TY - JOUR A1 - Paraskevopoulou, Sofia A1 - Dennis, Alice B. A1 - Weithoff, Guntram A1 - Tiedemann, Ralph T1 - Temperature-dependent life history and transcriptomic responses in heat-tolerant versus heat-sensitive Brachionus rotifers JF - Scientific Reports N2 - Thermal stress response is an essential physiological trait that determines occurrence and temporal succession in nature, including response to climate change. We compared temperature-related demography in closely related heat-tolerant and heat-sensitive Brachionus rotifer species. We found significant differences in heat response, with the heat-sensitive species adopting a strategy of long survival and low population growth, while the heat-tolerant followed the opposite strategy. In both species, we examined the genetic basis of physiological variation by comparing gene expression across increasing temperatures. Comparative transcriptomic analyses identified shared and opposing responses to heat. Interestingly, expression of heat shock proteins (hsps) was strikingly different in the two species and mirrored differences in population growth rates, showing that hsp genes are likely a key component of a species’ adaptation to different temperatures. Temperature induction caused opposing patterns of expression in further functional categories including energy, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, and in genes related to ribosomal proteins. In the heat-sensitive species, elevated temperatures caused up-regulation of genes related to meiosis induction and post-translational histone modifications. This work demonstrates the sweeping reorganizations of biological functions that accompany temperature adaptation in these two species and reveals potential molecular mechanisms that might be activated for adaptation to global warming. KW - Ecology KW - Evolution KW - Oyster Crassostrea-gigas KW - cryptic species complex KW - pacific oyster KW - thermal-stress KW - genetic differentiation KW - expression patterns KW - molecular phylogeny KW - shock proteins KW - evolutionary KW - hsp70 Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-70173-0 SN - 2045-2322 VL - 10 PB - Macmillan Publishers Limited, part of Springer Nature CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rillig, Matthias C. A1 - Bielcik, Milos A1 - Chaudhary, Veer Bala A1 - Grünfeld, Leonie A1 - Maass, Stefanie A1 - Mansour, India A1 - Ryo, Masahiro A1 - Veresoglou, Stavros D. T1 - Ten simple rules for increased lab resilience JF - PLoS Computational Biology : a new community journal N2 - When running a lab we do not think about calamities, since they are rare events for which we cannot plan while we are busy with the day-to-day management and intellectual challenges of a research lab. No lab team can be prepared for something like a pandemic such as COVID-19, which has led to shuttered labs around the globe. But many other types of crises can also arise that labs may have to weather during their lifetime. What can researchers do to make a lab more resilient in the face of such exterior forces? What systems or behaviors could we adjust in 'normal' times that promote lab success, and increase the chances that the lab will stay on its trajectory? We offer 10 rules, based on our current experiences as a lab group adapting to crisis. Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008313 SN - 1553-734X SN - 1553-7358 VL - 16 IS - 11 PB - PLoS CY - San Fransisco ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schellenberg, Johannes A1 - Reichert, Jessica A1 - Hardt, Martin A1 - Klingelhöfer, Ines A1 - Morlock, Gertrud A1 - Schubert, Patrick A1 - Bižić, Mina A1 - Grossart, Hans-Peter A1 - Kämpfer, Peter A1 - Wilke, Thomas A1 - Glaeser, Stefanie P. T1 - The bacterial microbiome of the long-term aquarium cultured high-microbial abundance sponge Haliclona cnidata BT - sustained bioactivity despite community shifts under detrimental conditions JF - Frontiers in Marine Science N2 - Marine sponges host highly diverse but specific bacterial communities that provide essential functions for the sponge holobiont, including antimicrobial defense. Here, we characterized the bacterial microbiome of the marine sponge Haliclona cnidata that has been in culture in an artificial marine aquarium system. We tested the hypotheses (1) that the long-term aquarium cultured sponge H. cnidata is tightly associated with a typical sponge bacterial microbiota and (2) that the symbiotic Bacteria sustain bioactivity under harmful environmental conditions to facilitate holobiont survival by preventing pathogen invasion. Microscopic and phylogenetic analyses of the bacterial microbiota revealed that H. cnidata represents a high microbial abundance (HMA) sponge with a temporally stable bacterial community that significantly shifts with changing aquarium conditions. A 4-week incubation experiment was performed in small closed aquarium systems with antibiotic and/or light exclusion treatments to reduce the total bacterial and photosynthetically active sponge-associated microbiota to a treatment-specific resilient community. While the holobiont was severely affected by the experimental treatment (i.e., bleaching of the sponge, reduced bacterial abundance, shifted bacterial community composition), the biological defense and bacterial community interactions (i.e., quorum sensing activity) remained intact. 