| 1. |
- van der Valk, Tom, et al.
(författare)
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The genome of the endangered dryas monkey provides new insights into the evolutionary history of the vervets
- 2020
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Ingår i: Molecular biology and evolution. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0737-4038 .- 1537-1719. ; 37:1, s. 183-194
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Genomic data can be a powerful tool for inferring ecology, behaviour and conservation needs of highly elusive species, particularly when other sources of information are hard to come by. Here we focus on the dryas monkey, an endangered primate endemic to the Congo Basin with cryptic behaviour and possibly less than 250 remaining individuals. Using whole genome data we show that the dryas monkey represents a sister lineage to the vervet monkeys and has diverged from them at least 1 million years ago with additional bi-directional gene flow 590,000 – 360,000 years ago. After bonobo-chimpanzee admixture, this is the second reported case of gene flow that most likely involved crossing the Congo River, a strong dispersal barrier. As the demographic history of bonobos and dryas monkey shows similar patterns of population increase during this time period, we hypothesise that the fluvial topology of the Congo River might have been more dynamic than previously recognised. As a result of dryas monkey - vervet admixture, genes involved in resistance to the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) have been exchanged, possibly indicating adaptive introgression. Despite the presence of several homozygous loss-of-function mutations in genes associated with reduced sperm mobility and immunity, we find high genetic diversity and low levels of inbreeding and genetic load in the studied dryas monkey individual. This suggests that the current population carries sufficient genetic variability for the long-term survival of this species. We thus provide an example of how genomic data can directly improve our understanding of elusive species.
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| 3. |
- Cuni-Sanchez, Aida, et al.
(författare)
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High aboveground carbon stock of African tropical montane forests
- 2021
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 596:7873, s. 536-542
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Tropical forests store 40–50per cent of terrestrial vegetation carbon. However, spatial variations in aboveground live tree biomass carbon (AGC) stocks remain poorly understood, in particular in tropical montane forests. Owing to climatic and soil changes with increasing elevation, AGC stocks are lower in tropical montane forests compared with lowland forests. Here we assemble and analyse a dataset of structurally intact old-growth forests (AfriMont) spanning 44 montane sites in 12 African countries. We find that montane sites in the AfriMont plot network have a mean AGC stock of 149.4megagrams of carbon per hectare (95% confidence interval 137.1–164.2), which is comparable to lowland forests in the African Tropical Rainforest Observation Network4 and about 70per cent and 32per cent higher than averages from plot networks in montane and lowland forests in the Neotropics, respectively. Notably, our results are two-thirds higher than the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change default values for these forests in Africa8. We find that the low stem density and high abundance of large trees of African lowland forests is mirrored in the montane forests sampled. This carbon store is endangered: we estimate that 0.8 million hectares of old-growth African montane forest have been lost since 2000. We provide country-specific montane forest AGC stock estimates modelled from our plot network to helpto guide forest conservation and reforestation interventions. Our findings highlight the need for conserving these biodiverse and carbon-rich ecosystems.
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| 4. |
- Deputy, Mohammed, et al.
(författare)
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Long-term outcome and quality of life after continent ileostomy for ulcerative colitis : A systematic review
- 2021
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Ingår i: Colorectal Disease. - : Wiley. - 1462-8910 .- 1463-1318. ; 23:9, s. 2286-2299
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aim The continent ileostomy allows evacuation of an ileal reservoir at a time convenient to the patient. It is a surgical option for patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) when a restorative option is not suitable or has not succeeded and the patient does not want a conventional end ileostomy. Continent ileostomy types include the Kock pouch, Barnett continent intestinal reservoir and T-pouch. All of the published evidence on the long-term outcome and quality of life after continent ileostomy for UC was systematically reviewed. Methods A systematic review was performed in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Studies published between 1990 and 2020 were included. A descriptive synthesis was used due to the clinical heterogeneity. Results The search returned 1655 abstracts and after screening of abstracts and full text review, 19 were included in the final review, involving 1602 patients. Operative mortality is low (0%-3.6%) after all types of continent ileostomy but reoperation rates are high (20.8%-65%) because of valve mechanism failures. Rates of fistulae (0%-25.5%) and stomal stenosis (0%-25%) can be relatively high postoperatively. Quality of life scores improve for most patients undergoing continent ileostomy, especially for patients converted from ileal pouch anal anastomosis. Overall, continent ileostomy retention is high in the long-term. Discussion In the long-term, patients report high satisfaction and a good quality of life with continent ileostomy, despite high reoperation rates and complications. Newer technologies may reinvigorate interest in the continent ileostomy for this population.
