Limited Overlap Research Articles

Genetic and Ecological Divergence of Cinnamon Hummingbird Amazilia rutila (Aves: Trochilidae) Continental Populations Separated by Geographical and Environmental Barriers

Background and Research Aims: Historical geological events and climatic changes have played important roles in shaping population differentiation and distribution within species. Amazilia rutila (Trochilidae) is a widespread hummingbird species in the tropical dry forest along the Pacific slope and the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. Methods: We used mitochondrial DNA sequence, ecological niche modelling and niche divergence tests to determine the effects of major geographic barriers and environmental variability on genetic and niche divergence of A. rutila continental populations. Results: Our results revealed three genetic groups without haplotype sharing corresponding to the distribution of individuals/populations from the Pacific slope W of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (PAC), in Oaxaca and Chiapas E of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (CHIS_OAX) and those from the Yucatán Peninsula and Guatemala (YUC). Values of neutrality tests suggest past demographic expansion without effective population size changes over time, and the time since the demographic expansion ranged between 39.4 and 84.45 ka BP. Each genetic group differed in their position in environmental space, with low-to-very limited overlap in the fundamental climatic niche dimensions of all groups analyzed, particularly between YUC and PAC. Analysis of climate differentiation and ecological niche comparisons showed that the environmental space occupied by these mtDNA groups is similar but not identical. Conclusion: We conclude that the genetic differentiation of A. rutila is consistent with a model of population isolation by geographical barriers and environmental differences. Inferences about the consequences of past demographic expansion and isolation underlying intraspecific evolutionary relationships await further study. Implications for Conservation: Our findings highlight the importance of preserving evolutionary significant units of this widespread hummingbird species. Conservation actions must consider intrinsic requirements of evolutionarily distinct populations and the environmental drivers that shape their distributions, maximizing preservation of intraspecific genetic variability and monitoring changes in genetic diversity.

160 The Neurosurgical Anatomy of Deficits in Speech Production

INTRODUCTION: Why do similar neurosurgical lesions cause a range of deficits in speech production? We investigated Broca’s aphasia as a disorder of fluency and apraxia of speech (AOS) as a disorder of articulatory coordination to dissociate the anatomy and lesional etiology of these syndromes. METHODS: Patients were prospectively tested with a standardized speech paradigm. Resections were outlined into 3D regions of interest and transformed into a common brainspace (MNI brain). Recordings of speech were retrospectively review by speech language experts to assess apraxia of speech. A voxel-based lesion-mapping (VLSM) algorithm was used to associate resection areas with acute postoperative aphasia or apraxia of speech. Averages of white-matter tracts were overlaid onto MNI reconstructions for analyses of white-matter tract involvement. Pre-operative diffusion tensor imaging reconstructions were created using peri-lesional regions of interest for seeds to investigate perilesional white matter tracts in these cohorts. RESULTS: Of 289 patients with left sided craniotomies and prospective language evaluation, 19 had Broca’s aphasia. 255 of these patients had recordings available for expert review, of whom 28 had apraxia of speech. VLSM analysis found Broca’s aphasia and fluency deficits were not associated with classic anatomic Broca’s area (pars opercularis and triangularis). Rather, they were associated with ventral sensorimotor cortex (SMC) and supramarginal gyrus (P < 0.001). Apraxia of speech was associated the most ventral aspects of SMC (P < 0.001). SLF III reconstructions terminated in the areas associated with Broca’s aphasia and fluency deficits, but had more limited overlap with the VLSM regions associated with apraxia of speech. CONCLUSIONS: Lesions leading to AOS and Broca’s aphasia after neurosurgical resection do not correlate with Broca's area. Rather, they cluster in ventral sensorimotor cortex. Subcortical white-matter tract injury may explain disparate non-fluent aphasia subtypes in patients with anatomically similar lesions.

