bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
More drought leads to a greater significance of biocrusts to soil multifunctionality
Authors: Su Yan‐gui , Liu Jie , Zhang Yuan‐ming , Huang Gang 
Published: January 2021

Abstract

Soil biocrusts, as the fundamental component of drylands, alter soil microbial and plant community compositions, thus profoundly affecting soil multifunctionality (SMF). Biocrust development regulates microbial composition and eco‐physiological effects, but there have been limited assessments regarding how biocrust development impacts SMF through microbial communities and plant species.

We investigated the geographical patterns of plant diversity, soil bacterial diversity, biocrust development and SMF along an aridity gradient, spanning 2,200 km in northern China, and evaluated how biocrust development modulated multiple soil functions related to carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycles.

Plant species richness and SMF decreased linearly with increasing aridity (1‐AI), but the relationship of soil bacterial diversity and biocrust development index (BSCDI) with aridity differed between arid region and semi‐arid region.

Plant diversity and soil bacterial diversity increased linearly with BSCDI in arid regions, but decreased linearly with BSCDI in semi‐arid regions.

Both plant species and soil bacterial diversity exerted positive effects on SMF in arid regions, but soil bacterial diversity, rather than plant species, did not explain any variation in SMF in semi‐arid regions. Most importantly, biocrust development exerted direct effects on SMF in arid regions, but only indirect effects through changing soil microbial biomass carbon in semi‐arid regions.

Our findings suggest that the effects and influencing pathways of biocrusts on SMF are different between arid and semi‐arid regions, these results give a comprehensive view of how biocrust development facilitates soil multifunctionality improvement and ultimately promotes a deeper understanding of the dependence of biodiversity‐SMF relationship on aridity.

A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
Decomposing fecundity and evaluating demographic influence of multiple broods in a migratory bird
Authors: Tenan Simone , Becker Detlef , Tolkmitt Dirk , Schaub Michael 
Published: January 2021

Abstract

Relevance of breeding season fecundity as a driver of population dynamics has been highlighted by many studies. Despite that, knowledge about how brood type specific (i.e. first, second or replacement) fecundity affects demography of multiple‐brooded species is limited. In fact, estimation of brood type specific fecundity is often challenging due to imperfect detection of nesting attempts.

We examined the demographic contribution and the feedback on population density of different components of fecundity, along with other vital rates, in a facultative multiple‐brooded migratory bird.

We used a novel formulation of a fecundity model that allows incorporating reproductive data for which information on the type of brood was unknown in some cases, and embedded it into an integrated population model (IPM) to obtain consensual estimates of all demographic rates, including brood type specific fecundities, reproductive success probabilities and proportion of breeding pairs that performed a second or replacement brood. We then conducted transient life table response experiments on IPM estimates to account for non‐stationary environments. We applied the model to two 20‐year datasets collected in a Swiss and a German local population of wrynecks Jynx torquilla.

Brood type specific fecundities and temporal patterns of brood type specific probabilities of success, number of successful and unsuccessful first broods, probability of starting a second or a replacement brood and proportion of pairs that performed a second or a replacement brood differed between the two populations. However, changes in immigration rate and apparent survival were the dominant contributors to temporal variation and large sequential changes in realized population growth rates in both populations. In the Swiss population we also found that second brood fecundity declined when population size increased.

Our study provides insight into the reproductive processes that affect population dynamics and mediate density‐dependent fecundity in a migratory bird. In addition, the analytical approach proposed can be used in other studies of multiple‐brooded species to maximize the use of available fecundity data through the estimation of unknown brood types, thus favouring a better understanding of the demographic contribution of brood type specific fecundity.
Wintering bird communities are tracking climate change faster than breeding communities
Authors: Lehikoinen Aleksi , Lindström Åke , Santangeli Andrea , Sirkiä Päivi M. , Brotons Lluís , Devictor Vincent , Elts Jaanus , Foppen Ruud P. B. , Heldbjerg Henning , Herrando Sergi , Herremans Marc , Hudson Marie‐Anne R. , Jiguet Frédéric , Johnston Alison , Lorrilliere Romain , Marjakangas Emma‐Liina , Michel Nicole L. , Moshøj Charlotte M. , Nellis Renno , Paquet Jean‐Yves , Smith Adam C. , Szép Tibor , van Turnhout Chris 
Published: January 2021

Abstract

Global climate change is driving species' distributions towards the poles and mountain tops during both non‐breeding and breeding seasons, leading to changes in the composition of natural communities. However, the degree of season differences in climate‐driven community shifts has not been thoroughly investigated at large spatial scales.

