Recent molecular evidence suggests a global distribution of marine fungi; however, the ecological relevance and corresponding biological contributions of fungi to marine ecosystems remains largely ...unknown. We assessed fungal biomass from the open Arctic Ocean by applying novel biomass conversion factors from cultured isolates to environmental sterol and CARD-FISH data. We found an average of 16.54 nmol m
of ergosterol in sea ice and seawater, which corresponds to 1.74 mg C m
(444.56 mg C m
in seawater). Using Chytridiomycota-specific probes, we observed free-living and particulate-attached cells that averaged 34.07 µg C m
in sea ice and seawater (11.66 mg C m
in seawater). Summed CARD-FISH and ergosterol values approximate 1.77 mg C m
in sea ice and seawater (456.23 mg C m
in seawater), which is similar to biomass estimates of other marine taxa generally considered integral to marine food webs and ecosystem processes. Using the GeoChip microarray, we detected evidence for fungal viruses within the Partitiviridae in sediment, as well as fungal genes involved in the degradation of biomass and the assimilation of nitrate. To bridge our observations of fungi on particulate and the detection of degradative genes, we germinated fungal conidia in zooplankton fecal pellets and germinated fungal conidia after 8 months incubation in sterile seawater. Ultimately, these data suggest that fungi could be as important in oceanic ecosystems as they are in freshwater environments.
Synthesizing U.S. River Restoration Efforts Bernhardt, E. S.; Palmer, M. A.; Allan, J. D. ...
Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science),
04/2005, Letnik:
308, Številka:
5722
Journal Article
Recenzirano
The importance of rivers and streams for fresh water, food, and recreation is well known, yet there is increasing evidence that degradation of running waters is at an all-time high. However, most ...restoration projects are small scale, and information on their implementation and outcome is not readily accessible. Here, Bernhardt et al report a synthesis of information on 37,099 projects in the National River Restoration Science Synthesis database.
To understand human evolution it is critical to clarify which adaptations enabled our colonisation of novel ecological niches. For any species climate is a fundamental source of environmental stress ...during range expansion. Mammalian climatic adaptations include changes in size and shape reflected in skeletal dimensions and humans fit general primate ecogeographic patterns. It remains unclear however, whether there are also comparable amounts of adaptation in humans, which has implications for understanding the relative importance of biological/behavioural mechanisms in human evolution. We compare cranial variation between prehistoric human populations from throughout Japan and ecologically comparable groups of macaques. We compare amounts of intraspecific variation and covariation between cranial shape and ecological variables. Given equal rates and sufficient time for adaptation for both groups, human conservation of non-human primate adaptation should result in comparable variation and patterns of covariation in both species. In fact, we find similar amounts of intraspecific variation in both species, but no covariation between shape and climate in humans, contrasting with strong covariation in macaques. The lack of covariation in humans may suggest a disconnect in climatic adaptation strategies from other primates. We suggest this is due to the importance of human behavioural adaptations, which act as a buffer from climatic stress and were likely key to our evolutionary success.
1. Increasingly, river managers are turning from hard engineering solutions to ecologically based restoration activities in order to improve degraded waterways. River restoration projects aim to ...maintain or increase ecosystem goods and services while protecting downstream and coastal ecosystems. There is growing interest in applying river restoration techniques to solve environmental problems, yet little agreement exists on what constitutes a successful river restoration effort. 2. We propose five criteria for measuring success, with emphasis on an ecological perspective. First, the design of an ecological river restoration project should be based on a specified guiding image of a more dynamic, healthy river that could exist at the site. Secondly, the river's ecological condition must be measurably improved. Thirdly, the river system must be more self-sustaining and resilient to external perturbations so that only minimal follow-up maintenance is needed. Fourthly, during the construction phase, no lasting harm should be inflicted on the ecosystem. Fifthly, both pre- and post-assessment must be completed and data made publicly available. 3. Determining if these five criteria have been met for a particular project requires development of an assessment protocol. We suggest standards of evaluation for each of the five criteria and provide examples of suitable indicators. 4. Synthesis and applications. Billions of dollars are currently spent restoring streams and rivers, yet to date there are no agreed upon standards for what constitutes ecologically beneficial stream and river restoration. We propose five criteria that must be met for a river restoration project to be considered ecologically successful. It is critical that the broad restoration community, including funding agencies, practitioners and citizen restoration groups, adopt criteria for defining and assessing ecological success in restoration. Standards are needed because progress in the science and practice of river restoration has been hampered by the lack of agreed upon criteria for judging ecological success. Without well-accepted criteria that are ultimately supported by funding and implementing agencies, there is little incentive for practitioners to assess and report restoration outcomes. Improving methods and weighing the ecological benefits of various restoration approaches require organized national-level reporting systems.