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing revealed a resilient community of 105 bacterial taxa, which remained in the treated sponges. These 105 taxa accounted for a relative abundance of 72-83% of the bacterial sponge microbiota of non-treated sponge fragments that have been cultured under the same conditions. We conclude that a sponge-specific resilient community stays biologically active under harmful environmental conditions, facilitating the resilience of the holobiont. In H. cnidata, bacteria are located in bacteriocytes, which may have contributed to the observed phenomenon. KW - HMA sponge KW - bacterial symbionts KW - holobiont KW - antimicrobial defense KW - quorum sensing KW - bacteriocytes Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.00266 SN - 2296-7745 VL - 7 PB - Frontiers Media CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Premier, Joseph A1 - Fickel, Jörns A1 - Heurich, Marco A1 - Kramer-Schadt, Stephanie T1 - The boon and bane of boldness BT - movement syndrome as saviour and sink for population genetic diversity JF - Movement Ecology N2 - Background: Many felid species are of high conservation concern, and with increasing human disturbance the situation is worsening. Small isolated populations are at risk of genetic impoverishment decreasing within-species biodiversity. Movement is known to be a key behavioural trait that shapes both demographic and genetic dynamics and affects population survival. However, we have limited knowledge on how different manifestations of movement behaviour translate to population processes. In this study, we aimed to 1) understand the potential effects of movement behaviour on the genetic diversity of small felid populations in heterogeneous landscapes, while 2) presenting a simulation tool that can help inform conservation practitioners following, or considering, population management actions targeting the risk of genetic impoverishment. Methods: We developed a spatially explicit individual-based population model including neutral genetic markers for felids and applied this to the example of Eurasian lynx. Using a neutral landscape approach, we simulated reintroductions into a three-patch system, comprising two breeding patches separated by a larger patch of differing landscape heterogeneity, and tested for the effects of various behavioural movement syndromes and founder population sizes. We explored a range of movement syndromes by simulating populations with various movement model parametrisations that range from 'shy' to 'bold' movement behaviour. Results: We find that movement syndromes can lead to a higher loss of genetic diversity and an increase in between population genetic structure for both "bold" and "shy" movement behaviours, depending on landscape conditions, with larger decreases in genetic diversity and larger increases in genetic differentiation associated with bold movement syndromes, where the first colonisers quickly reproduce and subsequently dominate the gene pool. In addition, we underline the fact that a larger founder population can offset the genetic losses associated with subpopulation isolation and gene pool dominance. Conclusions We identified a movement syndrome trade-off for population genetic variation, whereby bold-explorers could be saviours - by connecting populations and promoting panmixia, or sinks - by increasing genetic losses via a 'founder takes all' effect, whereas shy-stayers maintain a more gradual genetic drift due to their more cautious behaviour. Simulations should incorporate movement behaviour to provide better projections of long-term population viability and within-species biodiversity, which includes genetic diversity. Simulations incorporating demographics and genetics have great potential for informing conservation management actions, such as population reintroductions or reinforcements. Here, we present such a simulation tool for solitary felids. KW - Lynx lynx KW - neutral landscape models KW - eurasian lynx KW - natal dispersal KW - home range KW - fragmented landscapes KW - behavioral syndromes KW - habitat loss KW - personality KW - mortality Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-020-00204-y SN - 2051-3933 VL - 8 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 17 PB - BioMed Central CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Apriyanto, Ardha A1 - Tambunan, Van Basten T1 - The complete mitochondrial genome of oil palm pollinating weevil, Elaeidobius kamerunicus Faust