We compared the rates of change in the community composition during both winter (non‐breeding season) and summer (breeding) and their relation to temperature changes.

Based on continental‐scale data from Europe and North America, we examined changes in bird community composition using the community temperature index (CTI) approach and compared the changes with observed regional temperature changes during 1980–2016.

CTI increased faster in winter than in summer. This seasonal discrepancy is probably because individuals are less site‐faithful in winter, and can more readily shift their wintering sites in response to weather in comparison to the breeding season. Regional long‐term changes in community composition were positively associated with regional temperature changes during both seasons, but the pattern was only significant during summer due to high annual variability in winter communities. Annual changes in community composition were positively associated with the annual temperature changes during both seasons.

Our results were broadly consistent across continents, suggesting some climate‐driven restructuring in both European and North American avian communities. Because community composition has changed much faster during the winter than during the breeding season, it is important to increase our knowledge about climate‐driven impacts during the less‐studied non‐breeding season.
Tropical deforestation reduces plant mating quality by shifting the functional composition of pollinator communities
Authors: Torres‐Vanegas Felipe , Hadley Adam S. , Kormann Urs G. , Jones F. Andrew , Betts Matthew G. , Wagner Helene H. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractDeforestation can impact the quality of pollen received by target plants (i.e. delivery of incompatible pollen, self‐pollen or pollen from closely related individuals). Such reductions in plant mating quality may be direct, when deforestation reduces plant population size and the availability of pollen donors, or indirect, when decreased mating quality results, for example, from shifts in the composition of the pollinator community. As most flowering plants depend on animal pollinators for reproduction, there is a need to understand the direct and indirect links between deforestation, pollinator community composition and plant mating quality.We quantified the direct, pollen donor‐mediated and indirect, pollinator‐mediated effects of deforestation on mating quality inHeliconia tortuosa, a tropical herb pollinated by low‐ and high‐mobility hummingbirds. We used a confirmatory path analysis to test the hypothesis that deforestation (amount of forest cover and forest patch size) influenced mating quality (haplotype diversity of pollen pools, outcrossing and biparental inbreeding) directly and indirectly through functional shifts in the composition of pollinator communities (proportion of high‐mobility hummingbirds).We found that deforestation triggered functional shifts in the composition of pollinator communities, as the proportion of high‐mobility hummingbirds increased significantly with the amount of forest cover and forest patch size. The composition of the pollinator community affected mating quality, as the haplotype diversity of pollen pools increased significantly with the proportion of high‐mobility hummingbirds, while biparental inbreeding decreased significantly. Although we did not detect any significant direct, pollen donor‐mediated effects of deforestation on mating quality, reductions in the amount of forest cover and forest patch size resulted in functional shifts that filtered out high‐mobility hummingbirds from the pollinator community, thereby reducing mating quality indirectly.Synthesis. Deforestation primarily influenced plant mating quality through a cascading effect mediated by functional shifts in the composition of the pollinator community. Our results indicate that plant mating quality strongly depends on the composition of local pollinator communities. Functional shifts that filter out highly mobile and effective pollinators may reduce the transfer of genetically diverse pollen loads from unrelated plants. Such shifts may have pronounced effects on plant population dynamics and disrupt genetic connectivity.
Local‐scale climatic refugia offer sanctuary for a habitat‐forming species during a marine heatwave
Authors: Verdura Jana , Santamaría Jorge , Ballesteros Enric , Smale Dan A. , Cefalì Maria Elena , Golo Raül , de Caralt Sònia , Vergés Alba , Cebrian Emma 
Published: January 2021

Abstract

Gradual climate change and discrete extreme climatic events have driven shifts in the structure of populations and the distribution of species in many marine ecosystems. The most profound impacts of recent warming trends have been generally observed at species' warm edges and on large conspicuous species. However, given that different species and populations exhibit different responses to warming, and that responses are highly variable at regional scales, there is a need to broaden the evidence to include less conspicuous species and to focus on both local‐ and regional‐scale processes.