The Bering Sea has some of the highest concentrations of inorganic nutrients of any marine system. In the Bering Sea, eukaryotic microbes interface inorganic nutrient sequestration and cycling ...processes that drive one of the most productive ecosystems globally. Historical surveys of eukaryotic microbial diversity in the Bering Sea have relied on microscopy and culturing-dependent analyses to assess microbial diversity patterns. In this study, we used high-throughput sequencing (Illumina MiSeq) of the 18S rRNA gene to explore general patterns of eukaryotic microbial diversity from six regions in the Bering Sea and surrounding Subarctic Pacific. The greatest richness was found in the Shelikof Strait and at the marginal ice zone. The lowest richness was found in the deep water basin south of the Aleutian Islands. Ordination analysis of our sequences revealed nearly identical community structures between our Shelikof Strait and the deep water basin sites. Operational taxonomic unit analysis revealed that water samples from the Bering Sea sites shared more OTUs with the Shelikof Strait site than with the sea ice sample, despite the existence of sea ice in the Bering Sea, reflecting known circulation patterns out of the Gulf of Alaska. Richness increased with increasing latitude and decreasing temperature, suggesting that the base of food webs is susceptible to temperature perturbations.
Understanding the factors shaping human crania has long been a goal of biological anthropology, and climate, diet, and population history are three of the most well-established influences. The ...effects of these factors are, however, rarely compared within a single, variable population, limiting interpretations of their relative contribution to craniofacial form. Jomon prehistoric foragers inhabited Japan throughout its climatic and ecological range and developed correspondingly varied modes of subsistence. We have previously demonstrated that a large sample of Jomon crania showed no clear climatic pattern; here, we examine variation in Jomon crania in more detail to determine if dietary factors and/or population history influence human intrapopulation variation at this scale. Based on well-established archaeological differences, we divide the Jomon into dietary groups and use geometric morphometric methods to analyse relationships between cranial shape, diet, and population history. We find evidence for diet-related influences on the shape of the neurocranium, particularly in the temporalis region. These shape differences may be interpreted in the context of regional variation in the biomechanical requirements of different diets. More experimental biomechanical and nutritional evidence is needed, however, to move suggested links between dietary content and cranial shape from plausible to well-supported. In contrast with the global scale of human variation, where neutral processes are the strongest influence on cranial shape, we find no pattern of population history amongst individuals from these Jomon sites. The determinants of cranial morphology are complex and the effect of diet is likely mediated by factors including sex, social factors, and chronology. Our results underline the subtlety of the effects of dietary variation beyond the forager/farmer dichotomy on cranial morphology and contribute to our understanding of the complexity of selective pressures shaping human phenotypes on different geographic scales.
