Coral reefs underpin a range of ecosystem goods and services that contribute to the well‐being of millions of people. However, tropical coral reefs in the Anthropocene are likely to be functionally ...different from reefs in the past. In this perspective piece, we ask, what does the Anthropocene mean for the provision of ecosystem services from coral reefs?
First, we provide examples of the provisioning, regulating, cultural and supporting services underpinned by coral reef ecosystems. We conclude that coral reef ecosystem service research has lagged behind multidisciplinary advances in broader ecosystem services science, such as an explicit recognition that interactions between social and ecological systems underpin ecosystem services.
Second, drawing on tools from functional ecology, we outline how these social–ecological relationships can be incorporated into a mechanistic understanding of service provision and how this might be used to anticipate future changes in coral reef ecosystem services.
Finally, we explore the emergence of novel reef ecosystem services, for example from tropicalized coastlines, or through changing technological connections to coral reefs. Indeed, when services are conceived as coming from social–ecological system dynamics, novelty in services can emerge from elements of the interactions between people and the ecosystem.
This synthesis of the coral reef ecosystem services literature suggests the field is poorly prepared to understand the changing service provision anticipated in the Anthropocene. A new research agenda is needed that better connects reef functional ecology to ecosystem service provision. This research agenda should embrace more holistic approaches to ecosystem service research, recognizing them as co‐produced by ecosystems and society. Importantly, the likelihood of novel ecosystem service configurations requires further conceptualization and empirical assessment. As with current ecosystem services, the loss or gain of services will not affect all people equally and must be understood in the context in which they occur. With the uncertainty surrounding the future of coral reefs in the Anthropocene, research exploring how the benefits to people change will be of great importance.
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Coral bleaching is the detrimental expulsion of algal symbionts from their cnidarian hosts, and predominantly occurs when corals are exposed to thermal stress. The incidence and severity of bleaching ...is often spatially heterogeneous within reef-scales (<1 km), and is therefore not predictable using conventional remote sensing products. Here, we systematically assess the relationship between in situ measurements of 20 environmental variables, along with seven remotely sensed SST thermal stress metrics, and 81 observed bleaching events at coral reef locations spanning five major reef regions globally. We find that high-frequency temperature variability (i.e., daily temperature range) was the most influential factor in predicting bleaching prevalence and had a mitigating effect, such that a 1 °C increase in daily temperature range would reduce the odds of more severe bleaching by a factor of 33. Our findings suggest that reefs with greater high-frequency temperature variability may represent particularly important opportunities to conserve coral ecosystems against the major threat posed by warming ocean temperatures.
Electronic circular dichroism and circularly polarized luminescence acid/base switching activity has been demonstrated in helicene‐bipyridine proligand 1 a and in its “rollover” cycloplatinated ...derivative 2 a. Whereas proligand 1 a displays a strong bathochromic shift (>160 nm) of the nonpolarized and circularly polarized luminescence upon protonation, complex 2 a displays slightly stronger emission. This strikingly different behavior between singlet emission in the organic helicene and triplet emission in the organometallic derivative has been rationalized by using quantum‐chemical calculations. The very large bathochromic shift of the emission observed upon protonation of azahelicene‐bipyridine 1 a has been attributed to the decrease in aromaticity (promoting a charge‐transfer‐type transition rather than a π–π* transition) as well as an increase in the HOMO–LUMO character of the transition and stabilization of the LUMO level upon protonation.
Rollover platination: A 6helicene‐bipyridine derivative has been used as a proligand for “rollover” cycloplatination and for the conception of acid/base chiroptical switches. Protonation triggers a change in the nature of the HOMO–LUMO transition, from a π–π* to a charge‐transfer transition, and significantly modifies the circularly polarized luminescence and electronic circular dichroism spectra of the organic and organometallic helicenes (see figure).
