Functional Traits In Relation Research Articles

Distance functions of carabids in crop fields depend on functional traits, crop type and adjacent habitat: a synthesis.

Natural pest and weed regulation are essential for agricultural production, but the spatial distribution of natural enemies within crop fields and its drivers are mostly unknown. Using 28 datasets comprising 1204 study sites across eight Western and Central European countries, we performed a quantitative synthesis of carabid richness, activity densities and functional traits in relation to field edges (i.e. distance functions). We show that distance functions of carabids strongly depend on carabid functional traits, crop type and, to a lesser extent, adjacent non-crop habitats. Richness of both carnivores and granivores, and activity densities of small and granivorous species decreased towards field interiors, whereas the densities of large species increased. We found strong distance decays in maize and vegetables whereas richness and densities remained more stable in cereals, oilseed crops and legumes. We conclude that carabid assemblages in agricultural landscapes are driven by the complex interplay of crop types, adjacent non-crop habitats and further landscape parameters with great potential for targeted agroecological management. In particular, our synthesis indicates that a higher edge-interior ratio can counter the distance decay of carabid richness per field and thus likely benefits natural pest and weed regulation, hence contributing to agricultural sustainability.

Along the river: Longitudinal patterns of functional and taxonomic diversity of plants in riparian forests

AbstractQuestionsThe River Continuum Concept (RCC) predicts a gradual shift of functional adaptations of organisms along the longitudinal (upstream–downstream) gradient, as well as the maximization of the biotic diversity in mid‐reaches. Although this theoretical framework was originally developed for stream macroinvertebrates, we tested whether such a pattern can also be observed in riparian plant communities.LocationThe study was conducted in the upper catchments of the San and Wisłoka Rivers in southeastern Poland. In both catchments, very well preserved riparian forests occur continuously along both rivers.MethodsWe studied the cover of plant species in riparian forests across two river networks. We analyzed the taxonomic and functional diversity indices, as well as community‐weighted means of functional traits in relation to the plots' positions in the catchments.ResultsThe functional richness and divergence displayed unimodal patterns of increasing values in the mid‐reaches. The patterns of taxonomic diversity were similar, but some plots in the lowest reaches were more diverse than expected, forming an additional increase in diversity. The observed patterns were largely in line with the predictions of RCC. We discovered a significant decrease in the specific leaf area and an increase in the height of herbaceous plants in communities along a longitudinal gradient. There was also a shift in the dispersal syndromes, toward a higher importance of zoochory in the lower reaches.ConclusionsThe study shows that plant communities in natural riparian forests show continuous species turnover along the longitudinal gradient that, along with the longitudinal shift of abiotic factors, creates patterns that are known from theoretical predictions.

An augmented Mendelian randomization approach provides causality of brain imaging features on complex traits in a single biobank-scale dataset.

Mendelian randomization (MR) is an effective approach for revealing causal risk factors that underpin complex traits and diseases. While MR has been more widely applied under two-sample settings, it is more promising to be used in one single large cohort given the rise of biobank-scale datasets that simultaneously contain genotype data, brain imaging data, and matched complex traits from the same individual. However, most existing multivariable MR methods have been developed for two-sample setting or a small number of exposures. In this study, we introduce a one-sample multivariable MR method based on partial least squares and Lasso regression (MR-PL). MR-PL is capable of considering the correlation among exposures (e.g., brain imaging features) when the number of exposures is extremely upscaled, while also correcting for winner's curse bias. We performed extensive and systematic simulations, and demonstrated the robustness and reliability of our method. Comprehensive simulations confirmed that MR-PL can generate more precise causal estimates with lower false positive rates than alternative approaches. Finally, we applied MR-PL to the datasets from UK Biobank to reveal the causal effects of 36 white matter tracts on 180 complex traits, and showed putative white matter tracts that are implicated in smoking, blood vascular function-related traits, and eating behaviors.

