none to more than half of all eggs, depending on small changes in adult and subadult survival. Population sensitivity to adult and subadult survival suggests that limiting and monitoring their mortality are crucial to population and egg harvest sustainability, whereas contemporary government-mandated species management, through Fish and Game New Zealand, allows adult and subadult mortality from sport hunting, with little record of offtake. Recognizing the rights and interests of Ngāi Tahu, and monitoring swan mortality more closely, could improve Ngāi Tahu abilities to practice customary harvest, enhance population and environmental monitoring, and, when appropriate, control swan numbers in a culturally appropriate and less wasteful way. The model we present could aid decision making and communication between Ngāi Tahu and New Zealand’s Crown government within a potential future co-management arrangement. Demographic models can be useful tools for supporting customary environmental management, but developing, maintaining, and implementing these tools requires support for adaptive policies and management arrangements that recognize IPLC rights to the environment and decision making.

Clinical outcome in patients with end-stage heart failure who underwent continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices in a single center.

Background/AimsThe continuous flow left ventricular assist device (cf-LVAD) has improved the survival of chronic end-stage heart failure (HF) patients. Here we describe our clinical experience of the initial 50 LVAD patients from a single center.MethodsA total of 50 patients underwent LVAD implantation as bridge to transplantation (BTT; n = 28, 56%), bridge to candidacy (BTC; n = 2, 4%), or as destination therapy (DT; n = 20, 40%) from 2012 to 2019. Pre-implant characteristics and clinical outcomes were compared between BTT/BTC and DT.ResultsThe median age of patients was 67 years (range, 59 to 73). Men were more likely to receive LVAD (76% vs. 24%) than women. DT patients were older, had smaller body surface area, and worse laboratory profiles than BTT/BTC patients. There was no in-hospital mortality. During an average of 14 months (range, 8 to 23), the all-cause mortality was 22%. The first-year survival was 86 and 90% in BTT/BTC and DT groups, respectively. Hemorrhagic stroke was the most common cause (27%) of death. In the BTT/BTC group, 22 patients successfully underwent heart transplantation during median duration of 10 months (range, 7 to 14). The most common post-LVAD complication during the first year of LVAD implantation was major bleeding (44%). A significant proportion (76%) of patients experienced rehospitalization with gastrointestinal bleeding as the most common cause.ConclusionsWe describe short-term clinical outcome of LVAD patients from a single center for the first time in Korea. With the newer generation LVAD and a dedicated team approach, improved clinical outcomes of LVAD for end-stage HF are expected.

Life-History Analysis of Asterinid Starfishes.

AbstractThe starfish family Asterinidae shows a diversity of reproductive modes, and a number of species have sufficient life-history data that can be used for analysis, using life-cycle graphs. These include four species that reproduce by fission (Aquilonastra yairi, Nepanthia belcheri, Aquilonastra burtonii, and Ailsastra heteractis), a viviparous species (Parvulastra vivipara), two species with benthic egg masses (Asterina gibbosa and Asterina phylactica), one with planktonic larvae that do not feed (Cryptasterina pentagona), and one with larvae that feed in the plankton (Patiria miniata). Species are compared using adult and first-year survival and, for some species, the age at first reproduction, number of offspring (eggs or newly released juveniles), and individual growth parameters of the von Bertalanffy model. The sensitivity of population growth, fitness, to changes in these traits is shown by elasticity analysis, which aids in understanding possible consequences of environmental forces as well as possible directions of selection.

Integrating advances in population and evolutionary ecology with conservation strategy through long-term studies of red-billed choughs.

Conceptual and methodological advances in population and evolutionary ecology are often pursued with the ambition that they will help identify demographic, ecological and genetic constraints on population growth rate (λ), and ultimately facilitate evidence-based conservation. However, such advances are often decoupled from conservation practice, impeding translation of scientific understanding into effective conservation and of conservation-motivated research into wider conceptual understanding. We summarise key outcomes from long-term studies of a red-billed chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax population of conservation concern, where we proactively aimed to achieve the dual and interacting objectives of advancing population and evolutionary ecology and advancing effective conservation. Estimation of means, variances and covariances in key vital rates from individual-based demographic data identified temporal and spatial variation in subadult survival as key constraints on λ, and simultaneously provided new insights into how vital rates can vary as functions of demographic structure, natal conditions and parental life history. Targeted analyses showed that first-year survival increased with prey abundance, implying that food limitation may constrain λ. First-year survival then decreased dramatically, threatening population viability and prompting emergency supplementary feeding interventions. Detailed evaluations suggested that the interventions successfully increased first-year survival in some years and additionally increased adult survival and successful reproduction, thereby feeding back to inform intervention refinements and understanding of complex ecological constraints on λ. Genetic analyses revealed novel evidence of expression of a lethal recessive allele, and demonstrated how critically small effective population size can arise, thereby increasing inbreeding and loss of genetic variation. Population viability analyses parameterised with all available demographic and genetic data showed how ecological and genetic constraints can interact to limit population viability, and identified ecological management as of primacy over genetic management to ensure short-term persistence of the focal population. This case study demonstrates a full iteration through the sequence of primary science, evidence-based intervention, quantitative evaluation and feedback that is advocated in conservation science but still infrequently achieved. It thereby illustrates how pure science advances informed conservation actions to ensure the (short-term) stability of the target population, and how conservation-motivated analyses fed back to advance fundamental understanding of population processes.