BT - (Coleoptera : Curculionidae) JF - Mitochondrial DNA: Part B N2 - Elaeidobius kamerunicusis the most important insect pollinator in oil palm plantations. In this study, the mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) ofE. kamerunicus(17.729 bp), a member of the Curculionidae family, will be reported. The mitogenome consisted of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs), 2 ribosomal RNA genes (rRNAs), and a putative control region (CR). Phylogenetic analysis based on 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs) using maximum Likelihood (ML) methods indicated thatE. kamerunicusbelongs to the Curculionidae family. This mitochondrial genome provides essential information for understanding genetic populations, phylogenetics, molecular evolution, and other biological applications in this species. KW - Mitogenome KW - oil palm KW - pollinator KW - phylogeny KW - weevil Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1080/23802359.2020.1823899 SN - 2380-2359 VL - 5 IS - 3 SP - 3450 EP - 3452 PB - Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group CY - Abingdon ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rybak, Alexander A1 - Bents, Dominik A1 - Krüger, Johanna A1 - Groth, Detlef T1 - The end of the secular trend in Norway BT - spatial trends in body height of Norwegian conscripts in the 19th, 20th and 21st century JF - Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft für Anthropologie N2 - Aim: We aimed to examine the distribution and secular changes of conscript body height in the geographic network of Norway since 1878 and to study its association with the degree of urbanization, and population density. Material and methods: Data on body height of Norwegian military conscripts were provided by the Statistics Norway Department (SSB). The sample comprised eight cohorts with the following measurement years: 1st 1877, 1878 and 1880, 2nd 18951897, 3rd 1915-1917, 4th 1935-1937, 5th 1955-1957, 6th 1975-1977, 7th 1995-1997, and 8th 2009-2011. For determining neighborhood correlations, a network was created consisting of neighboring counties, sharing a common border. Results: Average body height of Norwegian men increased by 10.9 cm between 1878 and 2010, but this trend was heterogeneous. Some counties increased by more than 1 cm per decade (Finmark) others by only 7 mm per decade (Sor-Trondelag). Urban counties and counties with higher population density showed stronger height trends than rural counties. The largest spread in body height between the various counties was observed in 1936 when for the first time people living in the more urban counties got taller than rural people. The height advantage of urban counties however, disappeared after 1996. At this time, also the secular trend in height had come to a halt. The secular trend in height had become obvious after the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden in 1905 and World War I, and was strongest between 1936 and 1956. During this period maximum between-county heterogeneity in height existed with body height differences of more than 6 cm between the tallest and the shortest county. The end of this period was characterized by social democratic reforms that flattened the income distribution, eliminated poverty, and ensured social services after World War II. Conclusion: The temporal coincidence between the trends in height, the degree of urbanization and the onset of the political transition of Norway from a Swedish province into an independent democratic wealthy modern European state after World War I and particularly after World War II, and the abatement of this trend after this period of transition had stabilized, suggest social and political components interfering with the regulation of physical growth in humans. KW - male body height KW - degree of urbanization KW - population density KW - Norway Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1127/anthranz/2020/1254 SN - 0003-5548 VL - 77 IS - 5 SP - 415 EP - 421 PB - Schweizerbart CY - Stuttgart ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mendel, Ralf R. A1 - Hercher, Thomas W. A1 - Zupok, Arkadiusz A1 - Hasnat, Muhammad Abrar A1 - Leimkühler, Silke T1 - The requirement of inorganic Fe-S clusters for the biosynthesis of the organometallic molybdenum cofactor JF - Inorganics : open access journal N2 - Iron-sulfur (Fe-S) clusters are essential protein cofactors. In enzymes, they are present either in the rhombic [2Fe-2S] or the cubic [4Fe-4S] form, where they are involved in catalysis and electron transfer and in the biosynthesis of metal-containing prosthetic groups like the molybdenum cofactor (Moco). Here, we give an overview of the assembly of Fe-S clusters in bacteria and humans and present their connection to the Moco biosynthesis pathway. In all organisms, Fe-S cluster assembly starts with the abstraction of sulfur froml-cysteine and its transfer to a scaffold protein. After