The Secchi disk depth to water depth ratio affects morphological traits of submerged macrophytes: Development patterns and ecological implications

Water clarity, represented by Secchi disk depth (SD), and water depth (WD) alter bottom light availability, and SD/WD is critical for morphological trait development of submerged macrophytes in freshwater ecosystems. However, the underlying mechanism and trait development patterns of submerged macrophytes to a decreasing SD/WD gradient remains largely unknown. Here, we performed a 42-day mesocosm experiment with the erect type submerged macrophyte, Hydrilla verticillata, along a decreasing SD/WD gradient to study the relationship of morphological trait development with light availability, to determine the critical SD/WD at which changes in the development of morphological traits occur, and to gain insights into the potential mechanism involved. The results indicate that most of the morphological traits, including biomass, relative growth rate, number of clonal propagules, and the root/shoot ratio decreased with a decrease in the SD/WD ratio. Conversely, plant height and shoot increment rate increased with a decrease in the SD/WD ratio. Principal component analysis indicated that the SD/WD ratio is critical in determining the growth, stability, and reproduction of H. verticillata, and that only SD/WD ratios ≥ 0.45 and ≥0.55 ensured growth ability and stability, respectively. Possible development patterns of functional traits in relation to SD/WD reduction were investigated, and patterns of key traits of H. verticillata were distinct from those of Vallisneria natans, indicating different strategies for the adaptation to conditions of decreasing light availability. These results highlight the role of adaptive changes in morphology, resource allocation and life strategies for the maintenance of growth, stability and resilience of submerged macrophytes in low light conditions. Our present study provides a basis from which we could enhance our understanding of the critical transition mechanisms involved in morphological trait development in response to bottom light availability.

Functional FDG-PET: Measurement of Task Related Neural Activity in Humans-A Compartment Model Approach and Comparison to fMRI.

Neuroimaging holds an essential position in global healthcare, as brain-related disorders are a substantial and growing burden. Non-degenerative disorders such as stress, depression and anxiety share common function related traits of diffuse and fluctuating changes, such as change in brain-based functions of mood, behavior and cognitive abilities, where underlying physiological mechanism remain unresolved. In this study we developed a novel application for studying intra-subject task-activated brain function by the quantitative physiological measurement of the change in glucose metabolism in a single scan setup. Data were acquired on a PET/MR-scanner. We implemented a functional [18F]-FDG PET-scan with double boli-tracer administration and finger-tapping activation, as proof-of-concept, in five healthy participants. The [18F]-FDG data were analyzed using a two-tissue compartment double boli kinetic model with an image-derived input function. For stand-alone visual reference, blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) functional MRI (fMRI) was acquired in the same session and analyzed separately. We were able to measure the cerebral glucose metabolic rate during baseline as well as activation. Results showed increased glucose metabolic rate during activation by 36.3-87.9% mean 62.0%, locally in the peak seed region of M1 in the brain, on an intra-subject level, as well as very good spatial accuracy on group level, and localization compared to the BOLD fMRI result at subject and group level. Our novel method successfully determined the relative increase in the cerebral metabolic rate of glucose on a voxel level with good visual association to fMRI at the subject-level, holding promise for future individual clinical application. This approach will be easily adapted in future clinical perspectives and pharmacological interventions studies.

Association of IGF1R polymorphisms with kidney function-related traits.

Unimpaired kidney function is important for maintaining a healthy state of homeostasis in the body. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) conducted on kidney function-associated traits and novel loci of Japanese subjects found that insulin-like-growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R) gene variants associated with replication were responsible for all three kinds of kidney functions and satisfied the Bonferroni significance level. This study aimed to investigate whether a comparable relationship exists in the Korean population. This study replicated three SNPs (rs28657002, rs10794486, and rs4966025) and conducted a linear regression analysis between 46 SNPs in the IGF1R gene and three kidney function-related traits, namely blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in Koreans. The IGF1R gene was found to be replicated with a significant correlation in Koreans and was extended to the entire gene region to confirm its association with kidney-related functions. Three SNPs in IGF1R were replicated (rs28657002, BUN, P = 3.39 × 10-4; rs10794486, creatinine, P = 5.79 × 10-6; rs4966025, eGFR, P = 1.57 × 10-5) and five SNPs (rs28657002, rs10794486, rs4966025, rs12439557, and rs11247372) showed common significance among the three traits. Additionally, two significant SNPs (rs11857366 and rs28657002) showed the potential to affect IGF1R expression. The results suggest that genetic polymorphisms in the IGF1R replicated previous studies and could affect kidney function. The results of this study will further enhance our understanding of how genetic differences in individuals affect kidney function-related traits.