The objective of this study is to compare landmark‐based assessment of hominin mandible morphological variation with that from a high‐density point cloud, using 3D models constructed from ...structure‐from‐motion (SfM) surface capture techniques. Surface models of nine hominin mandible casts were created using SfM photogrammetry. The morphology of these models was described using traditional geometric morphometrics based on identification of landmarks. This was compared to the morphological variation described by the differences between high‐density point clouds, which do not rely on anatomical landmarks, using an iterative closest point algorithm. The landmark‐based approach grouped the anatomically modern human and Neanderthal mandibles with reasonable success. The high‐density point cloud approach also grouped these successfully, but was able to incorporate information from a specimen that was insufficiently preserved to be included in the landmark data set. This improved the accuracy of the grouping. The use of high‐density point clouds from surface capture to analyse hominin mandible morphology allows for greater amounts of information to be included and offers a potential method to identify shape affinity that is as successful as landmark‐based geometric morphometrics.
Ancient human settlements are brought vividly to life in an engaging new analysis
In
Four Lost Cities
, Annalee Newitz—a technology journalist and author of popular genre fiction—has unexpectedly ...turned their attention to the archaeology of the urban past.
BackgroundThe BioMAP® platform is a complex human primary cell-based system for modelling tissue and disease states that is used to characterise drug activities based on the analyses of 148 ...clinically relevant biomarker readouts.ObjectivesTo confirm that the BioMAP phenotypic signatures of two originator etanercept (ETN) samples remained comparable over time.MethodsTwo different ETN samples (ETN_1 and ETN_2) were independently profiled with a 5 year interval across a panel of 12 disease-relevant systems (3C and 4 hour endothelial inflammation; LPS monocyte activation; SAg T cell activation; BT B cell activation; BF4T and BE3C epithelial inflammation; CASM3C vascular inflammation; HDF3CGF, KF3CT, and MyoF tissue remodelling, fibrosis; lMphg macrophage activation). BioMAP systems consist of human primary cells or cocultures from healthy donors cultured in the presence of cytokines and growth factors. Protein levels, measured using immune-based methods or functional assays for cell viability and proliferation, were used to generate a BioMAP activity profile for each sample. ETN activities were annotated if they differed from the vehicle control and had an effect size >20%. The profiles of the 2 samples were compared using Pearson’s correlation.ResultsBioMAP phenotypic profiling of ETN_1 versus ETN_2 samples at 10 µg/mL revealed similar signatures across 148 biomarkers in 12 disease-relevant systems. The Pearson’s correlation coefficient was 0.781, which is above the determined threshold for mechanistic similarity (r≥0.7). Key efficacy-related anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activities were commonly inhibited in multiple systems including tumour necrosis factor alpha (LPS and BT), interleukin (IL)−2 (BT), vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (MyoF and lMphg), IL-8 (SAg and MyoF), and E-Selectin (SAg and lMphg). The profiles of ETN samples at 1 µg/mL in the SAg system modelling T cell activation responses also revealed statistically significant similarity in signatures (p<0.01) in both magnitude and direction across all biomarker activities (figure 1).Abstract AB0050 – Figure 1SAg system profile of ETN_1 and ETN_2 samples at 1 μg/mL.ConclusionsThe BioMAP phenotypic signatures of the ETN_1 and ETN_2 samples profiled in independent experiments using different primary cell pools remained comparable, which was consistent with conserved ETN mechanisms of action. The BioMAP platform represents a useful orthogonal approach for assessing ETN activity.Disclosure of InterestA. O’Mahony Employee of: Eurofins DiscoverX, E. L. Berg Employee of: Eurofins DiscoverX, H. Jones Shareholder of: Pfizer, Employee of: Pfizer, B. Fitzpatrick Shareholder of: Pfizer, Employee of: Pfizer, B. Hassett Shareholder of: Pfizer, Employee of: Pfizer, S. Vicik Shareholder of: Pfizer, Employee of: Pfizer, L. Marshall Shareholder of: Pfizer, Employee of: Pfizer, K. Roshak: None declared, E. Choy Grant/research support from: Novimmune, Pfizer, Roche, UCB, Consultant for: Abbott Laboratories, Amgen, Biogen, BMS, Celgene, Chugai Pharma, Eli Lilly, GSK, Hospira, Janssen, MedImmune, Napp, Novimmune, Novartis, Pfizer, Regeneron, Roche, R-Pharm, Sanofi