We examined the population dynamics of canopy‐forming seaweed populations situated at the core range of their distribution during a regional marine heatwave (MHW) event that occurred in the Mediterranean Sea in 2015, to determine between‐site variability in relation to the intensity of the MHW. We combined field observations with a thermo‐tolerance experiment to elucidate mechanisms underlying observed responses.

Despite our study populations are located in the species core range, the MHW was concomitant with a high mortality and structural shifts in only one of the two surveyed populations, most likely due to differences in habitat characteristics between sites (e.g. degree of shelter and seawater transfer). The experiment showed high mortalities at temperatures of 28°C, having the most severe implications for early life stages and fertility, which is consistent with warming being the cause of population changes in the field. Crucially, the regional‐scale quantification of the MHW (as described by satellite‐derived SSTs) did not capture local‐scale variation in MHW conditions at the study sites, which likely explained variation in population‐level responses to warming.

Synthesis. Enclosed and semi‐enclosed seas, such as the Mediterranean Sea, often highly impacted by human perturbations, are also global hotspots for ocean warming and are highly susceptible to future MHWs. Our findings highlight that local‐scale variability in the magnitude of extreme climatic events can lead to local extinctions of already fragmented populations of habitat‐forming seaweeds, even towards the species' core range. However, our results highlight the potential for local‐scale climatic refugia, which could be identified and managed to safeguard the persistence of canopy‐forming seaweeds.
The influence of pre‐heat treatment of skim milk on key quality attributes of fat filled milk powder made therefrom
Authors: Finnegan Eoin W , Mahomud Md. Sultan , Murphy Eoin G , O'Mahony James A 
Published: January 2021

Key quality aspects of fat filled milk powders (FFMPs) produced with skim milk pre‐heated at 93 °C × 60 s and 105 °C × 15 s (medium whey protein nitrogen index; WPNI), and 116 °C × 60 s and 136 °C × 15 s (high WPNI) were examined. The 136 °C × 15 s treatment produced a FFMP with threefold higher free fat, showed significantly (P < 0.05) lower solubility in coffee and exhibited extensive flecking on rehydration in water. Insoluble materials were observed using microscopy; flecks generated upon rehydration in water were composed of fat, whereas flecks/sediment in coffee were composed of undissolved powder particles.
A role for the endocannabinoid enzymes monoacylglycerol and diacylglycerol lipases in cue‐induced cocaine craving following prolonged abstinence
Authors: Mitra Swarup , Gobira Pedro H. , Werner Craig T. , Martin Jennifer A. , Iida Madoka , Thomas Shruthi A. , Erias Kyra , Miracle Sophia , Lafargue Charles , An Chunna , Dietz David M. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractFollowing exposure to drugs of abuse, long‐term neuroadaptations underlie persistent risk to relapse. Endocannabinoid signaling has been associated with drug‐induced neuroadaptations, but the role of lipases that mediate endocannabinoid biosynthesis and metabolism in regulating relapse behaviors following prolonged periods of drug abstinence has not been examined. Here, we investigated how pharmacological manipulation of lipases involved in regulating the expression of the endocannabinoid 2‐AG in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) influence cocaine relapse via discrete neuroadaptations. At prolonged abstinence (30 days) from cocaine self‐administration, there is an increase in the NAc levels of diacylglycerol lipase (DAGL), the enzyme responsible for the synthesis of the endocannabinoid 2‐AG, along with decreased levels of monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL), which hydrolyzes 2‐AG. Since endocannabinoid‐mediated behavioral plasticity involves phosphatase dysregulation, we examined the phosphatase calcineurin after 30 days of abstinence and found decreased expression in the NAc, which we demonstrate is regulated through the transcription factor EGR1. Intra‐NAc pharmacological manipulation of DAGL and MAGL with inhibitors DO‐34 and URB‐602, respectively, bidirectionally regulated cue‐induced cocaine seeking and altered the phosphostatus of translational initiation factor, eIF2α. Finally, we found that cocaine seeking 30 days after abstinence leads to decreased phosphorylation of eIF2α and reduced expression of its downstream target NPAS4, a protein involved in experience‐dependent neuronal plasticity. Together, our findings demonstrate that lipases that regulate 2‐AG expression influence transcriptional and translational changes in the NAc related to drug relapse vulnerability.
Multidimensional Reasoning Can Promote 3‐Year‐Old Children’s Performance on the Dimensional Change Card Sort Task
Authors: Bardikoff Nicole , Sabbagh Mark A. 
Published: January 2021

