Global Geographical Distribution Research Articles

Morphological and molecular evidence for Osmundea coelenterata comb. nov. (Ceramiales, Rhodophyta) from the tropical Atlantic Ocean

Background. As part of the monographic studies on the Laurencia complex (Rhodomelaceae, Rhodophyta) from Cuba, detailed taxonomic research was carried out on Laurencia coelenterata, a diminutive species collected in Santiago de Cuba, in the eastern Cuban archipelago. The vegetative and reproductive features of the species clearly belong to the genus Osmundea, a member of the Laurencia complex: two pericentral cells per each vegetative axial segment, tetrasporangia cut off randomly from cortical cells, and filament-type spermatangial branches. Goals. In this study the morphological characteristics previously unknown to Laurencia coelenterata are shown, and in order that their taxonomic position within the Laurencia complex is discussed. Furthermore, the global geographic distribution of the Osmundea species is analysed. Methods. Morphological and molecular analysis of the rbcL gene sequences were performed allied with the preparation and interpretation of phylogenetic hypotheses. Results. The new morphological analysis of the paratype specimen (# 4451) housed in the Puertorriqueno Marine Herbarium showed that Laurencia coelenterata was incorrectly placed in the genus Laurencia. The phylogenetic position of the present species was inferred by the analysis of the chloroplast-encoded rbcL gene sequences, and the range of the genetic variation found in this analysis also supports the transfer of Laurencia coelenterata to the genus Osmundea, as O. coelenterata (D. L. Ballantine et Aponte) M.T. Fujii, Senties et Areces. Conclusions. The morphological and molecular approach in algal taxonomy is allowing consolidate the nomenclatural status of the species, and the new combination for Laurencia coelenterata as Osmundea coelenterata is not an exception.

First Report of the Papaya Mealybug,Paracoccus marginatus(Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), in China and Genetic Record for Its Recent Invasion in Asia and Africa

The papaya mealybug, Paracoccus marginatus Williams and Granara de Willink (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), is a polyphagous pest that damages many tropical crops. It is a native of Central America and spread to the Caribbean region and South America in the 1990s; since then it has accidentally been introduced to some islands in the Pacific region and some countries in Africa and Asia. We recorded its presence in China for the first time in 2013 from Guangdong Province and Yunnan Province in southern and southwestern China, respectively. Our genetic analysis revealed that only 1 haplotype of P. marginatus has been recorded in all of Asia, including China, reflecting the very recent invasion of P. marginatus in Asia. This study also includes a summary of the global geographical distribution of P. marginatus.

Predicting global geographical distribution of Lolium rigidum (rigid ryegrass) under climate change

SUMMARYLolium rigidum L. (rigid ryegrass) is one of the most extensive and harmful weeds in winter cereal crops. A bioclimatic model for this species was developed using CLIMEX. The model was validated with records from North America and Oceania and used to assess the global potential distribution of L. rigidum under the current climate and under two climate change scenarios. Both scenarios represent contrasting temporal patterns of economic development and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The projections under current climatic conditions indicated that L. rigidum does not occupy the full extent of the climatically suitable area available to it. Under future climate scenarios, the suitable potential area increases by 3·79% in the low-emission CO2 scenario and by 5·06% under the most extreme scenario. The model's projection showed an increase in potentially suitable areas in North America, Europe, South America and Asia; while in Africa and Oceania it indicated regression. These results provide the necessary knowledge for identifying and highlighting the potential invasion risk areas and for establishing the grounds on which to base the planning and management measures required.