Human voices play a fundamental role in social communication, and areas of the adult “social brain” show specialization for processing voices and their emotional content (superior temporal sulcus, ...inferior prefrontal cortex, premotor cortical regions, amygdala, and insula) 1–8. However, it is unclear when this specialization develops. Functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) studies suggest that the infant temporal cortex does not differentiate speech from music or backward speech 9, 10, but a prior study with functional near-infrared spectroscopy revealed preferential activation for human voices in 7-month-olds, in a more posterior location of the temporal cortex than in adults 11. However, the brain networks involved in processing nonspeech human vocalizations in early development are still unknown. To address this issue, in the present fMRI study, 3- to 7-month-olds were presented with adult nonspeech vocalizations (emotionally neutral, emotionally positive, and emotionally negative) and nonvocal environmental sounds. Infants displayed significant differential activation in the anterior portion of the temporal cortex, similarly to adults 1. Moreover, sad vocalizations modulated the activity of brain regions involved in processing affective stimuli such as the orbitofrontal cortex 12 and insula 7, 8. These results suggest remarkably early functional specialization for processing human voice and negative emotions.
► Specialization for the human voice was found in the anterior STS in human infants ► This voice-sensitive area is right lateralized and in a similar location to adults ► Orbitofrontal cortex and insula activate when infants process sad vocal emotions
Plastic pollution and climate change have commonly been treated as two separate issues and sometimes are even seen as competing. Here we present an alternative view that these two issues are ...fundamentally linked. Primarily, we explore how plastic contributes to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the beginning to the end of its life cycle. Secondly, we show that more extreme weather and floods associated with climate change, will exacerbate the spread of plastic in the natural environment. Finally, both issues occur throughout the marine environment, and we show that ecosystems and species can be particularly vulnerable to both, such as coral reefs that face disease spread through plastic pollution and climate-driven increased global bleaching events. A Web of Science search showed climate change and plastic pollution studies in the ocean are often siloed, with only 0.4% of the articles examining both stressors simultaneously. We also identified a lack of regional and industry-specific life cycle analysis data for comparisons in relative GHG contributions by materials and products. Overall, we suggest that rather than debate over the relative importance of climate change or marine plastic pollution, a more productive course would be to determine the linking factors between the two and identify solutions to combat both crises.
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•Plastic pollution and climate change crises compete for public and policy attention.•These issues are linked, with some marine species and ecosystems vulnerable to both.•The root cause of both crises is the same, the overconsumption of finite resources.•Engagement in solving plastic pollution can increase action against climate change.•Integrated approaches include conserving blue carbon and a circular economy.
Key points
Nausea is a highly individual and variable experience. The reasons for this variability are incompletely understood although psychophysiological factors have been proposed.
Herein we ...describe objective psychophysiological changes induced by the subjective sensation of motion sickness.
In comparison to subjects who did not develop nausea, nausea‐sensitive subjects demonstrated electrogastrographic and autonomic changes, which included an increase in sympathetic nervous system activity with a concomitant reduction in parasympathetic activity. Furthermore, differences were also evident in plasma ghrelin, and subcortical and cortical activity.
These data have a number of important implications for future research examining the physiological mechanisms that underlie nausea:
The physiological, hormonal and cortical patterns identified herein represent potential biomarkers of the physiological mechanisms of nausea.
Reverse translation of the physiological factors identified may facilitate refinement of animal models used to investigate novel anti‐emetic agents and emetic liability of candidate drugs, increasing their validity and translation of finding to humans.
An integrated understanding of the physiological mechanisms involved in the genesis of nausea remains lacking. We aimed to describe the psychophysiological changes accompanying visually induced motion sickness, using a motion video, hypothesizing that differences would be evident between subjects who developed nausea in comparison to those who did not. A motion, or a control, stimulus was presented to 98 healthy subjects in a randomized crossover design. Validated questionnaires and a visual analogue scale (VAS) were used for the assessment of anxiety and nausea. Autonomic and electrogastrographic activity were measured at baseline and continuously thereafter. Plasma vasopressin and ghrelin were measured in response to the motion video. Subjects were stratified into quartiles based on VAS nausea scores, with the upper and lower quartiles considered to be nausea sensitive and resistant, respectively. Twenty‐eight subjects were exposed to the motion video during functional neuroimaging. During the motion video, nausea‐sensitive subjects had lower normogastria/tachygastria ratio and cardiac vagal tone but higher cardiac sympathetic index in comparison to the control video. Furthermore, nausea‐sensitive subjects had decreased plasma ghrelin and demonstrated increased activity of the left anterior cingulate cortex. Nausea VAS scores correlated positively with plasma vasopressin and left inferior frontal and middle occipital gyri activity and correlated negatively with plasma ghrelin and brain activity in the right cerebellar tonsil, declive, culmen, lingual gyrus and cuneus. This study demonstrates that the subjective sensation of nausea is associated with objective changes in autonomic, endocrine and brain networks, and thus identifies potential objective biomarkers and targets for therapeutic interventions.