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| 5. |
- Downey, Harriet, et al.
(författare)
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Training future generations to deliver evidence-based conservation and ecosystem management
- 2021
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Ingår i: Ecological Solutions and Evidence. - : Wiley. - 2688-8319. ; 2:1
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- 1. To be effective, the next generation of conservation practitioners and managers need to be critical thinkers with a deep understanding of how to make evidence-based decisions and of the value of evidence synthesis.2. If, as educators, we do not make these priorities a core part of what we teach, we are failing to prepare our students to make an effective contribution to conservation practice.3. To help overcome this problem we have created open access online teaching materials in multiple languages that are stored in Applied Ecology Resources. So far, 117 educators from 23 countries have acknowledged the importance of this and are already teaching or about to teach skills in appraising or using evidence in conservation decision-making. This includes 145 undergraduate, postgraduate or professional development courses.4. We call for wider teaching of the tools and skills that facilitate evidence-based conservation and also suggest that providing online teaching materials in multiple languages could be beneficial for improving global understanding of other subject areas.
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| 6. |
- Samplonius, Jelmer M., et al.
(författare)
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Strengthening the evidence base for temperature-mediated phenological asynchrony and its impacts
- 2021
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Ingår i: Nature Ecology and Evolution. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2397-334X. ; 5:2, s. 155-164
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Climate warming has caused the seasonal timing of many components of ecological food chains to advance. In the context of trophic interactions, the match–mismatch hypothesis postulates that differential shifts can lead to phenological asynchrony with negative impacts for consumers. However, at present there has been no consistent analysis of the links between temperature change, phenological asynchrony and individual-to-population-level impacts across taxa, trophic levels and biomes at a global scale. Here, we propose five criteria that all need to be met to demonstrate that temperature-mediated trophic asynchrony poses a growing risk to consumers. We conduct a literature review of 109 papers studying 129 taxa, and find that all five criteria are assessed for only two taxa, with the majority of taxa only having one or two criteria assessed. Crucially, nearly every study was conducted in Europe or North America, and most studies were on terrestrial secondary consumers. We thus lack a robust evidence base from which to draw general conclusions about the risk that climate-mediated trophic asynchrony may pose to populations worldwide.
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| 7. |
- Thompson, Robin N., et al.
(författare)
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Key questions for modelling COVID-19 exit strategies
- 2020
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Biological Sciences. - : The Royal Society. - 0962-8452 .- 1471-2954. ; 287:1932
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Combinations of intense non-pharmaceutical interventions (lockdowns) were introduced worldwide to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Many governments have begun to implement exit strategies that relax restrictions while attempting to control the risk of a surge in cases. Mathematical modelling has played a central role in guiding interventions, but the challenge of designing optimal exit strategies in the face of ongoing transmission is unprecedented. Here, we report discussions from the Isaac Newton Institute 'Models for an exit strategy' workshop (11-15 May 2020). A diverse community of modellers who are providing evidence to governments worldwide were asked to identify the main questions that, if answered, would allow for more accurate predictions of the effects of different exit strategies. Based on these questions, we propose a roadmap to facilitate the development of reliable models to guide exit strategies. This roadmap requires a global collaborative effort from the scientific community and policymakers, and has three parts: (i) improve estimation of key epidemiological parameters; (ii) understand sources of heterogeneity in populations; and (iii) focus on requirements for data collection, particularly in low-to-middle-income countries. This will provide important information for planning exit strategies that balance socio-economic benefits with public health.
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