Predicting the potential distribution of Lantana camara L. under RCP scenarios using ISI-MIP models

Projections of anthropogenically-induced global climate change and its impacts on potential distributions of invasive species are crucial for implementing effective conservation and management strategies. Lantana camara L., a popular ornamental plant native to tropical America, has become naturalized in some 50 countries and is considered one of the world’s worst weeds. To increase our understanding of its potential extent of spread and examine the responses of global geographic distribution, predictive models incorporating global distribution data of L. camara were generated. These models were used to identify areas of environmental suitability and project the effects of future climate change based on an ensemble of the four global climate models (GCMs) within the Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparis on Project (ISI-MIP). Each model was run under the four emission scenarios (Representative Concentration Pathways, RCPs) using the Maximum entropy (Maxent) approach. Future model predictions through 2050 indicated an overall expansion of L. camara, despite future suitability varying considerably among continents. Under the four RCP scenarios, the range of L. camara expanded further inland in many regions (e.g. Africa, Australia), especially under the RCP85 emission scenario. The global distribution of L. camara, though restricted within geographical regions of similar latitude as at present (35°N ~ 35°S), was projected to expand equator-ward in response to future climate conditions. Considerable discrepancy in predicted environmental suitability for L. camara among GCMs highlights the complexities of the likely effects of climate change on its potential distribution and the need to improve the reliability of predictions in novel climates.

Geographic distribution of the short-tailed river stingray (Potamotrygon brachyura): assessing habitat loss and fishing as threats to the world’s largest obligate freshwater elasmobranch

Freshwater elasmobranchs are threatened but little is known about them. Potamotrygon brachyura is the world’s largest obligate freshwater elasmobranch. This makes it popular among fishermen and suggests a susceptibility to anthropogenic threats. We collected records of P. brachyura (n=70) from media, fishermen and scientific sampling, to estimate its global geographic distribution (using both generalised additive and MaxLike models). Then, we estimated the species’ exposure to habitat modification and fishing pressure, by applying multinomial ordinal models with threat levels as response and the presence or absence of P. brachyura as an independent variable. Distance to coast, depth, water temperature range, salinity range and mean water temperature were the main determinants of the distribution in the Río de la Plata. This resulted in a narrow coastal distribution. In the Uruguay and Paraná River basins, the probability of occurrence was positively associated with flow accumulation, percentage of open water and submerged vegetation, and lowland ecoregions, and negatively to wetness index and altitude. This limited the distribution to large lowland rivers. Approximately 41% of the range of P. brachyura in the Río de la Plata was subject to high habitat modification. In the Uruguay and Paraná River basins, this percentage reached 7%; however, the overlap with high fishing pressure was 59%. For conservation purposes, P. brachyura may function as an umbrella species.

Global research trends in landslides during 1991–2014: a bibliometric analysis

A bibliometric analysis was conducted to evaluate landslide research from different perspectives during the period 1991–2014 based on the Science Citation Index-Expanded and Social Sciences Citation Index databases. Based on a sample of 10,567 articles that were related to landslides, the bibliometric analysis revealed the scientific outputs, science categories, source titles, global geographical distribution of the authors, productive authors, international collaborations, institutions, and temporal evolution of keyword frequencies. Landslide-related research has undergone notable growth during the past two decades. Multidisciplinary Geosciences, Geological Engineering, and Water Resources were the three major science categories, and Geomorphology was the most active journal during the surveyed period. The major author clusters and research regions are located in North America, Western Europe, and East Asia. The USA was a leading contributor to global landslide research, with the most independent and collaborative articles, and its dominance was also confirmed in the national/regional collaboration network. The Chinese Academy of Sciences, US Geological Survey, and Italian National Research Council were the three major contributing institutions. Guzzetti F from the Italian National Research Council was the most productive author, with the most high-quality articles. A keyword analysis found that landslide susceptibility assessment, rainfall- and earthquake-induced landslide stability, and effective research technologies and methods were consistent topics that attracted the most attention during the study period. Several keywords, such as “landslide susceptibility”, “earthquake”, “GIS”, “remote sensing”, and “logistic regression”, received dramatically increased attention during the study period, possibly signalling future research trends.