An important aspect of executive functioning is the ability to flexibly switch between behavioral rules. This study explored how considering the multidimensionality of objects affects behavioral rule switching in 3‐year‐old children. In Study 1 (N = 40), children who participated in a brief game separating and aggregating an object’s dimensions (i.e., color and shape) showed improved performance on the Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS), a measure of behavioral rule switching, relative to controls. In Study 2 (N = 80) DCCS performance improved even when the initial practice involved a different dimension (pattern and shape). Thus, practice thinking about multidimensionality can affect 3‐year‐olds’ DCCS performance and therefore may play an important role in the development of flexible thinking.
Different Cre systems induce differential microRNA landscapes and abnormalities in the female reproductive tracts of Dgcr8 conditional knockout mice
Authors: Kim Yeon Sun , Yang Seung Chel , Park Mira , Choi Youngsok , DeMayo Francesco J. , Lydon John P. , Kim Hye‐Ryun , Lim Hyunjung Jade , Song Haengseok 
Published: January 2021

AbstractObjectivesThe female reproductive tract comprises several different cell types. Using three representative Cre systems, we comparatively analysed the phenotypes of Dgcr8 conditional knockout (cKO) mice to understand the function of Dgcr8, involved in canonical microRNA biogenesis, in the female reproductive tract.Materials and MethodsDgcr8f/f mice were crossed with Ltficre/+, Amhr2cre/+ or PRcre/+ mice to produce mice deficient in Dgcr8 in epithelial (Dgcr8ed/ed), mesenchymal (Dgcr8md/md) and all the compartments (Dgcr8td/td) in the female reproductive tract. Reproductive phenotypes were evaluated in Dgcr8 cKO mice. Uteri and/or oviducts were used for small RNA‐seq, mRNA‐seq, real‐time RT‐PCR, and/or morphologic and histological analyses.ResultDgcr8ed/ed mice did not exhibit any distinct defects, whereas Dgcr8md/md mice showed sub‐fertility and oviductal smooth muscle deformities. Dgcr8td/td mice were infertile due to anovulation and acute inflammation in the female reproductive tract and suffered from an atrophic uterus with myometrial defects. The microRNAs and mRNAs related to immune modulation and/or smooth muscle growth were systemically altered in the Dgcr8td/td uterus. Expression profiles of dysregulated microRNAs and mRNAs in the Dgcr8td/td uterus were different from those in other genotypes in a Cre‐dependent manner.ConclusionsDgcr8 deficiency with different Cre systems induces overlapping but distinct phenotypes as well as the profiles of microRNAs and their target mRNAs in the female reproductive tract, suggesting the importance of selecting the appropriate Cre driver to investigate the genes of interest.
Insect fatalities at wind turbines as biodiversity sinks
Authors: Voigt Christian C. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractEvidence is accumulating that insects are frequently killed by operating wind turbines, yet it is poorly understood if these fatalities cause population declines and changes in assemblage structures on various spatial scales. Current observations suggest that mostly hill‐topping, swarming, and migrating insects interact with wind turbines. Recently, the annual loss of insect biomass at wind turbines was estimated for Germany to amount 1,200 t for the plant growth period, which equates to about 1.2 trillion killed insects per year, assuming 1 mg insect body mass. Accordingly, a single turbine located in the temperate zone might kill about 40 million insects per year. Furthermore, Scheimpflug Lidar measurements at operating wind turbines confirm a high insect activity in the risk zone of turbines. These numbers and observations are alarming, yet they require further consolidation, particularly across all continents and climate zones where wind energy industry is expanding. We need to understand (a) how attraction of insects to wind turbines affect fatality rates and interactions of insect predators with wind turbines. (b) We have to connect insect fatalities at wind turbines with source populations and evaluate if these fatalities add to the decline of insect populations and potentially the extinction of species. (c) We need to assess how fatalities at wind turbines change insect‐mediated ecosystem services. An ever‐growing global wind energy industry with high densities of wind turbines may have long‐lasting effects on insects and associated trophic links if negative impacts on insects are not considered during the erection and operation of wind turbines.
Efficacy and tolerability of VCD chemotherapy in a UK real‐world dataset of elderly transplant‐ineligible newly diagnosed myeloma patients
Authors: Rampotas Alexandros , Djebbari Faouzi , Panitsas Fotios , Lees Charlotte , Tsagkaraki Ismini , Gomes Ana Rita , Prideaux Steve , Chen Lucia , Prodger Catherine , Khera Akhil , Gray Nicola , Ellis Lauren , Sangha Gavinda , Lim Wen Yuen , Eyre Toby A. , Moore Sally , Ramasamy Karthik , Kothari Jaimal 
Published: January 2021