Achieving conservation targets by jointly addressing climate change and biodiversity loss

AbstractUnprecedented rates of climate change and biodiversity loss have galvanized efforts to expand protected areas (PAs) globally. However, limited spatial overlap between the most important landscapes for mitigating climate change and those with the highest value for biodiversity may impede efforts to simultaneously address both issues through new protections. At the same time, there is a need to understand how lands with high conservation value align with existing patterns of land management, both public and private, which will inform strategies for developing new conservation areas. To address these challenges, we developed three composite indices to identify the highest conservation value lands across the conterminous United States (CONUS) and Alaska, drawing on a suite of key ecological and environmental indicators. Two indices characterize the most important conservation lands for addressing climate change (based on climate accessibility, climate stability, and total carbon storage) and biodiversity (based on species richness, ecological integrity, and ecological connectivity), while a third, combined index simultaneously addresses both conservation challenges. We found that existing PAs in the United States have relatively low overlap with the highest conservation value lands, regardless of the index used (10%–13% in CONUS, 27%–34% in Alaska), suggesting limited effectiveness of current protections but substantial opportunity for expanding conservation into high‐value, unprotected areas. In unprotected landscapes, the highest value lands for addressing climate change generally diverged from those identified as most important for protecting biodiversity (22%–38% overlap, depending on index and geography). Our combined index reconciled these spatial trade‐offs through high overlap with both the climate and biodiversity indices (66%–72%). Of the unprotected high conservation value lands identified by each of our three indices, we found ≥70% are privately managed in CONUS, while 16%–27% are privately managed in Alaska, underscoring the need to engage private landowners and land trusts in efforts to substantially increase the total footprint of conservation lands in the United States. Our findings highlight the importance of balancing climate and biodiversity objectives when identifying new lands for conservation and provide guidance on where to target new protections to simultaneously address both goals. To facilitate planning using the indices, we developed an interactive web application.

The 2020 derecho revealed limited overlap between maize genes associated with root lodging and root system architecture.

Roots anchor plants in soil, and the failure of anchorage (i.e. root lodging) is a major cause of crop yield loss. Anchorage is often assumed to be driven by root system architecture (RSA). We made use of a natural experiment to measure the overlap between the genetic regulation of RSA and anchorage. After one of the most devastating derechos ever recorded in August 2020, we phenotyped root lodging in a maize (Zea mays) diversity panel consisting of 369 genotypes grown in 6 environments affected by the derecho. Genome-wide and transcriptome-wide association studies identified 118 candidate genes associated with root lodging. Thirty-four percent (40/118) of these were homologs of genes from Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) that affect traits such as root morphology and lignin content, expected to affect root lodging. Finally, gene ontology enrichment analysis of the candidate genes and their predicted interaction partners at the transcriptional and translational levels revealed the complex regulatory networks of physiological and biochemical pathways underlying root lodging in maize. Limited overlap between genes associated with lodging resistance and RSA in this diversity panel suggests that anchorage depends in part on factors other than the gross characteristics of RSA.

Putative avian teeth from the Late Cretaceous of Alberta, Canada, are more likely from crocodilians.

Isolated teeth, previously referred to Aves, are more common than other bird fossils from the Late Cretaceous of Alberta. However, there are no known morphological synapomorphies that distinguish isolated bird teeth, and features of these teeth are generally shared with those of non-avian theropods and crocodilians. Here, specimens ranging from Late Santonian to Late Maastrichtian in age are described and qualitatively categorized into morphotypes, most of which strongly resemble teeth of extant juvenile and some fossil crocodilians. Variation within this sample of teeth may therefore reflect the heterodont dentition of crocodilians, rather than avian species diversity. Quantitative analysis Principal Component Analysis was mostly uninformative, with limited overlap between putative avian teeth and those of known Cretaceous birds, crocodilians, and non-avian theropods. The reassignment of these putative avian teeth to Crocodylia has important ramifications for our understanding of the evolutionary history of Cretaceous birds.