Opportunities and challenges of interbasin water transfers: a literature review with bibliometric analysis

Interbasin water transfers and diversions are among the most controversial water-resources-planning topics worldwide. They provide supply alternatives to receiving basins and potential challenges to the donor basins within a context of changing global water problems. This study presents a bibliometric analysis of global interbasin water transfer research between 1900 and 2014. The bibliometric analysis analyzes general characteristics of publications, the national, institutional, and personal research outputs, participating regions and their research activity, and global trends and hot issues in the field of water transfers. Our results show that the rate of annual publication of interbasin water transfer research grew steadily after 1972 and is rising quickly at present. The United States produced the largest number of single-country publications (37.4 %) and international collaborative publications (46.6 %). However, China had a high growth rate of publications after 2001, and surpassed the United States and ranked 1st in 2012, with the Chinese Academy of Sciences playing a leading role in the emergence of China's research output. The global geographic distribution of publication activity shows that an increasing number of countries, agencies, and scholars have become part of the research enterprise. There is ample opportunity for cooperation between them to be strengthened in the future. The results of keyword evolution generally indicate that the research on interbasin water transfers expanded from 1991 through 2014. The hydrological and eco-environmental impacts of the South-to-North Water Transfer/Diversion Project in China and the corresponding long-term monitoring and conservation strategy have become one of the top topics of attention.

Evolution and Practice: Low-latency Distributed Applications in Finance

Virtually all systems have some requirements for latency, defined here as the time required for a system to respond to input. Latency requirements appear in problem domains as diverse as aircraft flight controls, voice communications, multiplayer gaming, online advertising, and scientific experiments. Distributed systems present special latency considerations. In recent years the automation of financial trading has driven requirements for distributed systems with challenging latency requirements and global geographic distribution. Automated trading provides a window into the engineering challenges of ever-shrinking latency requirements, which may be useful to software engineers in other fields.

Brucellosis update in Libya and regional prospective

Brucellosis is a global bacterial zoonosis responsible for high morbidity in humans and significant livestock economic losses. While brucellosis remains a public health concern worldwide, its global geographic distribution is variable, largely due to different management schemes; however, paucity of information renders the status of brucellosis unclear and incomplete in many countries, especially those with low income and under-developed infrastructure. This short article summarizes and discusses recent important updates on brucellosis from the North African countries, with a particular brief emphasis on the current status and recent updates in Libya.

Sixteen vetted fossil calibrations for divergence dating of Charadriiformes (Aves, Neognathae)

The Charadriiformes (shorebirds and allies) are an ecologically and morphologically diverse clade with a global geographic distribution. The perceived antiquity of this lineage and the cryptic plumage and morphology of some charadriiforms have made them a frequent focus of study by ornithologists. Likewise, with the relatively recent advent of molecular sequence based divergence estimation methods, no less than seven studies have estimated the timing of cladogenetic events in Charadriiformes. Unfortunately, all of those studies have suffered from poor choice and characterization (i.e., age and taxonomic assignment) of fossil calibrations used for divergence time analysis. Given that studies of both real and simulated data have demonstrated the potential for calibration choice to bias node age estimates, the results of previously published analyses of divergence times for Charadriiformes must, accordingly, be viewed with caution. To alleviate introduction of fossil calibration bias with respect to future analyses of divergence times including Charadriiformes, 16 rigorously evaluated charadriiform fossil calibrations are reported herein. N. Adam Smith. The National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, 2024 W. Main St., Suite A200, Durham, NC, 27705, U.S.A., adam_smith@utexas.edu

Bucklandiella lamprocarpa(Musci, Grimmiaceae) in the Central and Northern Andes

The current geographical distribution of the rheophytic moss Bucklandiella lamprocarpa (Müll.Hal.) Bednarek-Ochyra et Ochyra in the central and northern Andean countries in South America is reviewed and mapped. The specimens reported from Peru as Racomitrium bartramii (Roiv.) H.Rob. are taxonomically assessed and some details of their structure are illustrated. As a result of this study it was determined that its morphological features fall well within the range of variability of Bucklandiella lamprocarpa. The global geographical distribution of B. lamprocarpa is outlined and the species is confirmed to be an austral cool-adapted moss which deeply penetrates into the tropics, occurring at high elevations in central and northern South America and in East and Central Africa.