formation, Fe-S clusters are transferred to carrier proteins that insert them into recipient apo-proteins. In eukaryotes like humans and plants, Fe-S cluster assembly takes place both in mitochondria and in the cytosol. Both Moco biosynthesis and Fe-S cluster assembly are highly conserved among all kingdoms of life. Moco is a tricyclic pterin compound with molybdenum coordinated through its unique dithiolene group. Moco biosynthesis begins in the mitochondria in a Fe-S cluster dependent step involving radical/S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) chemistry. An intermediate is transferred to the cytosol where the dithiolene group is formed, to which molybdenum is finally added. Further connections between Fe-S cluster assembly and Moco biosynthesis are discussed in detail. KW - Moco biosynthesis KW - Fe-S cluster assembly KW - l-cysteine desulfurase KW - ISC KW - SUF KW - NIF KW - iron KW - molybdenum KW - sulfur Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/inorganics8070043 SN - 2304-6740 VL - 8 IS - 7 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schneeberger, Karin A1 - Taborsky, Michael T1 - The role of sensory ecology and cognition in social decisions BT - costs of acquiring information matter JF - Functional ecology : an official journal of the British Ecological Society N2 - 1. We generally assume that animals should maximize information acquisition about their environment to make prudent decisions. But this is a naive assumption, as gaining information typically involves costs.
2. This is especially so in the social context, where interests between interacting partners usually diverge. The arms race involved in mutual assessment is characterized by the attempt to obtain revealing information from a partner while providing only as much information by oneself as is conducive to one's own intentions.
3. If obtaining information occasions costs in terms of time, energy and risk, animals should be selected to base their decisions on a cost-benefit ratio that takes account of the trade-off between the risk of making wrong choices and the costs involved in information acquisition, processing and use.
4. In addition, there may be physiological and/or environmental constraints limiting the ability to obtaining, processing and utilizing reliable information.
5. Here, we discuss recent empirical evidence for the proposition that social decisions are to an important extent based on the costs that result from acquiring, processing, evaluating and storing information. Using examples from different taxa and ecological contexts, we aim at drawing attention to the often neglected costs of information recipience, with emphasis on the potential role of sensory ecology and cognition in social decisions. KW - behaviour KW - constrains KW - costs KW - decisions KW - signals KW - sociality KW - trade-offs Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13488 SN - 0269-8463 SN - 1365-2435 VL - 34 IS - 2 SP - 302 EP - 309 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ehrlich, Elias A1 - Kath, Nadja Jeanette A1 - Gaedke, Ursula T1 - The shape of a defense-growth trade-off governs seasonal trait dynamics in natural phytoplankton JF - The ISME journal N2 - Theory predicts that trade-offs, quantifying costs of functional trait adjustments, crucially affect community trait adaptation to altered environmental conditions, but empirical verification is scarce. We evaluated trait dynamics (antipredator defense, maximum growth rate, and phosphate affinity) of a lake phytoplankton community in a seasonally changing environment, using literature trait data and 21 years of species-resolved high-frequency biomass measurements. The trait data indicated a concave defense-growth trade-off, promoting fast-growing species with intermediate defense. With seasonally increasing grazing pressure, the community shifted toward higher defense levels at the cost of lower growth rates along the trade-off curve, while phosphate affinity explained some deviations from it. We discuss how low fitness differences of species, inferred from model simulations, in concert with stabilizing mechanisms, e.g., arising from further trait dimensions, may lead to the observed phytoplankton diversity. In conclusion, quantifying trade-offs is key for predictions of community trait adaptation and biodiversity under environmental change. KW - coexistence KW - community ecology KW - diversity KW - evolution KW - fitness KW - functional traits KW - lake KW - maintenance KW - mechanisms KW - plankton Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-020-0619-1 SN - 1751-7362 SN - 1751-7370 VL - 14 IS - 6 SP - 1451 EP - 1462 PB - Nature Publishing Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schneeberger, Karin A1 - Röder, Gregory A1 - Taborsky, Michael T1 - The smell of hunger BT - Norway rats provision social partners based on odour cues of need JF - PLoS biology N2 - When individuals exchange helpful acts reciprocally, increasing the benefit of the receiver can enhance its propensity to return a favour, as pay-offs are typically correlated in iterated interactions. Therefore, reciprocally cooperating animals should consider the relative benefit for the receiver when deciding to help a conspecific. Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) exchange food reciprocally and thereby take into account both the cost of helping and the potential benefit to the receiver. By using a variant of the sequential iterated prisoner's dilemma paradigm, we show that rats may determine the need of another individual by olfactory cues alone. In an experimental food-exchange task, test subjects were provided with odour cues from hungry or satiated conspecifics located in a different room. Our results show that wild-type Norway rats provide help to a stooge quicker when they receive odour cues from a hungry rather than from a satiated conspecific. Using chemical analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), we identify seven volatile organic compounds that differ in their abundance between hungry and satiated rats. Combined, this "smell of hunger" can apparently serve as a reliable cue of need in reciprocal cooperation, which supports the hypothesis of honest signalling. Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000628 SN - 1544-9173 SN - 1545-7885 VL - 18 IS - 3 PB - PLoS CY - San Fransisco ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Angelopoulos, Michael A1 - Overduin, Pier Paul A1 - Westermann, Sebastian A1 - Tronicke, Jens A1 - Strauss, Jens A1 - Schirrmeister, Lutz A1 - Biskaborn, Boris A1 - Liebner, Susanne A1 - Maksimov, Georgii A1 - Grigoriev, Mikhail N. A1 - Grosse, Guido T1 - Thermokarst lake to lagoon transitions in Eastern Siberia BT - do submerged taliks refreeze? JF - Journal of geophysical research : Earth surface N2 - As the Arctic coast erodes, it drains thermokarst lakes, transforming them into lagoons, and, eventually, integrates them into subsea permafrost. Lagoons represent the first stage of a thermokarst lake transition to a marine setting and possibly more saline and colder upper boundary conditions. In this research, borehole data, electrical resistivity surveying, and modeling of heat and salt diffusion were carried out at Polar Fox Lagoon on the Bykovsky Peninsula, Siberia. Polar Fox Lagoon is a seasonally isolated water body connected to Tiksi Bay through a channel, leading to hypersaline waters under the ice cover. The boreholes in the center of the lagoon revealed floating ice and a saline cryotic bed underlain by a saline cryotic talik, a thin ice-bearing permafrost layer, and unfrozen ground. The bathymetry showed that most of the lagoon had bedfast ice in spring. In bedfast ice areas, the electrical resistivity profiles suggested that an unfrozen saline layer was underlain by a thick layer of refrozen talik. The modeling showed that thermokarst lake taliks can refreeze when submerged in saltwater with mean annual bottom water temperatures below or slightly above 0 degrees C. This occurs, because the top-down chemical degradation of newly formed ice-bearing permafrost is slower than the refreezing of the talik. Hence, lagoons may precondition taliks with a layer of ice-bearing permafrost before encroachment by the sea, and this frozen layer may act as a cap on gas migration out of the underlying talik. KW - thermokarst lake KW - talik KW - lagoon KW - subsea permafrost KW - salt diffusion KW - Siberia Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JF005424 SN - 2169-9003 SN - 2169-9011 VL - 125 IS - 10 PB - American Geophysical Union CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Patterson, Jenelle A. A1 - He, Hai A1 - Folz, Jacob S. A1 - Li, Qiang A1 - Wilson, Mark A. A1 - Fiehn, Oliver A1 - Bruner, Steven D. A1 - Bar-Even, Arren A1 - Hanson, Andrew D. T1 - Thioproline formation as a driver of formaldehyde toxicity in Escherichia coli JF - Biochemical Journal N2 - Formaldehyde (HCHO) is a reactive carbonyl compound that formylates and cross-links proteins, DNA, and small molecules. It is of specific concern as a toxic intermediate in the design of engineered pathways involving methanol oxidation or formate reduction. The interest in engineering these pathways is not, however, matched by engineering-relevant information on precisely why HCHO is toxic or on what damage-control mechanisms cells deploy to manage HCHO toxicity. The only well-defined mechanism for managing HCHO toxicity is formaldehyde dehydrogenase-mediated oxidation to formate, which is counterproductive if HCHO is a desired pathway intermediate. We therefore sought alternative HCHO damage-control mechanisms via comparative genomic analysis. This analysis associated homologs of the Escherichia coli pepP gene with HCHO-related one-carbon metabolism. Furthermore, deleting pepP increased the sensitivity of E. coli to supplied