Generalist dinoflagellate endosymbionts and host genotype diversity detected from mesophotic (67-100 m depths) coral Leptoseris

Background  

Mesophotic corals (light-dependent corals in the deepest half of the photic zone at depths of 30 - 150 m) provide a unique opportunity to study the limits of the interactions between corals and endosymbiotic dinoflagellates in the genus Symbiodinium. We sampled Leptoseris spp. in Hawaii via manned submersibles across a depth range of 67 - 100 m. Both the host and Symbiodinium communities were genotyped, using a non-coding region of the mitochondrial ND5 intron (NAD5) and the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region 2 (ITS2), respectively.     

Responses of five small mammal species to micro-scale variations in vegetation structure in secondary Atlantic Forest remnants,Brazil

Background  

The Brazilian Atlantic Forest is highly endangered and only about 7% of the original forest remains, most of which consists of fragments of secondary forest. Small mammals in the Atlantic Forest have differential responses to this process of fragmentation and conversion of forest into anthropogenic habitats, and have varying abilities to occupy the surrounding altered habitats. We investigated the influence of vegetation structure on the micro-scale distribution of five small mammal species in six secondary forest remnants in a landscape of fragmented Atlantic Forest. We tested whether the occurrence of small mammal species is influenced by vegetation structure, aiming to ascertain whether species with different degrees of vulnerability to forest fragmentation (not vulnerable: A. montensis, O. nigripes and G. microtarsus; vulnerable: M. incanus and D. sublineatus; classification of vulnerability was based on the results of previous studies) are associated with distinct vegetation characteristics.     

Fishing for feed in China: Facts,impacts and implications

China is the world's largest capture fisheries and aquaculture producer. Over recent decades, China's domestic marine catch composition has changed markedly, from large volumes of a few high‐valued food species to multiple, small, low‐valued, species, a significant proportion of which is primarily used as animal, especially fish, feed. Despite the growing volume and economic importance of the feed catches, their species composition, catch volumes and socio‐environmental impacts are all poorly understood. Based on a nationwide survey of >800 fishing vessels, and the identification and measurement of >12,000 fish and invertebrate individuals, the present study provides an overview of the feed component of China's domestic marine catch, by volumes, species and sizes, and found it to be substantial and biologically unsustainable. Half of the trawler catch (3 million metric tons, mmt), or 35% of the total catch (4.6 mmt) in China's exclusive economic zone, are now comprised of low‐valued “feed‐grade fish”. The present study identified 218 fish species, 50 crustaceans and five cephalopods, and of these, 102 fish species were food species with 89% individuals in their juvenile size ranges. Feed‐grade fish were mainly used as aquaculture feed directly, or indirectly, through the feed industry after reduction to fishmeal and fish oil. The unparalleled scale and poor fisheries resource condition of China's domestic marine fisheries, in parallel with severe overfishing of juveniles, creates a demand for fundamental changes to fishery management practices, including a significant reduction of fishing effort to ensure productivity and ecosystem resilience.     

Effect of four sedative and anesthetic protocols on quantitative thyroid scintigraphy in euthyroid cats

OBJECTIVES: To determine the effect of sedation and anesthesia on thyroid and salivary gland uptake of technetium Tc 99m pertechnetate ((99m)TcO(4)) in euthyroid cats. ANIMALS: 6 euthyroid cats. PROCEDURES: Thyroid scintigraphy was performed by use of a high-resolution low-energy parallel-hole collimator after IV injection of 117 to 133 MBq (3.16 to 3.59 mCi) of (99m)TcO(4)(-). The procedure was performed 4 times on each cat during different sedative and anesthetic protocols in a rotating schedule as follows: propofol, ketamine-midazolam-atropine, ketaminemidazolam, and medetomidine. Regions of interest were drawn around thyroid and salivary glands and counts corrected for background and decay. Percentage of (99m)TcO(4)(-) uptake in salivary and thyroid glands and thyroid-to-salivary gland (99m)TcO(4)(-) uptake ratio were calculated at 20 and 40 minutes. Relative effects of anesthesia and sedation on salivary and thyroid gland (99m)TcO(4)(-) uptake were compared. RESULTS: Significant differences among sedativeanesthetic protocols were found for thyroid gland (99m)TcO(4)(-) uptake, salivary gland (99m)TcO(4)(-) uptake, and thyroid-to-salivary gland (99m)TcO(4)(-) uptake ratio. Thyroid gland (99m)TcO(4)(-) uptake for the ketamine-midazolam protocol at 20 and 40 minutes after (99m)TcO(4)(-) administration was significantly higher than for the propofol protocol. A significant difference in salivary gland(99m) TcO(4)(-) uptake was found between ketamine-midazolam and ketamine-midazolam-atropine protocols at 40 minutes. The thyroid-to-salivary gland (99m)TcO(4)(-) uptake ratio for the ketamine-midazolam protocol was significantly higher at 40 minutes than for propofol or ketamine-midazolam-atropine protocols. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Sedation and anesthesia have a significant effect on thyroid and salivary gland (99m)TcO(4) uptake in euthyroid cats that may interfere with thyroid scintigraphic image interpretation.     