Taxonomic study of crustose coralline algae off the northeastern Brazilian coast

This work presents a detailed morphoanatomical study of crustose coralline algae species from the northeastern Brazilian coast, in the north of Bahia state. Nine species have been recognized: Sporolithon episporum, Lithophyllum stictaeforme, Spongites yendoi, Spongites sp., Mesophyllum erubescens, Phymatolithon masonianum, Phymatolithon calcareum, Lithothamnion crispatum and Lithothamnion brasiliense. Phymatolithon masonianum and Phymatolithon calcareum constitute the first record of these species for the northern coast of Brazil. An identification key, as well as descriptions, illustrations, comparisons with related taxa, and geographical distributions for Brazil as well as global geographic distributions are presented. Additionally, some ecological implications are discussed focusing the need of more studies about this neglected group of coralline red algae.

The health effects of exposure to arsenic-contaminated drinking water: a review by global geographical distribution

Chronic arsenic exposure through drinking water has been a vigorously studied and debated subject. However, the existing literature does not allow for a thorough examination of the potential regional discrepancies that may arise among arsenic-related health outcomes. The purpose of this article is to provide an updated review of the literature on arsenic exposure and commonly discussed health effects according to global geographical distribution. This geographically segmented approach helps uncover the discrepancies in the health effects of arsenic. For instance, women are more susceptible than men to a few types of cancer in Taiwan, but not in other countries. Although skin cancer and arsenic exposure correlations have been discovered in Chile, Argentina, the United States, and Taiwan, no evident association was found in mainland China. We then propose several globally applicable recommendations to prevent and treat the further spread of arsenic poisoning and suggestions of future study designs and decision-making.

A domestication assessment of the big five plant families

To assess domestication levels in the five big families of higher plants (Compositae, Leguminosae, Orchidaceae, Rubiaceae, Gramineae) we propose an index that categorizes taxa according to the strength of domestication. The selection of species followed the Mansfeld approach, i.e. all plants cultivated by man with the exception of ornamentals have been included. The basis for our studies was Mansfeld’s Encyclopedia (Hanelt and IPK in Mansfeld’s encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops, vol 1. Springer, Berlin, p 6, 2001). Information about additional cultivated species has been collected in the past years. Altogether 2,166 cultivated species have been analyzed—1.013 Leguminosae (5.2 %), 735 Gramineae (7.6 %), 293 Compositae (1.2 %), 84 Rubiaceae (0.7 %) and 41 Orchidaceae (0.2 %) (in brackets the percentages of cultivated species within the respective families). The domestication assessment confirmed the importance for man of the families with relative high numbers of highly domesticated (H), domesticated (D) and semi-domesticated (S) species for Gramineae and Leguminosae, followed by Compositae, and relative low levels for Rubiaceae and Orchidaceae. The assessment data of Compositae, Leguminosae and Gramineae are mainly shown for H (because of the great number of species), for Rubiaceae and Orchidaceae they are provided in total, including all assessment categories. Selected species from the different families are discussed within their commodity groups. The reasons for the differences between the families are analyzed. Factors causing high levels of domestication assessment are high species diversity, global geographic distribution, good seed storability, good seed quality characters (starch and oil) and the earlier co-evolution of plants and animals (rodents) towards seed/fruit sizes and qualities. Leguminosae can make use of the nitrogen from the air with the help of Rhizobium bacteria. Gramineae can effectively use the available nitrogen. This has led to combined suitabilities for domestication and agricultural developments. The paucity of domesticated species is dependent on high specialisation, a high level of secondary defense compounds and the lack of carbohydrates digestible for man. Diverse cultural and genetic factors can have positive or negative effects on use preferences by man.

Tropical Cyclone Simulation and Response to CO2 Doubling in the GFDL CM2.5 High-Resolution Coupled Climate Model