HCHO but not other carbonyl compounds. PepP is a proline aminopeptidase that cleaves peptides of the general formula X-Pro-Y, yielding X + Pro-Y. HCHO is known to react spontaneously with cysteine to form the close proline analog thioproline (thiazolidine-4-carboxylate), which is incorporated into proteins and hence into proteolytic peptides. We therefore hypothesized that certain thioproline-containing peptides are toxic and that PepP cleaves these aberrant peptides. Supporting this hypothesis, PepP cleaved the model peptide Ala-thioproline-Ala as efficiently as Ala-Pro-Ala in vitro and in vivo, and deleting pepP increased sensitivity to supplied thioproline. Our data thus (i) provide biochemical genetic evidence that thioproline formation contributes substantially to HCHO toxicity and (ii) make PepP a candidate damage-control enzyme for engineered pathways having HCHO as an intermediate. KW - formaldehyde KW - thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid KW - thioproline KW - Xaa-Pro aminopeptidase Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1042/BCJ20200198 SN - 1470-8728 SN - 0006-2936 VL - 477 IS - 9 SP - 1745 EP - 1757 PB - Portland Press CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weyrich, Alexandra A1 - Yasar, Selma A1 - Lenz, Dorina A1 - Fickel, Jörns T1 - Tissue-specific epigenetic inheritance after paternal heat exposure in male wild guinea pigs JF - Mammalian genome N2 - External temperature change has been shown to modify epigenetic patterns, such as DNA methylation, which regulates gene expression. DNA methylation is heritable, and as such provides a mechanism to convey environmental information to subsequent generations. Studies on epigenetic response to temperature increase are still scarce in wild mammals, even more so studies that compare tissue-specific epigenetic responses. Here, we aim to address differential epigenetic responses on a gene and gene pathway level in two organs, liver and testis. We chose these organs, because the liver is the main metabolic and thermoregulation organ, and epigenetic modifications in testis are potentially transmitted to the F2 generation. We focused on the transmission of DNA methylation changes to naive male offspring after paternal exposure to an ambient temperature increase of 10 degrees C, and investigated differential methylated regions of sons sired before and after the paternal exposure using Reduced Representation Bisulfite Sequencing. We detected both a highly tissue-specific epigenetic response, reflected in genes involved in organ-specific metabolic pathways, and a more general regulation of single genes epigenetically modified in both organs. We conclude that genomes are context-specifically differentially epigenetically regulated in response to temperature increase. These findings emphasize the epigenetic relevance in cell differentiation, which is essential for the specific function(s) of complex organs, and is represented in a diverse molecular regulation of genes and gene pathways. The results also emphasize the paternal contribution to adaptive processes. KW - DNA methylation KW - gene-expression KW - CPG Islands KW - stress KW - hyperthermia KW - testis Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00335-020-09832-6 SN - 0938-8990 SN - 1432-1777 VL - 31 IS - 5-6 SP - 157 EP - 169 PB - Springer CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Canitz, Julia A1 - Kirschbaum, Frank A1 - Tiedemann, Ralph T1 - Transcriptome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms related to electric organ discharge differentiation among African weakly electric fish species JF - PLoS one N2 - African weakly electric fish of the mormyrid genus Campylomormyrus generate pulse-type electric organ discharges (EODs) for orientation and communication. Their pulse durations are species-specific and elongated EODs are a derived trait. So far, differential gene expression among tissue-specific transcriptomes across species with different pulses and point mutations in single ion channel genes indicate a relation of pulse duration and electrocyte geometry/excitability. However, a comprehensive assessment of expressed Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) throughout the entire transcriptome of African weakly electric fish, with the potential to identify further genes influencing EOD duration, is still lacking. This is of particular value, as discharge duration is likely based on multiple cellular mechanisms and various genes. Here we provide the first transcriptome-wide SNP analysis of African weakly electric fish species (genus Campylomormyrus) differing by EOD duration to identify candidate genes and cellular mechanisms potentially involved in the determination of an elongated discharge of C. tshokwe. Non-synonymous substitutions specific to C. tshokwe were found in 27 candidate genes with inferred positive selection among Campylomormyrus species. These candidate