The impact of predation by South Island Pied Oystercatchers (Haematopus finschi) on a protected shellfish, the toheroa (Paphies ventricosa), in northern New Zealand

ABSTRACT In northern New Zealand, there is speculation that predation by a recovering shorebird, the South Island Pied Oystercatcher (Haematopus finschi), has caused the continuing decline of an endemic surf clam, the toheroa (Paphies ventricosa). Consequently, there have been requests by the public for these protected birds to be culled to protect and restore the toheroa. To better inform management and decision-making for these species we set out to understand the impact of oystercatcher predation on toheroa at Ripiro Beach in New Zealand. A study was conducted to establish the spatio-temporal overlap of toheroa and oystercatcher distributions, determine oystercatcher prey selection, and assess the impacts of oystercatcher predation on toheroa population size structure. Monthly surveys over a 12-month period indicated limited spatial overlap between the two species, and that most toheroa beds on Ripiro Beach are not subjected to oystercatcher predation. In areas where oystercatchers and toheroa co-occurred, oystercatchers consumed a variety of prey including polychaetes, small and medium-sized toheroa and a non-threatened surf clam (P. subtriangulata). While oystercatchers do feed on toheroa (and may be capable of locally reducing abundance of small toheroa in a population), feeding on larger individuals (>50 mm in length) was not observed. These results suggest that culling of oystercatchers would be of no benefit for the recovery of toheroa populations. It is likely that less obvious factors are impeding the recovery of toheroa in New Zealand. This study highlights the importance of understanding predator-prey interactions before implementing management actions such as lethal control.

Pathogen-triggered metabolic adjustments to potato virus Y infection in potato.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L) is affected by several viral pathogens with the most economically damaging being potato virus Y (PVY). At least nine biologically distinct variants of PVY are known to attack potato, with necrotic types named PVYNTN and PVYN-Wi being the most recent additions to the list. So far, the molecular plant-virus interactions underlying this pathogenicity are not fully understood. In this study, gas chromatography coupled with mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) was used for an untargeted investigation of the changes in leaf metabolomes of PVY-resistant cultivar Premier Russet, and a susceptible cultivar, Russet Burbank, following inoculation with three PVY strains, PVYNTN, PVYN-Wi, and PVYO. Analysis of the resulting GC-MS spectra with the online software Metaboanalyst (version 5.0) uncovered several common and strain-specific metabolites that are induced by PVY inoculation. In Premier Russet, the major overlap in differential accumulation was found between PVYN-Wi and PVYO. However, the 14 significant pathways occurred solely due to PVYN-Wi. In contrast, the main overlap in differential metabolite profiles and pathways in Russet Burbank was between PVYNTN and PVYO. Overall, limited overlap was observed between PVYNTN and PVYN-Wi. As a result, PVYN-Wi-induced necrosis may be mechanistically distinguishable from that of PVYNTN. Furthermore, 10 common and seven cultivar-specific metabolites as potential indicators of PVY infection and susceptibility/resistance were identified by using PLS-DA and ANOVA. In Russet Burbank, glucose-6-phosphate and fructose-6-phosphate were particularly affected by strain-time interaction. This highlights the relevance of the regulation of carbohydrate metabolism for defense against PVY. Some strain- and cultivar-dependent metabolite changes were also observed, reflecting the known genetic resistance-susceptibility dichotomy between the two cultivars. Consequently, engineering broad-spectrum resistance may be the most effective breeding strategy for managing these necrotic strains of PVY.

Genetic regulators of cytokine responses upon BCG vaccination in children from West Africa

Genetic variation is a key factor influencing cytokine production capacity, but which genetic loci regulate cytokine production before and after vaccination, particularly in African population is unknown. Here, we aimed to identify single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) controlling cytokine responses after microbial stimulation in infants of West-African ancestry, comprising of low-birth-weight neonates randomized to bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine-at-birth or to the usual delayed BCG. Genome-wide cytokine cytokine quantitative trait loci (cQTL) mapping revealed 12 independent loci, of which the LINC01082-LINC00917 locus influenced more than half of the cytokine-stimulation pairs assessed. Furthermore, nine distinct cQTLs were found among infants randomized to BCG. Functional validation confirmed that several complement genes affect cytokine response after BCG vaccination. We observed a limited overlap of common cQTLs between the West-African infants and cohorts of Western European individuals. These data reveal strong population-specific genetic effects on cytokine production and may indicate new opportunities for therapeutic intervention and vaccine development in African populations.