BackgroundThe term “intended copy” (IC) is used to describe biotherapeutic medicinal products that have not been approved via a regulatory pathway aligned with WHO's Similar Biotherapeutic Product ...(SBP) guidelines to ensure quality, safety and efficacy. In some countries, the WHO SBP guidelines are not being consistently adopted or implemented and ICs of etanercept (ETN), originally developed by Pfizer (Wyeth), are being marketed as biosimilar versions, although rigorous regulatory criteria for analytical testing and clinical demonstration of biosimilarity may not have been fully assessed.ObjectivesPfizer conducted an analytical assessment of multiple lots of 4 ICs, and a single lot of 1 IC of ETN that have received marketing approval in various global markets. The results for critical quality attributes are compared with the licensed specifications of ETN.MethodsICs of ETN manufactured by Shanghai CP Guojian (China), Lafrancol (Colombia), Cipla (India), Probiomed (Mexico) and AryoGen (Iran) were assessed. Analyses included a subset of the release tests for ETN, together with evaluation by additional characterization methods to provide appropriate comparative detail on biochemical composition. Results for each product were evaluated against licensed specifications and historical ranges for ETN and ETN reference standard for the additional characterization test results.ResultsNone of the ICs met all of the individual product quality criteria that Pfizer apply for analytical comparability, although each product met some of the requirements. Principal differences were observed during assessments of identity (as measured by tryptic peptide map high-performance liquid chromatography HPLC), purity (as measured by hydrophobic interaction chromatography HIC), degree of aggregation (size exclusion SE HPLC), distribution of charged species (isoelectric focusing IEF/anion exchange AEX chromatography) and carbohydrate profile (N-linked oligosaccharide map). These are shown in the table.Key structural differences*IC ManufacturerShanghai CP GuojianLafrancolCiplaProbiomedAryoGenIdentity (tryptic peptide map HPLC): AtypicalYAggregation (SE HPLC): above specification limitYYYCharged species (IEF/AEX chromatography): Differences in distribution vs ETNYYYYPurity (HIC): Atypical profileYYYCarbohydrate profile (N-linked oligosaccharide map): Atypical (additional species not in ETN profile)YY*Relative to ETN release specifications and additional characterization historical data. Y, yes.ConclusionsWhile a degree of structural similarity with ETN was observed for each of the ICs analyzed, a number of significant structural and biochemical differences were noted. None of the products analyzed meet the combination of release specification and additional characterization criteria Pfizer typically apply to support a comparability assessment with ETN.Disclosure of InterestM. Scheinberg Consultant for: Pfizer Boehringer Mannenheim, Genzyme, Orygen, GSK, G. Castaneda Hernandez Consultant for: Abbvie, Bayer, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Eli-Lilly, Laboratorios Liomont, Laboratorios Sophia, Medix, Merck-Serono, Merck, Sharp and Dohme, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche and Sanofi, Speakers bureau: Amgen, Abbvie, Astra-Zeneca, Bayer, Eli-Lilly, Janssen-Cilag, Laboratorios Liomont, Laboratorios Sophia, Medix, Merck-Serono, Merck, Sharp and Dohme, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi and UC, M. Li: None declared, U. R. Rao Consultant for: Pfizer, Sanofi, E. Singh Shareholder of: Pfizer, Employee of: Pfizer, E. Mahgoub Shareholder of: Pfizer, Employee of: Pfizer, J. Coindreau Shareholder of: Pfizer, Employee of: Pfizer, J. O'Brien Shareholder of: Pfizer, Employee of: Pfizer, S. M. Vicik Shareholder of: Pfizer, Employee of: Pfizer, B. Fitzpatrick Shareholder of: Pfizer, Employee of: Pfizer, B. Hassett Shareholder of: Pfizer, Employee of: Pfizer
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