Abstract Global tropical cyclone (TC) activity is simulated by the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) Climate Model, version 2.5 (CM2.5), which is a fully coupled global climate model with a horizontal resolution of about 50 km for the atmosphere and 25 km for the ocean. The present climate simulation shows a fairly realistic global TC frequency, seasonal cycle, and geographical distribution. The model has some notable biases in regional TC activity, including simulating too few TCs in the North Atlantic. The regional biases in TC activity are associated with simulation biases in the large-scale environment such as sea surface temperature, vertical wind shear, and vertical velocity. Despite these biases, the model simulates the large-scale variations of TC activity induced by El Niño–Southern Oscillation fairly realistically. The response of TC activity in the model to global warming is investigated by comparing the present climate with a CO2 doubling experiment. Globally, TC frequency decreases (−19%) while the intensity increases (+2.7%) in response to CO2 doubling, consistent with previous studies. The average TC lifetime decreases by −4.6%, while the TC size and rainfall increase by about 3% and 12%, respectively. These changes are generally reproduced across the different basins in terms of the sign of the change, although the percent changes vary from basin to basin and within individual basins. For the Atlantic basin, although there is an overall reduction in frequency from CO2 doubling, the warmed climate exhibits increased interannual hurricane frequency variability so that the simulated Atlantic TC activity is enhanced more during unusually warm years in the CO2-warmed climate relative to that in unusually warm years in the control climate.

Glutamate and Lipid Metabolic Perturbation in the Hippocampi of Asymptomatic Borna Disease Virus-Infected Horses

Borna disease virus (BDV) is a neurotropic, enveloped, non-segmented, negative-stranded RNA virus that infects a wide variety of vertebrate species from birds to humans across a broad global geographic distribution. Animal symptomatology range from asymptomatic infection to behavioral abnormalities to acute meningoencephalitis. Asymptomatic BDV infection has been shown to be more frequent than conventionally estimated. However, the molecular mechanism(s) underyling asymptomatic BDV infection remain largely unknown. Here, based on real-time quantitative PCR and Western blotting, a total of 18 horse hippocampi were divided into BDV-infected (n = 8) and non-infected control (n = 10) groups. A gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) metabolomic approach, in conjunction with multivariate statistical analysis, was used to characterize the hippocampal metabolic changes associated with asymptomatic BDV infection. Multivariate statistical analysis showed a significant discrimination between the BDV-infected and control groups. BDV-infected hippocampi were characterized by lower levels of D-myo-inositol-1-phosphate, glutamate, phosphoethanolamine, heptadecanoic acid, and linoleic acid in combination with a higher level of ammonia. These differential metabolites are primarily involved in glutamate and lipid metabolism. These finding provide an improved understanding of hippocampal changes associated with asymptomatic BDV infection.

Global geographic distribution of Trichinella species and genotypes

Maximum entropy ecological niche modeling was utilized to describe the global geographic distribution of Trichinella species and genotypes and to assess their invasive risk in new areas other than the ones currently known. Also, space–time scan statistic was utilized to identify global spatiotemporal clusters of infection. A database containing 3209 records for 12 species and genotypes identified at the International Trichinella Reference Center (ITRC) as well as climate, elevation, and land cover data extracted from various databases were used. Ecological niche modeling implemented in the Maxent program indicated new potential ranges for T. spiralis (T1), T. nativa (T2), T. britovi (T3), T. pseudospiralis (T4), T. murrelli (T5), T6, T. papuae (T10), and T. zimbabwensis (T11). The area under the curve values for the test data of the models ranged from 0.901 to 0.998, indicating that the models were very good to excellent. The most important bioclimatic factor in modeling the ranges for T. spiralis (T1), T. nativa (T2), T. britovi (T3), T6, and T. zimbabwensis (T11) was temperature, for T. pseudospiralis (T4) and T. papuae (T10) was precipitation, and for T. murrelli (T5) was land cover. T. spiralis (T1), T. britovi (T3), and T. pseudospiralis (T4) had the same primary land cover which was “Grass Crops”. The primary land covers were “Conifer Boreal Forest” for T. nativa (T2), “Cool Fields and Woods” for T. murrelli (T5), “Upland Tundra” for T6, “Tropical Rainforest” for T. papuae (T10), and “Crops and Town” for T. zimbabwensis (T11). The scan statistic analyses revealed the presence of significant spatiotemporal clusters (p<0.05) for T. spiralis (T1), T. nativa (T2), T. britovi (T3), T. pseudospiralis (T4), T. murrelli (T5), T6, and T. nelsoni (T7). No significant clusters were found for T. papuae (T10) and T. zimbabwensis (T11).