Bryophyte diversity, composition and functional traits in relation to bedrock and tree species composition in close-to-nature managed forests

Bryophytes respond to a variety of environmental factors, including tree species composition and geological conditions, which are influenced by both natural and anthropogenic factors. Bryophytes growing on a variety of substrates were identified in ICP Forests monitoring plots in a wide range of close-to-nature managed forests, from lowland to high mountain areas in Slovenia. Based on data on tree layer composition (broadleaves vs. conifers) and on bedrock and soil type (calcareous vs. siliceous bedrock), all study plots were classified into five groups representing forest types. Different ordination analyses and statistical tests were used to represent differences between forest types in bryophyte composition, richness and functional traits. Almost 200 bryophyte species were identified in managed forests, with the most common being Hypnum cupressiforme, Brachytheciastrum velutinum and Polytrichum formosum. Bryophyte species composition varied considerably along the tree species composition and edaphic gradients represented by the selected forest types. Bryophyte species richness was significantly higher on calcareous bedrock than on siliceous bedrock. The higher occurrence of rocks on the ground surface may significantly increase the availability of various microhabitats for bryophytes. Bedrock had a significant influence on the functional diversity and composition of bryophytes, while tree species composition had less influence. Bedrock and tree species composition are important drivers of bryophyte species composition and diversity at taxonomic and functional trait levels. The high diversity of bryophyte species in Slovenian forests can also be attributed to close-to-nature and sustainable forest management practices that preserve favourable microclimatic conditions in forest stands and maintain diverse substrates.

Plastic and adaptive response of carbon allocation to temperature change in alpine treeline trees

Understanding how tree individuals allocate nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) between storage and growth is key to reveal the mechanism of alpine treeline formation as well as its response to climate warming. Yet, little is known about whether carbon allocation of treeline trees responds to temperature change by means of phenotypic plasticity and/or ecotypic adaptation. Here, we employed a reciprocal transplant experiment and a growth chamber warming treatment to explore the effects of temperature change on functional traits and carbon allocation between NSC storage and growth in treeline species Larix chinensis. In the reciprocal transplant experiment, we observed that the individuals grown at high elevation always displayed relatively lower specific leaf area (SLA) than those grown at lower elevations irrespective of species provenance, demonstrating the phenotypic plasticity of functional traits in relation to elevation. Higher growth rate and late-season NSC concentration in the individuals at their provenance elevation than at the elevations away from home, indicated that trees were locally adapted to their home environments in terms of NSC storage and growth. Additionally, individuals from high-elevation provenance showed considerably less phenotypic plasticity in carbon allocation (i.e., the ratio of NSC storage to growth) in response to temperature change compared to those from low-elevation provenance. In the chamber experiment, warming greatly accelerated shoot growth but not accompanied by a down-regulation in NSC storage in cold-edge trees, resulting in a lower ratio of NSC storage to growth. It was noteworthy that there was a time lag in variations of carbon allocation, especially in variations of NSC storage when cold-edge trees were grown in warmed climates. Our findings demonstrate that the responses of NSC storage and growth to temperature change might be a combination of short-term plastic and long-term adaptive reactions, and suggest a limited response of cold-edge populations in carbon allocation to climate warming.