Miniature intravascular photoacoustic endoscopy with coaxial excitation and detection.

Recent research pointed out that the degree of inflammation in the adventitia could correlate with the severity of atherosclerotic plaques. Intravascular photoacoustic endoscopy can provide the information of arterial morphology and plaque composition, and even detecting the inflammation. However, most reported work used a noncoaxial configuration for the photoacoustic catheter design, which formed a limited light-sound overlap area for imaging so as to miss the adventitia information. Here we developed a novel 0.9 mm-diameter intravascular photoacoustic catheter with coaxial excitation and detection to resolve the aforementioned issue. A miniature hollow ultrasound transducer with a 0.18 mm-diameter orifice in the center was successfully fabricated. To show the significance and merits of our design, phantom and ex vivo imaging experiments were conducted on both coaxial and noncoaxial catheters for comparison. The results demonstrated that the coaxial catheter exhibited much better photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging performance from the intima to the adventitia.

Phenotype- and species-specific skin proteomic signatures for incision-induced pain in humans and mice

BackgroundAcute pain after surgery is common and often leads to chronic post-surgical pain, but neither treatment nor prevention is currently sufficient. We hypothesised that specific protein networks (protein-protein interactions) are relevant for pain after surgery in humans and mice. MethodsStandardised surgical incisions were performed in male human volunteers and male mice. Quantitative and qualitative sensory phenotyping were combined with unbiased quantitative mass spectrometry-based proteomics and protein network theory. The primary outcomes were skin protein signature changes in humans and phenotype-specific protein-protein interaction analysis 24 h after incision. Secondary outcomes were interspecies comparison of protein regulation as well as protein-protein interactions after incision and validation of selected proteins in human skin by immunofluorescence. ResultsSkin biopsies in 21 human volunteers revealed 119/1569 regulated proteins 24 h after incision. Protein-protein interaction analysis delineated remarkable differences between subjects with small (low responders, n=12) and large incision-related hyperalgesic areas (high responders, n=7), a phenotype most predictive of developing chronic post-surgical pain. Whereas low responders predominantly showed an anti-inflammatory protein signature, high responders exhibited signatures associated with a distinct proteolytic environment and persistent inflammation. Compared to humans, skin biopsies in mice habored even more regulated proteins (435/1871) 24 h after incision with limited overlap between species as assessed by proteome dynamics and PPI. Immunohistochemistry confirmed the expression of high priority candidates in human skin biopsies. ConclusionsProteome profiling of human skin after incision revealed protein-protein interactions correlated with pain and hyperalgesia, which may be of potential significance for preventing chronic post-surgical pain. Importantly, protein-protein interactions were differentially modulated in mice compared to humans opening new avenues for successful translational research.

Functional impact of multi-omic interactions in breast cancer subtypes.

Multi-omic approaches are expected to deliver a broader molecular view of cancer. However, the promised mechanistic explanations have not quite settled yet. Here, we propose a theoretical and computational analysis framework to semi-automatically produce network models of the regulatory constraints influencing a biological function. This way, we identified functions significantly enriched on the analyzed omics and described associated features, for each of the four breast cancer molecular subtypes. For instance, we identified functions sustaining over-representation of invasion-related processes in the basal subtype and DNA modification processes in the normal tissue. We found limited overlap on the omics-associated functions between subtypes; however, a startling feature intersection within subtype functions also emerged. The examples presented highlight new, potentially regulatory features, with sound biological reasons to expect a connection with the functions. Multi-omic regulatory networks thus constitute reliable models of the way omics are connected, demonstrating a capability for systematic generation of mechanistic hypothesis.