genes had mainly functions linked to transcriptional regulation, cell proliferation and cell differentiation. Further, by comparing gene annotations between C. compressirostris (ancestral short EOD) and C. tshokwe (derived elongated EOD), we identified 27 GO terms and 2 KEGG pathway categories for which C. tshokwe significantly more frequently exhibited a species-specific expressed substitution than C. compressirostris. The results indicate that transcriptional regulation as well cell proliferation and differentiation take part in the determination of elongated pulse durations in C. tshokwe. Those cellular processes are pivotal for tissue morphogenesis and might determine the shape of electric organs supporting the observed correlation between electrocyte geometry/tissue structure and discharge duration. The inferred expressed SNPs and their functional implications are a valuable resource for future investigations on EOD durations. Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0240812 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 15 IS - 10 PB - PLoS CY - San Francisco, California, US ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Apanasewicz, Anna A1 - Groth, Detlef A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Hermanussen, Michael A1 - Piosek, Magdalena A1 - Wychowaniec, Patrycja A1 - Babiszewska, Magdalena A1 - Barbarska, Olga A1 - Ziomkiewicz, Anna T1 - Traumatized women’s infants are bigger than children of mothers without traumas JF - Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger N2 - Life history theory predicts that experiencing stress during the early period of life will result in accelerated growth and earlier maturation. Indeed, animal and some human studies documented a faster pace of growth in the offspring of stressed mothers. Recent advances in epigenetics suggest that the effects of early developmental stress might be passed across the generations. However, evidence for such intergenerational transmission is scarce, at least in humans. Here we report the results of the study investigating the association between childhood trauma in mothers and physical growth in their children during the first months of life. Anthropometric and psychological data were collected from 99 mothers and their exclusively breastfed children at the age of 5 months. The mothers completed the Early Life Stress Questionnaire to assess childhood trauma. The questionnaire includes questions about the most traumatic events that they had experienced before the age of 12 years. Infant growth was evaluated based on the anthropometric measurements of weight, length, and head circumference. Also, to control for the size of maternal investment, the composition of breast milk samples taken at the time of infant anthropometric measurements was investigated. The children of mothers with higher early life stress tended to have higher weight and bigger head circumference. The association between infant anthropometrics and early maternal stress was not affected by breast milk composition, suggesting that the effect of maternal stress on infant growth was independent of the size of maternal investment. Our results demonstrate that early maternal trauma may affect the pace of growth in the offspring and, in consequence, lead to a faster life history strategy. This effect might be explained via changes in offspring epigenetics. KW - maternal trauma KW - early life trauma KW - breastfed infant development KW - POLS Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1127/anthranz/2020/1285 SN - 0003-5548 SN - 2363-7099 VL - 77 IS - 5 SP - 359 EP - 374 PB - Schweizerbart science publishers CY - Stuttgart ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Gomula, Aleksandra A1 - Nowak-Szczepanska, Natalia A1 - Hermanussen, Michael A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Koziel, Slawomir T1 - Trends in growth and developmental tempo in boys aged 7 to 18 years between 1966 and 2012 in Poland JF - American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council N2 - Objectives: To assess trends in growth in different developmental periods and trends in developmental tempo in Polish boys between 1966 and 2012. Methods: Data on 34 828 boys aged 7 to 18 years were collected during Polish Anthropological Surveys conducted in 1966, 1978, 1988, and 2012. Biological parameters, related to onset of adolescent growth spurt (OGS) and peak height velocity (PHV), were derived from a Preece-Baines 1 model (PB1). Childhood (height at 7 years of age), pre-adolescent (height at OGS) and adolescent growth (adult height minus height at OGS) were identified. Results: Positive secular trend between 1966 and 2012 in adult height accounted for, on average, 1.5 cm/decade, with varying intensity between the Surveys. Decline in both age at OGS and APHV between 1966 and 2012 (1.5 and 1.4 years, respectively) indicated an acceleration in developmental tempo, on average, by 0.3 