Faculty development: principles and practices

Instructors in the health professions today must acquire knowledge and competencies that go beyond disciplinary expertise. It is now generally accepted that educational training as a teacher is essential to a faculty member's effectiveness as an educator. The educational challenges across the health professions share many similarities. In this article, we draw on the medical education literature and focus on faculty development designed to enhance teaching effectiveness. We first address commonly included faculty development topics, including instructional improvement, organizational development, the development of professional academic skills, and the teaching of specific content areas. We then review a variety of educational approaches and formats that are described in the literature. Included in this discussion are commonly used workshops, seminars, short courses, and fellowships, as well as longitudinal programs, peer coaching, mentorship, self-directed learning, and computer-aided instruction. We also briefly explore learning at work and in communities of practice, and we discuss several frequently encountered challenges in designing and implementing faculty development activities, including motivating colleagues and assessing program effectiveness. We conclude the discussion by presenting a set of guidelines for the design of effective faculty development programs.     

Comparison of different methods for examining the feces of suckling piglets for Isospora suis

A highly sensitive diagnostic method is of great importance for detection of I. suis (Isospora suis). In the present study KSFV (combined sedimentation-flotation method) using different flotation solutions (NaCl, ZnSO4, NaCl-sucrose) was investigated regarding sensitivity, costs and expenditure of human labour in comparison to FV (flotation method) using NaCl-sucrose solution and to AM (autofluorescence microscopy). Ninety faecal samples were examined. Using AM, oocysts were detected in 83.3% of the samples. In cases of KSFV and FV, respectively, 41.1% to 53.3% of samples were tested positive. The quantity of detected oocysts was markedly higher in AM than in KSFV or FV. Therefore AM is the most sensitive of the comprised methods. The expenditure of labour is lowest in AM, time exposure is lower in FV than in KSFV. For performance of AM a fluorescence microscope is required contrary to KSFV and FV.     

Using distribution models to test alternative hypotheses about a species’ environmental limits and recovery prospects

Distribution models are commonly used to generalise across species distributions, to project future potential range changes, and to identify potential areas for species reintroductions and recovery plans. Building several models that incorporate different potential causal factors is a useful way of formalising alternative hypotheses. We developed a series of models to test hypotheses about the factors influencing the distribution of a species of conservation importance - the hen harrier Circus cyaneus.A climate-based model using continental distribution data was consistent with the continental distribution and observational studies in Britain. According to the climate-model the parts of Britain occupied by the hen harrier are the least climatically suitable.Habitat-based models using detailed distribution data from seven Scottish areas explained the recent British distribution well, with birds largely confined to heather dominated areas. These patterns were inconsistent with historical data on the species’ distribution, its habitat use in other parts of its range and with the climate-based model.Our burn intensity index of gamekeeper activity was highly correlated with climatic suitability within the best 25% of 10 km squares by modelled habitat suitability, negatively associated with the productivity data and associated with a decrease in abundances between 1998 and 2004. Gamekeeper activity may be keeping hen harriers out of the most climatically suitable areas with habitat similar to that which they currently occupy within Britain and or keeping the population numbers too low and isolated for the natural re-expansion of the species into parts of the range where it was historically extirpated.     

Nutrient impoverishment and limitation of productivity after 20 years of conservation management in wet grasslands of north-western Germany

European wet grasslands are characterized by high diversity of plant and animal species but are threatened by intensive land use. Although preservation or restoration of species-rich wet grasslands requires low nutrient availability that could be achieved by long-term management, studies monitoring nutrient removal are lacking. Our objective was to assess the long-term effect of management (mowing twice a year without or with PK fertilization for 20 years) on (i) productivity and nutrient removal with the harvest, (ii) the type of nutrient limitation, and (iii) plant species richness in wet grasslands in north-western Germany considering the differences between organic and mineral soils.Initially low nutrient availability in soil led to decreased productivity and base cation removal with harvest particularly on mineral soils after six years of mowing twice a year without fertilization. On mineral soils, N:K ratios indicated limitation of plant growth by K. On organic soils, neither productivity nor K removal with the harvest changed with time suggesting additional K input probably caused by rising groundwater. On organic soils, K:P ratios and a significant decrease of productivity with increasing N:P ratios suggested P limitation. Plant species richness was maintained or even slightly increased by mowing twice a year without fertilization but mainly comprised species that were already present at the study sites.Productivity and N, P, K, and Mg removal with the harvest was significantly increased by mowing twice a year with PK fertilization while species richness was maintained. After 10 years, N:K ratios indicate K limitation even for mowing twice a year with PK fertilization. In case of initially low nutrient availability in soil, cautious PK fertilization and mowing can be recommended to meet demands of agriculture and nature conservation.