Beyond Neglect: Long-term Care Research in Low and Middle Income Countries

Long-term care (LTC) continues to be a neglected policy issue in most low and middle income countries. This paper assesses whether research on LTC contributes to or reinforces that neglect. This paper assesses the global geographical distribution of published research on LTC and relates this distribution to the demand for LTC. This is a systematic review of published research abstracted in PubMed and in relevant journals not routinely abstracted in PubMed. The keyword search term “long-term care policy” produced 4488 hits. These were personally screened by the author for relevance, according to the United Nations definition of LTC. A total of 1417 studies were identified as relevant. The validity of this approach was assessed by using the keyword search term “long-term care” (72,215 hits) for a selected set of countries. The study found an extreme bias towards more developed regions, which accounted for 37.5% of people aged 65 years and older in 2010, but accounted for 95.5% of relevant PubMed listings. Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and India stand out as particularly under-represented and account for 27.6% of people aged 65 years and older, but only account for 0.7% of relevant PubMed listings. There has been no previously published research on the geographical distribution of research on LTC. This study demonstrates an extreme degree of bias towards high income countries and away from low and middle income countries. These biases reflect and contribute to ongoing neglect by policymakers.

Living on the Edge: Demography of the Slender-Billed Gull in the Western Mediterranean

Small and peripheral populations are typically vulnerable to local extinction processes but important for the metapopulation dynamics of species. The Slender-billed gull (Chroicocephalus genei) is a long-lived species breeding in unstable ephemeral coastal habitats. Their Western Mediterranean populations are relatively small and represent the edge of their global geographical distribution. At a local scale, using long-term data (14 years) on annual breeding success and capture-resights of marked individuals, we estimated and compared the vital rates and evaluated the connectivity of two Spanish populations (Ebro Delta and Doñana) varying in their local environmental conditions. At a metapopulation scale, we analyzed 22 years of data on breeding numbers to predict their future prospects by means of population demographic models. Local survival and breeding success of gulls from the Ebro Delta was lower than those from Doñana, which is likely the result of higher permanent emigration and/or winter mortality in the former. Gulls from the Ebro Delta wintered mostly in Mediterranean areas whereas those from Doñana did so in Atlantic coasts, where food availability is higher. Whereas adult local survival was constant, juvenile local survival showed temporal parallel variations between colonies, probably related to natal dispersal to other breeding colonies. Our results suggested that dispersal was higher at the Ebro Delta and gulls emigrating from their natal colonies settled preferentially in close patches. We found large fluctuations in breeding numbers among local populations probably related to the fact that the Slender-billed gull is a species adapted to unstable and unpredictable habitats with high abilities to disperse between suitable patches depending on environmental stochastic conditions during breeding.

Evidence for natural Borna disease virus infection in healthy domestic animals in three areas of western China

Borna disease virus (BDV) is a non-cytolytic, neurotropic RNA virus that can infect many vertebrate species, including humans. To date, BDV infection has been reported in a range of animal species across a broad global geographic distribution. However, a systematic epidemiological survey of BDV infection in domesticated animals in China has yet to be performed. In current study, BDV RNA and antibodies in 2353 blood samples from apparently healthy animals of eight species (horse, donkey, dog, pig, rabbit, cattle, goat, sheep) from three areas in western China (Xinjiang province, Chongqing municipality, and Ningxia province) were assayed using reverse transcription qPCR (RT-qPCR) and ELISA assay. Brain tissue samples from a portion of the BDV RNA- and/or antibody-positive animals were subjected to RT-qPCR and western blotting. As a result, varying prevalence of BDV antibodies and/or RNA was demonstrated in various animal species from three areas, ranging from 4.4 % to 20.0 %. Detection of BDV RNA and/or antibodies in Chongqing pigs (9.2 %) provided the first known evidence of BDV infection in this species. Not all brain tissue samples from animals whose blood was BDV RNA and/or antibody positive contained BDV RNA and protein. This study provides evidence that BDV infection among healthy domestic animal species is more widespread in western China than previously believed.