Enantiopure metallahelicenes have been prepared by cyclometalation of 2‐pyridyl‐substituted benzophenanthrenes followed by resolution using chiral HPLC. They are red phosphors at room temperature and ...their chiroptical properties can be modulated by oxidation of the metal center to the oxidation state IV.
Phytoplankton production drives marine ecosystem trophic-structure and global fisheries yields. Phytoplankton biomass is particularly influential near coral reef islands and atolls that span the ...oligotrophic tropical oceans. The paradoxical enhancement in phytoplankton near an island-reef ecosystem--Island Mass Effect (IME)--was first documented 60 years ago, yet much remains unknown about the prevalence and drivers of this ecologically important phenomenon. Here we provide the first basin-scale investigation of IME. We show that IME is a near-ubiquitous feature among a majority (91%) of coral reef ecosystems surveyed, creating near-island 'hotspots' of phytoplankton biomass throughout the upper water column. Variations in IME strength are governed by geomorphic type (atoll vs island), bathymetric slope, reef area and local human impacts (for example, human-derived nutrient input). These ocean oases increase nearshore phytoplankton biomass by up to 86% over oceanic conditions, providing basal energetic resources to higher trophic levels that support subsistence-based human populations.
The first enantiopure chiral‐at‐rhenium complexes of the form fac‐ReX(CO)3(:C^N) have been prepared, where :C^N is a helicene‐N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligand and X=Cl or I. These have complexes ...show strong changes in the emission characteristics, notably strongly enhanced phosphorescence lifetimes (reaching 0.7 ms) and increased circularly polarized emission (CPL) activity, as compared to their parent chiral models lacking the helicene unit. The halogen along with its position within the dissymmetric stereochemical environment strongly affect the photophysics of the complexes, particularly the phosphorescence quantum yield and lifetime. These results give fresh insight into fine tuning of photophysical and chiroptical properties of Re‐NHC systems.
Give the light a new turn: A new series of circularly polarized phosphorescent ReI NHC‐helicene complexes has been synthesized. The investigation of their photophysical and chiroptical properties revealed that the stereochemistry and nature of the halide ligand have a crucial influence on the emission of polarized and unpolarized light.
Although often clinically indistinguishable in the early stages, Parkinson's disease (PD), Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) have distinct neuropathological ...changes. The aim of the current study was to identify white matter tract neurodegeneration characteristic of each of the three syndromes. Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) was used to perform a whole-brain automated analysis of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data to compare differences in fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) between the three clinical groups and healthy control subjects. Further analyses were conducted to assess the relationship between these putative indices of white matter microstructure and clinical measures of disease severity and symptoms. In PSP, relative to controls, changes in DTI indices consistent with white matter tract degeneration were identified in the corpus callosum, corona radiata, corticospinal tract, superior longitudinal fasciculus, anterior thalamic radiation, superior cerebellar peduncle, medial lemniscus, retrolenticular and anterior limb of the internal capsule, cerebral peduncle and external capsule bilaterally, as well as the left posterior limb of the internal capsule and the right posterior thalamic radiation. MSA patients also displayed differences in the body of the corpus callosum corticospinal tract, cerebellar peduncle, medial lemniscus, anterior and superior corona radiata, posterior limb of the internal capsule external capsule and cerebral peduncle bilaterally, as well as the left anterior limb of the internal capsule and the left anterior thalamic radiation. No significant white matter abnormalities were observed in the PD group. Across groups, MD correlated positively with disease severity in all major white matter tracts. These results show widespread changes in white matter tracts in both PSP and MSA patients, even at a mid-point in the disease process, which are not found in patients with PD.
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