Kardiyak yetmezliği olan ileri yaş hastalarda en iyi tedavi yaklaşımı nedir? 6 yıllık deneyim

Aims: Best popular perception that coronary artery bypass grefting in octogenarians carries high risk related primarily to advanced age. Nevertheless, the effects of CABG, percutaneous coronary intervention , and medical treatment were not assessed on life adequately.&#x0D; Material and Methods: In the present study, survival duration of 375 octogenarian patients who underwent coronary angiography (CAG) in our clinic was evaluated retrospectively. &#x0D; Results: Patients were assigned and compare to seven groups as follows: group 1, patients with normal CAG results; group 2, patients with diffuse coronary narrowness who received medical treatment, group 3, patients who underwent PCI, group 4 was the subgroup of patients from group 3 who underwent PCI in the left anterior descending artery only or in combination with their coronary arteries; group 5, patients in critical condition who were unavailable for any intervention because of cardiac function, group 6, patients who underwent CABG; and group 7, patients who declined the recommended CABG and PCI. For each group, the first-year survival rates were respectively: 100%, 95%, 91.2%, 91.8%, 76.1%, 93.0%, 90.82%. After 6 years, the survival rates were respectively: 76.1%, 80.0%, 72.5%, 71.42%, 52.3%, 90.2%, 76.14%. Rates of patients living by years a significant correlation was revealed between group 6 and group 2 and group 3 (p=0.001, p = 0.004). Group 3 was found to have a significant correlation with Group 4 and Group 7 (p=.000). Group 7 was significantly correlated with groups 3 (p = 0.000), 4 (p = 0.000), and 2 (p = 0.007).&#x0D; Conclusion: Especially in octogenarians who had shortness of the expected survival, the surgical advantage of visual anastomotic replacement, and complete vascularization were successed more than PCI.

First-Year Survival of Northern Fur Seals (Callorhinus ursinus) Can Be Explained by Pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) Catches in the Eastern Bering Sea

The Pribilof northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus) herd in the eastern Bering Sea has declined by ~70% since the 1970s, for elusive reasons. Competition for pollock (Gadus chalcogramma) with the commercial fishery has been suspected as a contributing factor, but no correlative relationship between fishing activity and fur seal population declines has heretofore been demonstrated. Here, we present evidence for a moderately strong inverse relationship between fishery catches of pollock and first-year survival of fur seals, based on three different approaches to evaluation. We suspect this relationship results from the dependence of lactating female fur seals on locating dense and extensive schools of pollock near the Pribilof Islands to efficiently provide nutrition for their pups, because the pollock fishery also targets these same schools, and when fished, the remnants of these schools are fragmented and dispersed, making them more difficult for fur seals to locate and exploit. Inadequately fed pups are less likely to survive their initial independent residence at sea as they migrate south from the Pribilof Islands in the fall. Our results imply that pollock catches above ~1,000,000 t within ~300 km of the Pribilof Islands may continue to suppress first-year survival of Pribilof fur seals below the estimated equilibrium survival value of 0.50, leading to continued decline of the population.

Demographic responses to climate change in a threatened Arctic species.

The Arctic is undergoing rapid and accelerating change in response to global warming, altering biodiversity patterns, and ecosystem function across the region. For Arctic endemic species, our understanding of the consequences of such change remains limited. Spectacled eiders (Somateria fischeri), a large Arctic sea duck, use remote regions in the Bering Sea, Arctic Russia, and Alaska throughout the annual cycle making it difficult to conduct comprehensive surveys or demographic studies. Listed as Threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, understanding the species response to climate change is critical for effective conservation policy and planning. Here, we developed an integrated population model to describe spectacled eider population dynamics using capture–mark–recapture, breeding population survey, nest survey, and environmental data collected between 1992 and 2014. Our intent was to estimate abundance, population growth, and demographic rates, and quantify how changes in the environment influenced population dynamics. Abundance of spectacled eiders breeding in western Alaska has increased since listing in 1993 and responded more strongly to annual variation in first‐year survival than adult survival or productivity. We found both adult survival and nest success were highest in years following intermediate sea ice conditions during the wintering period, and both demographic rates declined when sea ice conditions were above or below average. In recent years, sea ice extent has reached new record lows and has remained below average throughout the winter for multiple years in a row. Sea ice persistence is expected to further decline in the Bering Sea. Our results indicate spectacled eiders may be vulnerable to climate change and the increasingly variable sea ice conditions throughout their wintering range with potentially deleterious effects on population dynamics. Importantly, we identified that different demographic rates responded similarly to changes in sea ice conditions, emphasizing the need for integrated analyses to understand population dynamics.

Mutation load decreases with haplotype age in wild Soay sheep.