AbstractObjectiveThere are limited data on the efficacy and tolerability of VCD chemotherapy in transplant‐non‐eligible (TNE) newly diagnosed myeloma (NDMM) patients. In this retrospective study, we set out to evaluate this triplet combination in this setting across Thames Valley Cancer Network (UK).MethodsThe primary end point was overall response rate (ORR). Secondary outcomes included event‐free survival (EFS), overall survival (OS) and adverse events (AEs).ResultsIn a total cohort of 158 patients, ORR for total cohort was 72.1%. Median EFS was 10.5 months, and for subgroups by age (<75:11.7 vs ≥75:10.3 months, P = .124), by Charlson Co‐morbidity Index (CCI) (<5:11.1 vs ≥5:8.2 months, P = .345). The 4‐month landmark analysis showed the following median EFS results: by cumulative bortezomib dose (≥26 mg/m2: 9.0 months vs <26 mg/m2: 6.4, P = .13), by cumulative cyclophosphamide dose (≥7000 mg: 9.2 vs <7000 mg: 7.0 months, P = .02) and by cumulative dexamethasone dose (>600 mg: 7.8 vs ≤600 mg: 8.3 months, P = .665). Median OS was 46.9 months. The incidence rate of AE was as follows: any grade (76.8%), ≥G3 (27.1%), ≥G3 haematological AEs (7.9%), any grade infections (31.1%) and ≥G3 infections (11.9%).ConclusionThis study demonstrated a good ORR achieved from fixed duration VCD, which was reasonably well tolerated. This was followed by modest median EFS. We envisage that the latter may be improved in this patient group with the use of a higher cumulative bortezomib dose (≥26 mg/m2) which showed a trend for improved EFS although without statistical significance (P = .13), and with the use of a higher cumulative cyclophosphamide doses (≥7000 mg, P = .02), subject to tolerability and close monitoring.
An Improved In Situ Zircon U‐Pb Dating Method at High Spatial Resolution (≤ 10 μm Spot) by LA‐MC‐ICP‐MS and its Application
Authors: Lin Meng , Zhang Guibin , Li Nan , Li Huijuan , Wang Jiaxing 
Published: January 2021

In situ small‐spot U‐Pb geochronology is essential for measuring zircon crystals containing micrometre‐scale heterogeneities, abundant inclusions, inevitable cracks and narrow growth zones, all of which are especially common in metamorphic zircons. We present a high spatial resolution (≤ 10 μm diameter) laser ablation‐multi‐collector‐inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry (LA‐MC‐ICP‐MS) U‐Pb dating method using a Nu Plasma II mass spectrometer coupled with a GeoLas HD laser ablation system, which is capable of analysing zircon crystals with a wide range of U contents through two analytical modes (mixed‐mode for 10 μm ablation and IC‐mode for 5 μm ablation). We examined Pb/U down‐hole fractionation (DHF) as a function of different laser settings under small‐spot ablation, and how it controls the accuracy and precision of U‐Pb ages of zircon reference materials. After DHF correction using Iolite software (version 3.71), five measurement sessions (with different laser fluence and/or laser pulse settings) for the two analytical modes yielded accurate and precise U‐Pb ages for four zircon reference materials (Plešovice, 91500, GJ‐1 and Temora‐2). Further determinations of U‐Pb ages of three metamorphic zircon samples (~ 14 to 2000 Ma) from the Himalaya, North China Craton and North Qaidam were conducted, the results of which confirm the effectiveness and feasibility of this small‐spot ablation method for natural zircons with multiple growth zones.