Neutral vs. non-neutral genetic footprints of Plasmodium falciparum multiclonal infections.

At a time when effective tools for monitoring malaria control and eradication efforts are crucial, the increasing availability of molecular data motivates their application to epidemiology. The multiplicity of infection (MOI), defined as the number of genetically distinct parasite strains co-infecting a host, is one key epidemiological parameter for evaluating malaria interventions. Estimating MOI remains a challenge for high-transmission settings where individuals typically carry multiple co-occurring infections. Several quantitative approaches have been developed to estimate MOI, including two cost-effective ones relying on molecular data: i) THE REAL McCOIL method is based on putatively neutral single nucleotide polymorphism loci, and ii) the varcoding method is a fingerprinting approach that relies on the diversity and limited repertoire overlap of the var multigene family encoding the major Plasmodium falciparum blood-stage antigen PfEMP1 and is therefore under selection. In this study, we assess the robustness of the MOI estimates generated with these two approaches by simulating P. falciparum malaria dynamics under three transmission conditions using an extension of a previously developed stochastic agent-based model. We demonstrate that these approaches are complementary and best considered across distinct transmission intensities. While varcoding can underestimate MOI, it allows robust estimation, especially under high transmission where repertoire overlap is extremely limited from frequency-dependent selection. In contrast, THE REAL McCOIL often considerably overestimates MOI, but still provides reasonable estimates for low and moderate transmission. Regardless of transmission intensity, results for THE REAL McCOIL indicate that an inaccurate tail at high MOI values is generated, and that at high transmission, an apparently reasonable estimated MOI distribution can arise from some degree of compensation between overestimation and underestimation. As many countries pursue malaria elimination targets, defining the most suitable approach to estimate MOI based on sample size and local transmission intensity is highly recommended for monitoring the impact of intervention programs.

A survey of the oreophytic species of Taraxacum in the Carpathians reveals a very limited overlap with the flora of the Alps

A survey of the oreophytic species of Taraxacum in the Carpathians reveals a very limited overlap with the flora of the Alps

A drug repurposing method based on inhibition effect on gene regulatory network

Numerous computational drug repurposing methods have emerged as efficient alternatives to costly and time-consuming traditional drug discovery approaches. Some of these methods are based on the assumption that the candidate drug should have a reversal effect on disease-associated genes. However, such methods are not applicable in the case that there is limited overlap between disease-related genes and drug-perturbed genes. In this study, we proposed a novel Drug Repurposing method based on the Inhibition Effect on gene regulatory network (DRIE) to identify potential drugs for cancer treatment. DRIE integrated gene expression profile and gene regulatory network to calculate inhibition score by using the shortest path in the disease-specific network. The results on eleven datasets indicated the superior performance of DRIE when compared to other state-of-the-art methods. Case studies showed that our method effectively discovered novel drug-disease associations. Our findings demonstrated that the top-ranked drug candidates had been already validated by CTD database. Additionally, it clearly identified potential agents for three cancers (colorectal, breast, and lung cancer), which was beneficial when annotating drug-disease relationships in the CTD. This study proposed a novel framework for drug repurposing, which would be helpful for drug discovery and development.

CR-LDSO: Direct Sparse LiDAR-Assisted Visual Odometry With Cloud Reusing

LiDAR-assisted visual odometry (VO) is a widely-used solution for pose estimation and mapping. However, most existing LiDAR-assisted VO systems could suffer from the problems of 1) lacking distinctive and evenly distributed pixels for tracking due to the sparsity of LiDAR points and limited FOV overlap between a camera and LiDAR, and 2) nontrivial errors when processing LiDAR point clouds. To address above problems, we present CR-LDSO, a direct sparse LiDAR-assisted VO with the core parts being: 1) a novel cloud reusing method with point extraction/re-extraction to increase both the camera-LiDAR FOV overlap and the number of high-quality tracking pixels and 2) an occlusion removal method to exclude mismatching pixels due to occluded 3D object from sliding-window optimization and a point extraction strategy without depth interpolation. Extensive experimental results on public datasets demonstrates the superiority of our method to the existing state-of-the-art methods.