Seasonal Variation in Selected Biochemical Traits in the Leaves of Co-Occurring Invasive and Native Plant Species under Mediterranean Conditions

The success of invasive alien species (IAS) is often linked to differences in functional traits in relation to other, either native or non-invasive, species. Two of the most problematic IAS in the Mediterranean area belong to Hakea and Acacia genera that often invade pine plantations. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the seasonal variations in photosynthetic pigments, total phenolics, and non-structural carbohydrates (NSC), including total soluble sugars (SS) and starch (St), and lipid peroxidation, in terms of malondialdehyde (MDA) in the leaves of evergreen species, two IAS (Hakea sericea and Acacia melanoxylon) and one native (Pinus pinaster), throughout 2019. All parameters showed a pronounced seasonal variability while also differing across species. Generally, the lowest contents of photosynthetic pigments, phenolics and SS were noted in early spring, along with the highest St and NSC values. On the other hand, higher photosynthetic pigment and lower NSC contents were measured in early autumn and early winter. When these parameters were compared across the three species, the IAS had significantly higher content of photosynthetic pigments, mainly chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll, and lower total phenolics and MDA concentrations in their leaves than Pinus pinaster. Differences in seasonal patterns were also observed. Hakea sericea and Acacia melanoxylon had considerably higher chlorophyll, SS and NSC contents in the early autumn, while Pinus pinaster had higher St and MDA contents in early summer. Overall, the biochemical characteristics of leaves of the studied IAS can explain their success in the Mediterranean area, in terms of tolerance to stressful environmental conditions.

Growth and photosynthetic responses to ozone of Siebold's beech seedlings grown under elevated CO2 and soil nitrogen supply

Ozone (O3) is a phytotoxic air pollutant, the adverse effects of which on growth and photosynthesis are modified by other environmental factors. In this study, we examined the combined effects of O3, elevated CO2, and soil nitrogen supply on Siebold's beech seedlings. Seedlings were grown under combinations of two levels of O3 (low and two times ambient O3 concentration), two levels of CO2 (ambient and 700 ppm), and three levels of soil nitrogen supply (0, 50, and 100 kg N ha−1 year−1) during two growing seasons (2019 and 2020), with leaf photosynthetic traits being determined during the second season. We found that elevated CO2 ameliorated O3-induced reductions in photosynthetic activity, whereas the negative effects of O3 on photosynthetic traits were enhanced by soil nitrogen supply. We observed three-factor interactions in photosynthetic traits, with the ameliorative effects of elevated CO2 on O3-induced reductions in the maximum rate of carboxylation being more pronounced under high than under low soil nitrogen conditions in July. In contrast, elevated CO2-induced amelioration of the effects of O3 on stomatal function-related traits was more pronounced under low soil nitrogen conditions. Although we observed several two- or three-factor interactions of gas and soil treatments with respect to leaf photosynthetic traits, the shoot to root dry mass (S/R) ratio was the only parameter for which a significant interaction was detected among seedling growth parameters. O3 caused a significant increase in S/R under ambient CO2 conditions, whereas no similar effects were observed under elevated CO2 conditions. Collectively, our findings reveal the complex interactive effects of elevated CO2 and soil nitrogen supply on the detrimental effects of O3 on leaf photosynthetic traits, and highlight the importance of taking into consideration differences between the responses of CO2 uptake and growth to these three environmental factors.

Soil water depletion of peanut subspecies as influenced by water‐use traits and soil water availability

AbstractWhile improved crop water‐deficit tolerance is considered of primary importance, many phenotyping efforts focusing on quantifying structural root traits make assumptions about architecture representing root function. Therefore, the aim of this study was to quantify whole plant water‐use traits among disparate peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) genotypes and determine their impact on water‐deficit tolerance. Mini‐rhizotrons were installed to evaluate genotypic root architecture and developmental changes to two irrigation regimes imposed during early development. Following the early‐season irrigation regimes, above‐ and below‐ground traits were studied across a range of soil water conditions through measures of: (a) leaf‐level gas exchange and (b) soil water depletion quantified using a novel soil water probe inserted into mini‐rhizotrons allowing for matched root architecture and soil water depletion measures. While differential water treatments influenced root system architecture development among the genotypes, soil water depletion locations were primarily determined by water availability in the soil profile, not simply by having greater root length at a given soil location. This contradicts the assumption that greater root presence is a consistent indicator of increased root activity. Phenotypic selection of root traits for improving the efficiency of crop water use should consider both structural and functional traits in relation to the intended production environments slated for future cultivar development.