Runs of homozygosity (ROH) are pervasive in diploid genomes and expose the effects of deleterious recessive mutations, but how exactly these regions contribute to variation in fitness remains unclear. Here, we combined empirical analyses and simulations to explore the deleterious effects of ROH with varying genetic map lengths in wild Soay sheep. Using a long‐term dataset of 4879 individuals genotyped at 417K SNPs, we found that inbreeding depression increases with ROH length. A 1% genomic increase in long ROH (>12.5 cM) reduced the odds of first‐year survival by 12.4% compared to only 7.7% for medium ROH (1.56–12.5 cM), whereas short ROH (<1.56 cM) had no effect on survival. We show by forward genetic simulations that this is predicted: compared to shorter ROH, long ROH will have higher densities of deleterious alleles, with larger average effects on fitness and lower population frequencies. Taken together, our results are consistent with the idea that the mutation load decreases in older haplotypes underlying shorter ROH, where purifying selection has had more time to purge deleterious mutations. Finally, our study demonstrates that strong inbreeding depression can persist despite ongoing purging in a historically small population.

Assessment of Cinnamomum tamala (Tejpat) Plantation in Community Forests: A Case Study from Tanahun District

Cinnamomum tamala is the major NTFPS cultivated commercially in major parts of Nepal. A research was conducted on the plantation of C. tamala in three research sites, Malayang community forest (CF), Saldada CF, and Banaskhadi CF, of Tanahun district for calculating the survival rate, mortality rate, and overall plant growth performance. Simple stratified random sampling methods were used; height and mean breast diameter (DBH) were measured, and a prestructured questionnaire was used for collecting the data and information from the research sites; also, secondary data from AFO, Tanahun, were used for the analysis of data. The first-year survival rate was the highest (62%) at Saldada CF and lowest at Banaskhadi CF (35%); however, the second-year survival rate was the highest at Saldada CF at 50%. Mean height : DBH (cm) of the plant was the highest at Saldada CF (126 cm) and lowest at Banaskhadi (25 cm). The Pearson correlation analysis at α = 0.05 was conducted to test the association between mean height and DBH (cm) of C. tamala which was r = 0.93, df = 12, p &lt; 0.001 , r = 0.30, df = 11, p &lt; 0.001 , and r = 0.88, df = 11, p &lt; 0.001 , respectively, of Saldada CF, Banaskhadi CF, and Malayang CF. The mean height and mean breast diameter (DBH) (cm) of C. tamala were highly correlated in Saldada CF with the highest second-year survival rate. As C. tamala grows well in acidic soil, pH of all the three research sites was basic, more than 7.5; however, Saldada CF had the highest growth rate than others because the organic matter content was the highest (3.4).

Multi-decadal shifts in the distribution and timing of Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) spawning in Prince William Sound, Alaska

The location and timing of spawning play a critical role in pelagic fish survival during early life stages and can affect subsequent recruitment. Spawning patterns of Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) were examined in Prince William Sound (1973–2019) where the population has failed to recover since its collapse in 1993. Abrupt shifts in spawn distribution preceded the rapid increase in population size in the 1980s and later its collapse by one and two years, respectively. Following the population collapse, spawning contracted away from historical regions towards southeastern areas of the Sound, and the proportion of occupied spawning areas declined from 65% to &lt;9%. Spatial differences in spawn timing variation were also apparent, as the median spawn date shifted earlier by 26 days in eastern and 15 days in western areas of Prince William Sound between 1980 and 2006, and then shifted later by 25 (eastern) and 19 (western) days over a 7-year period. Effects of contracted spawning areas and timing shifts on first-year survival and recruitment are uncertain and require future investigation.

Establishment of Regional Phytoremediation Buffer Systems for Ecological Restoration in the Great Lakes Basin, USA. II. New Clones Show Exceptional Promise

Poplar tree improvement strategies are needed to enhance ecosystem services’ provisioning and achieve phytoremediation objectives. We evaluated the establishment potential of new poplar clones developed at the University of Minnesota Duluth, Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) from sixteen phytoremediation buffer systems (phyto buffers) (buffer groups: 2017 × 6; 2018 × 5; 2019 × 5) throughout the Lake Superior and Lake Michigan watersheds. We divided clones into Experimental (testing stage genotypes) and Common (commercial and/or research genotypes) clone groups and compared them with each other and each NRRI clone (NRRI group) at the phyto buffers. We tested for differences in clone groups, phyto buffers, and their interactions for survival, health, height, diameter, and volume from ages one to four years. First-year survival was 97.1%, with 95.5%, 96.2%, and 99.6% for the 2017, 2018, and 2019 buffer groups, respectively. All trees had optimal health. Fourth-year mean annual increment of 2017 buffer group trees ranged from 2.66 ± 0.18 to 3.65 ± 0.17 Mg ha−1 yr−1. NRRI clones ‘99038022’ and ‘9732-31’ exhibited exceptional survival and growth across eleven and ten phyto buffers, respectively, for all years. These approaches advance poplar tree improvement efforts throughout the region, continent, and world, with methods informing clonal selection for multiple end-uses, including phytotechnologies.