Biotic regionalization of freshwater fishes in Northern Middle America highlights high beta diversity created by prominent biogeographic barriers

Northern Middle America (NoMA) is considered a transition zone between the Nearctic and Neotropical biogeographic realms. In this region, Nearctic and Neotropical freshwater fishes create regional faunas of mixed origin, but their general biogeographic patterns have not been quantified. To identify such patterns, we delineate biogeographic regions (BRs) and major biogeographic barriers of NoMA and summarize patterns of faunal similarity among BRs. We used clustering analysis on a presence-absence matrix of primary and secondary freshwater fishes to group 97 level-6 HydroBASINs units spanning NoMA into BRs. We assessed statistical support of clusters using one-way analysis of similarity and implemented a species-indicator analysis. We delineated biogeographic barriers with the software Barrier 2.2 and determined faunal similarity among BRs using beta diversity-Jaccard dissimilarity and producing a minimum-spanning tree. Seven statistically distinctive and geographically coherent BRs were delineated and described. Barrier analysis identified three major barriers within NoMA. The first barrier combines the Sea of Cortés (Gulf of California) and Sierra de Juárez-Cerro Gordo highlands. The second combines the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, Sierra Madre del Sur, and Sierra Madre de Chiapas highlands. The third combines the Río Grande Rift, Sierra Madre Occidental, and Mesa Central highlands. Faunal dissimilarity was very high among BRs, with lowest dissimilarity (92%) between the Balsas-Nacaome and Grijalva-Usumacinta BRs. Boundaries of NoMA BRs do not correspond with political boundaries. We concluded that bioregions of NoMA are faunally distinct, with limited overlap due to presence of strong, long-standing geographical barriers enhanced by aridity in the North.

From prison to work? Job-crime patterns for women in a precarious labor market

Finding and retaining a job is one of the most challenging problems women confront after being released from prison. Given the dynamic and fluid interactions between legal and illegal work, we argue that to better identify and describe job trajectories after release, we must simultaneously consider disparities in work types and offending behavior. We leverage a unique dataset – the Reintegration, Desistance and Recidivism Among Female Inmates in Chile study– to describe patterns of employment within a cohort of 207 women during the first year after being released from prison. By considering different types of work (i.e., self-employed/employed, legitimate/under-the- table) and including offending as another type of income-generating activity, we adequately account for the intersection between work and crime in a particularly understudied population and context. Our results reveal stable heterogeneity in employment trajectories by job type across respondents but limited overlap between crime and work despite the high levels of marginalization in the job market. We discuss the role of barriers to and preferences for certain types of jobs as possible explanations for our findings.

The grape powdery mildew resistance loci Ren2, Ren3, Ren4D, Ren4U, Run1, Run1.2b, Run2.1, and Run2.2 activate different transcriptional responses to Erysiphe necator.