Desiccation time and rainfall control gaseous carbon fluxes in an intermittent stream

Droughts are recognized to impact global biogeochemical cycles. However, the implication of desiccation on in-stream carbon (C) cycling is not well understood yet. We subjected sediments from a lowland, organic rich intermittent stream to experimental desiccation over a 9-week-period to investigate temporal changes in microbial functional traits in relation to their redox requirements, carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) fluxes and water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC). Concurrently, the implications of rewetting by simulated short rainfalls (4 and 21 mm) on gaseous C fluxes were tested. Early desiccation triggered dynamic fluxes of CO2 and CH4 with peak values of 383 and 30 mg C m−2 h−1 (mean ± SD), respectively, likely in response to enhanced aerobic mineralization and accelerated evasion. At longer desiccation, CH4 dropped abruptly, likely because of reduced abundance of anaerobic microbial traits. The CO2 fluxes ceased later, suggesting aerobic activity was constrained only by extended desiccation over time. We found that rainfall boosted fluxes of CO2, which were modulated by rainfall size and the preceding desiccation time. Desiccation also reduced the amount of WSOC and the proportion of labile compounds leaching from sediment. It remains questionable to which extent changes of the sediment C pool are influenced by respiration processes, microbial C uptake and cell lysis due to drying-rewetting cycles. We highlight that the severity of the dry period, which is controlled by its duration and the presence of precipitation events, needs detailed consideration to estimate the impact of intermittent flow on global riverine C fluxes.

Association between MANBA Gene Variants and Chronic Kidney Disease in a Korean Population.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD), a damaged condition of the kidneys, is a global public health problem that can be caused by diabetes, hypertension, and other disorders. Recently, the MANBA gene was identified in CKD by integrating CKD-related variants and kidney expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) data. This study evaluated the effects of MANBA gene variants on CKD and kidney function-related traits using a Korean cohort. We also analyzed the association of MANBA gene variants with kidney-related traits such as the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, and uric acid levels using linear regression analysis. As a result, 14 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were replicated in CKD (p < 0.05), consistent with previous studies. Among them, rs4496586, which was the most significant for CKD and kidney function-related traits, was associated with a decreased CKD risk in participants with the homozygous minor allele (CC), increased eGFR, and decreased creatinine and uric acid concentrations. Furthermore, the association analysis between the rs4496586 genotype and MANBA gene expression in human tubules and glomeruli showed high MANBA gene expression in the minor allele carriers. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that MANBA gene variants were associated with CKD and kidney function-related traits in a Korean cohort.

Assessing poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) presence and functional traits in relation to land cover and biophysical factors

ABSTRACT Understanding species distributions remains central to research in ecology and biogeography. Emphasis is placed on the spatial presence/absence of plants as related to underlying environmental factors; however, distributions result from both abiotic factors and adaptations to the abiotic environment. We analyzed poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans (L.) Kuntze), which has high intraspecies variability in the plant functional trait of growth habit, to assess implications of plant strategies for spatial distributions. Our objectives were to: 1) determine whether anthropogenic habitats are statistically overrepresented in poison ivy incidence and growth habits (shrub, climbing liana, crawling liana), and 2) model biophysical parameters that constitute preferred poison ivy habitat and the three growth habits. We collected poison ivy field data along a trail-transect with corresponding geospatially indexed parameters, subsequently analyzed using Bayesian spatial modeling. Model results revealed poison ivy preference for human-modified habitat; Developed and Planted/Cultivated land use categories showed the largest marginal posterior probabilities for crawling and climbing lianas. Increasing temperature and elevation preferentially benefit the climbing growth habit. Our results suggest that variability in functional traits may impact species geographic distributions by expanding niche breadth. Incorporation of functional traits may thus advance predictive niche models of species distributions.

AGT rs4762 is associated with diastolic blood pressure in Mexicans with diabetic nephropathy.