year/decade. Increases in the contribution to the trend in adult height gained during growth in particular developmental periods between 1966 and 2012 were as followed-childhood: 0.6%, pre-adolescent growth: -3.1%, adolescent growth: 3.1%. Conclusions: Secular trend in developmental tempo and growth among boys reflects changes in living conditions and socio-political aspirations in Poland during nearly 50 years. Acceleration in tempo is already visible at age at OGS, whereas the trend in adult height occurs largely during adolescence, pointing to different regulation of developmental tempo and growth in body height. This finding emphasizes the importance of extending public health intervention into children's growth up until adolescence. Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.23548 SN - 1042-0533 SN - 1520-6300 VL - 33 IS - 6 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Chorus, Ingrid A1 - Spijkerman, Elly T1 - What Colin Reynolds could tell us about nutrient limitation, N:P ratios and eutrophication control JF - Hydrobiologia : acta hydrobiologica, hydrographica, limnologica et protistologica N2 - Colin Reynolds exquisitely consolidated our understanding of driving forces shaping phytoplankton communities and those setting the upper limit to biomass yield, with limitation typically shifting from light in winter to phosphorus in spring. Nonetheless, co-limitation is frequently postulated from enhanced growth responses to enrichments with both N and P or from N:P ranging around the Redfield ratio, concluding a need to reduce both N and P in order to mitigate eutrophication. Here, we review the current understanding of limitation through N and P and of co-limitation. We conclude that Reynolds is still correct: (i) Liebig's law of the minimum holds and reducing P is sufficient, provided concentrations achieved are low enough; (ii) analyses of nutrient limitation need to exclude evidently non-limiting situations, i.e. where soluble P exceeds 3-10 mu g/l, dissolved N exceeds 100-130 mu g/l and total P and N support high biomass levels with self-shading causing light limitation; (iii) additionally decreasing N to limiting concentrations may be useful in specific situations (e.g. shallow waterbodies with high internal P and pronounced denitrification); (iv) management decisions require local, situation-specific assessments. The value of research on stoichiometry and co-limitation lies in promoting our understanding of phytoplankton ecophysiology and community ecology. KW - phytoplankton KW - nitrogen limitation KW - redfield ratio KW - co-limitation KW - enrichment experiments Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-020-04377-w SN - 0018-8158 SN - 1573-5117 VL - 848 IS - 1 SP - 95 EP - 111 PB - Springer Nature CY - Berlin ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Werger, Luise A1 - Bergmann, Joana A1 - Weber, Ewald A1 - Heinze, Johannes T1 - Wind intensity affects fine root morphological traits with consequences for plant-soil feedback effects JF - Annals of Botany Plants N2 - Wind influences the development, architecture and morphology of plant roots and may modify subsequent interactions between plants and soil (plant–soil feedbacks—PSFs). However, information on wind effects on fine root morphology is scarce and the extent to which wind changes plant–soil interactions remains unclear. Therefore, we investigated the effects of two wind intensity levels by manipulating surrounding vegetation height in a grassland PSF field experiment. We grew four common plant species (two grasses and two non-leguminous forbs) with soil biota either previously conditioned by these or other species and tested the effect of wind on root:shoot ratio, fine root morphological traits as well as the outcome for PSFs. Wind intensity did not affect biomass allocation (i.e. root:shoot ratio) in any species. However, fine-root morphology of all species changed under high wind intensity. High wind intensity increased specific root length and surface area and decreased root tissue density, especially in the two grasses. Similarly, the direction of PSFs changed under high wind intensity in all four species, but differences in biomass production on the different soils between high and low wind intensity were marginal and most pronounced when comparing grasses with forbs. Because soils did not differ in plant-available nor total nutrient content, the results suggest that wind-induced changes in root morphology have the potential to influence plant–soil interactions. Linking wind-induced changes in fine-root morphology to effects on PSF improves our understanding of plant–soil interactions under changing environmental conditions. KW - Wind KW - root traits KW - root morphology KW - specific root length KW - plant–soil feedback Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/aobpla/plaa050 SN - 2041-2851 VL - 12 IS - 5 PB - Oxford University Press CY - Oxford ER -