Multiple grape powdery mildew (PM) genetic resistance (R) loci have been found in wild grape species. Little is known about the defense responses associated with each R locus. In this study, we compare the defense mechanisms associated with PM resistance in interspecific crosses segregating for a single R locus from Muscadinia rotundifolia (Run1, Run1.2b, Run2.1, Run2.2), Vitis cinerea (Ren2), V. romanetii (Ren4D and Ren4U), and the interspecific hybrid Villard blanc (Ren3). By combining optical microscopy, visual scoring, and biomass estimation, we show that the eight R loci confer resistance by limiting infection at different stages. We assessed the defense mechanisms triggered in response to PM at 1 and 5 days post-inoculation (dpi) via RNA sequencing. To account for the genetic differences between species, we developed for each accession a diploid synthetic reference transcriptome by incorporating into the PN40024 reference homozygous and heterozygous sequence variants and de novo assembled transcripts. Most of the R loci exhibited a higher number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with PM resistance at 1 dpi compared to 5 dpi, suggesting that PM resistance is mostly associated with an early transcriptional reprogramming. Comparison of the PM resistance-associated DEGs showed a limited overlap between pairs of R loci, and nearly half of the DEGs were specific to a single R locus. The largest overlap of PM resistance-associated DEGs was found between Ren3 +, Ren4D +, and Ren4U + genotypes at 1 dpi, and between Ren4U + and Run1 + accessions at 5 dpi. The Ren3 +, Ren4D +, and Ren4U + were also found to have the highest number of R locus-specific DEGs in response to PM. Both shared and R locus-specific DEGs included genes from different defense-related categories, indicating that the presence of E. necator triggered distinct transcriptional responses in the eight R loci.

Nest-site choice by loggerhead sea turtles as a risk-management adaptation to offset hatching failure by unpredictable storms and predators

IntroductionAlong the coasts of Florida, United States, the nesting season of the loggerhead sea turtle, Caretta caretta, overlaps with the hurricane season. Nesting loggerhead females do not extend parental protection beyond depositing eggs in sandy, excavated nests in locations that provide a viable range of temperatures, moisture, and respiratory gas exchange. Thereafter, a female’s clutches are subjected to the uncertainties of desiccation, predation, flooding, or beach erosion.MethodsHere, we used data from a 1996-2004 study of 94 tagged loggerhead females nesting on a small barrier island off the Gulf Coast of south Florida, United States. We tested the hypothesis that the distribution of nest sites by loggerhead females was a randomized response to unpredictable hatching failure.ResultsWe show that nest site choice accounted for 19.2% of variation in hatching success whereas breeding year and breeding month accounted for the remaining 81.8% of variation in hatching success. We show that the emergence site along the beach-length axis, nest site choice along the beach-width axis, and distances between nest locations did not fit a uniform-random distribution or a normal distribution. Instead, we show that loggerhead females employed a “Goldilocks” distribution in which nest sites were “neither too clustered nor too dispersed.” Moreover, loggerhead females selected nest sites with limited overlap with nest sites from previous breeding seasons.DiscussionWe propose that nest site choice by this population of loggerhead females constitutes a significant maternal risk-management adaptation that deserves thoughtful consideration as we continue to assess the impacts of climate change on the future of loggerhead sea turtles.

Network analyses unveil ageing-associated pathways evolutionarily conserved from fungi to animals.

The genetic roots of the diverse paces and shapes of ageing and of the large variations in longevity observed across the tree of life are poorly understood. Indeed, pathways associated with ageing/longevity are incompletely known, both in terms of their constitutive genes/proteins and of their molecular interactions. Moreover, there is limited overlap between the genes constituting these pathways across mammals. Yet, dedicated comparative analyses might still unravel evolutionarily conserved, important pathways associated with longevity or ageing. Here, we used an original strategy with a double evolutionary and systemic focus to analyse protein interactions associated with ageing or longevity during the evolution of five species of Opisthokonta. We ranked these proteins and interactions based on their evolutionary conservation and centrality in past and present protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks, providing a big systemic picture of the evolution of ageing and longevity pathways that identified which pathways emerged in which Opisthokonta lineages, were conserved, and/or central. We confirmed that longevity/ageing-associated proteins (LAPs), be they pro- or anti-longevity, are highly central in extant PPI, consistently with the antagonistic pleiotropy theory of ageing, and identified key antagonistic regulators of ageing/longevity, 52 of which with homologues in humans. While some highly central LAPs were evolutionarily conserved for over a billion years, we report a clear transition in the functionally important components of ageing/longevity within bilaterians. We also predicted 487 novel evolutionarily conserved LAPs in humans, 54% of which are more central than mTOR, and 138 of which are druggable, defining new potential targets for anti-ageing treatments in humans.