Since angiotensinogen has a pivotal role in the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, the analysis of polymorphisms of the angiotensinogen (AGT) gene could help explain its potential involvement in hypertension and diabetic nephropathy (DN) pathogenesis. For that reason, we investigated 1) the association of AGT rs4762 with blood pressure (BP) and kidney function-related traits and 2) the interaction effect of AGT rs4762 with DN on BP and kidney function-related traits in 546 Mexican adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D). We enrolled 546 unrelated Mexican patients with T2D (350 cases with DN and 196 controls without DN). AGT rs4762 was genotyped in all participants using TaqMan technology (effect allele: A). BP and kidney function-related traits, including serum urea and creatinine, urinary albumin, urine albumin to urine creatinine ratio (ACR), and glomerular filtration rate, were studied. DN was defined as having a previous diagnosis of T2D and an ACR ≥ 30 mg/g. The association between these parameters was investigated using logistic regression with adjustment for covariates. AGT rs4762 A allele was significantly associated with diastolic blood pressure (N = 546, β = 1.243 ± 0.918, p = 0.029). A significant interaction between DN and AGT rs4762 was also observed in relation to diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (N = 546, β = 0.930 ± 0.433, p=0.032). A follow-up analysis of simple effects particularly revealed a positive association between AGT rs4762 A allele and DBP only in patients with diabetic nephropathy (N = 350, β = 2.837 ± 1.267, p = 0.026). Our results evidence that, although AGT rs4762 is not associated with DN, the AGT rs4762 A allele is positively associated with DBP in the Mexican population with DN.

Food Webs and Ecosystems: Linking Species Interactions to the Carbon Cycle

All species within ecosystems contribute to regulating carbon cycling because of their functional integration into food webs. Yet carbon modeling and accounting still assumes that only plants, microbes, and invertebrate decomposer species are relevant to the carbon cycle. Our multifaceted review develops a case for considering a wider range of species, especially herbivorous and carnivorous wild animals. Animal control over carbon cycling is shaped by the animals’ stoichiometric needs and functional traits in relation to the stoichiometry and functional traits of their resources. Quantitative synthesis reveals that failing to consider these mechanisms can lead to serious inaccuracies in the carbon budget. Newer carbon-cycle models that consider food-web structure based on organismal functional traits and stoichiometry can offer mechanistically informed predictions about the magnitudes of animal effects that will help guide new empirical research aimed at developing a coherent understanding of the interactions and importance of all species within food webs.

Genome-Wide Association Studies of CKD and Related Traits.

The past few years have seen major advances in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of CKD and kidney function-related traits in several areas: increases in sample size from >100,000 to >1 million, enabling the discovery of >250 associated genetic loci that are highly reproducible; the inclusion of participants not only of European but also of non-European ancestries; and the use of advanced computational methods to integrate additional genomic and other unbiased, high-dimensional data to characterize the underlying genetic architecture and prioritize potentially causal genes and variants. Together with other large-scale biobank and genetic association studies of complex traits, these GWAS of kidney function-related traits have also provided novel insight into the relationship of kidney function to other diseases with respect to their genetic associations, genetic correlation, and directional relationships. A number of studies also included functional experiments using model organisms or cell lines to validate prioritized potentially causal genes and/or variants. In this review article, we will summarize these recent GWAS of CKD and kidney function-related traits, explain approaches for downstream characterization of associated genetic loci and the value of such computational follow-up analyses, and discuss related challenges along with potential solutions to ultimately enable improved treatment and prevention of kidney diseases through genetics.

Pleiotropy of polygenic factors associated with focal and generalized epilepsy in the general population.

Epilepsy is clinically heterogeneous, and neurological or psychiatric comorbidities are frequently observed in patients. It has not been tested whether common risk variants for generalized or focal epilepsy are enriched in people with other disorders or traits related to brain or cognitive function. Here, we perform two brain-focused phenome association studies of polygenic risk scores (PRS) for generalized epilepsy (GE-PRS) or focal epilepsy (FE-PRS) with all binary brain or cognitive function-related traits available for 334,310 European-ancestry individuals of the UK Biobank. Higher GE-PRS were associated with not having a college or university degree (P = 3.00x10-4), five neuroticism-related personality traits (P<2.51x10-4), and having ever smoked (P = 1.27x10-6). Higher FE-PRS were associated with several measures of low educational attainment (P<4.87x10-5), one neuroticism-related personality trait (P = 2.33x10-4), having ever smoked (P = 1.71x10-4), and having experienced events of anxiety or depression (P = 2.83x10-4). GE- and FE-PRS had the same direction of effect for each of the associated traits. Genetic factors associated with GE or FE showed similar patterns of correlation with genetic factors associated with cortical morphology in a subset of the UKB with 16,612 individuals and T1 magnetic resonance imaging data. In summary, our results suggest that genetic factors associated with epilepsies may confer risk for other neurological and psychiatric disorders in a population sample not enriched for epilepsy.

A large-scale genetic correlation scan identified the plasma proteins associated with brain function related traits

AimsInsomnia, intelligence and neuroticism are three typical traits and dysfunctions mainly regulated by human brain. Our research aimed to explore the potential genetic relationships between brain function related traits and more than 3000 human plasma proteins. Materials and MethodsWe conducted a large-scale genetic correlation scan of human plasma proteins and three brain function related traits, including insomnia, intelligence and neuroticism. Linkage disequilibrium score regression (LDSC) analysis was performed to estimate the genetic correlations between each of the blood proteins and insomnia, intelligence and neuroticism via utilizing the genome-wide association study summary statistics of plasma proteins and those three traits. ResultsLDSC analysis identified 18 specific plasma proteins shown suggestive genetic correlations with insomnia such as Periostin (coefficient=-0.3910, P value = 0.0070). Twenty-one plasma proteins exhibited genetic correlations with intelligence such as Ecto-ADP-ribosyltransferase 3 (coefficient = 0.3066, P value = 0.0013). Six specific plasma proteins shown suggestive genetic correlations with neuroticism, such as CD70 antigen (coefficient = 0.2979, P value = 0.0134). After further comparing the suggestive proteins between insomnia, intelligence and neuroticism, we detected 3 common plasma proteins shared by insomnia and intelligence such as Periostin (coefficient insomnia =-0.3910, Pinsomnia value = 0.0070; coefficient intelligence =0.2673, Pintelligence value = 0.0159) and Neurexin-1 (coefficient insomnia =-0.2913, Pinsomnia value = 0.0197; coefficient intelligence = 0.2399, Pintelligence value = 0.0035). We also detected 2 common plasma proteins shared by intelligence and neuroticism, including CD70 antigen (coefficient intelligence =-0.2092, Pintelligence value = 0.0337; coefficient neuroticism = 0.2979, Pneuroticism value = 0.0134). ConclusionOur results provide novel clues for unveiling the functional relevance of plasma proteins and brain function related traits.

Post-apartheid ecologies in the City of Cape Town: An examination of plant functional traits in relation to urban gradients

In this study we explore species richness and traits across two urban gradients in the City of Cape Town. The first is the natural-urban boundary and the second is a socio-economic gradient informed by historical race-based apartheid planning. Plant species and cover were recorded in 156 plots sampled from conservation areas, private gardens, and public open green space. The socio-economic gradient transitioned from wealthier, predominantly white neighbourhoods to poorer, predominantly black neighbourhoods. The socio-economic gradient was selected to fall within one original vegetation type to ensure a consistent biophysical template. There is a marked shift between the natural and urban plant communities in the City of Cape Town, with little structural affinity. Urban landscapes are dominated by grass, with low diversity compared to natural counterparts. A significant ecological gradient of reduced biodiversity, traits, and in turn functionality, was found across the socio-economic gradient. Wealthier communities benefit from more private green space, more public green space, and a greater plant diversity. Poorer communities have limited green space on all fronts, and lower plant and trait diversity. Plant communities with limited diversity are less resilient and if exposed to environmental perturbation would lose species, and associated ecosystem services faster than a species rich community. These species-poor plant communities mirror historical apartheid planning that is resistant to change. Based on how biodiversity, functionality, and associated ecosystem services and ecosystem stability are linked, the results of this study suggests how significant environmental injustice persists in the City of Cape Town.