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Arce AN, Cantwell-Jones A, Tansley M, Barnes I, Brace S, Mullin VE, Notton D, Ollerton J, Eatough E, Rhodes MW, Bian X, Hogan J, Hunter T, Jackson S, Whiffin A, Blagoderov V, Broad G, Judd S, Kokkini P, Livermore L, Dixit MK, Pearse WD, Gill RJ. Signatures of increasing environmental stress in bumblebee wings over the past century: Insights from museum specimens. J Anim Ecol 2023; 92:297-309. [PMID: 35978494 PMCID: PMC10086799 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Determining when animal populations have experienced stress in the past is fundamental to understanding how risk factors drive contemporary and future species' responses to environmental change. For insects, quantifying stress and associating it with environmental factors has been challenging due to a paucity of time-series data and because detectable population-level responses can show varying lag effects. One solution is to leverage historic entomological specimens to detect morphological proxies of stress experienced at the time stressors emerged, allowing us to more accurately determine population responses. Here we studied specimens of four bumblebee species, an invaluable group of insect pollinators, from five museums collected across Britain over the 20th century. We calculated the degree of fluctuating asymmetry (FA; random deviations from bilateral symmetry) between the right and left forewings as a potential proxy of developmental stress. We: (a) investigated whether baseline FA levels vary between species, and how this compares between the first and second half of the century; (b) determined the extent of FA change over the century in the four bumblebee species, and whether this followed a linear or nonlinear trend; (c) tested which annual climatic conditions correlated with increased FA in bumblebees. Species differed in their baseline FA, with FA being higher in the two species that have recently expanded their ranges in Britain. Overall, FA significantly increased over the century but followed a nonlinear trend, with the increase starting c. 1925. We found relatively warm and wet years were associated with higher FA. Collectively our findings show that FA in bumblebees increased over the 20th century and under weather conditions that will likely increase in frequency with climate change. By plotting FA trends and quantifying the contribution of annual climate conditions on past populations, we provide an important step towards improving our understanding of how environmental factors could impact future populations of wild beneficial insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andres N Arce
- Georgina Mace Centre for The Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Silwood Park, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK.,School of Engineering, Arts, Science & Technology, University of Suffolk, Ipswich, UK
| | - Aoife Cantwell-Jones
- Georgina Mace Centre for The Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Silwood Park, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
| | - Michael Tansley
- Georgina Mace Centre for The Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Silwood Park, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK.,Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Ian Barnes
- Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | - Selina Brace
- Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | - Victoria E Mullin
- Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK.,Smurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - David Notton
- Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK.,National Museum Scotland, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Jeff Ollerton
- Faculty of Arts, Science and Technology, University of Northampton, Northampton, UK
| | - Emma Eatough
- Georgina Mace Centre for The Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Silwood Park, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
| | - Marcus W Rhodes
- Georgina Mace Centre for The Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Silwood Park, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
| | - Xueni Bian
- Georgina Mace Centre for The Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Silwood Park, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK.,Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | - James Hogan
- Oxford University Museum of Natural History, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Simon Jackson
- Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery Trust, Cumbria, UK.,Ipswich Museum (Colchester and Ipswich Museums), Ipswich, UK
| | | | | | - Gavin Broad
- Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | | | - Phaedra Kokkini
- Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | | | - Mahika K Dixit
- Georgina Mace Centre for The Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Silwood Park, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
| | - William D Pearse
- Georgina Mace Centre for The Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Silwood Park, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
| | - Richard J Gill
- Georgina Mace Centre for The Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Silwood Park, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
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Fuller N, Smith JT, Takase T, Ford AT, Wada T. Radiocaesium accumulation and fluctuating asymmetry in the Japanese mitten crab, Eriocheir japonica, along a gradient of radionuclide contamination at Fukushima. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 292:118479. [PMID: 34752791 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Revised: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The 2011 Tohoku earthquake-tsunami and the subsequent nuclear accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) led to large-scale radionuclide contamination of the marine and freshwater environment. Monitoring studies of marine food products in the Fukushima region have generally demonstrated a declining trend in radiocaesium concentrations. However, the accumulation and elimination of radiocaesium and potential biological effects remain poorly understood for freshwater biota inhabiting highly contaminated areas at Fukushima. Consequently, the present study aimed to assess radiocaesium accumulation and developmental effects on the commercially important catadromous Japanese mitten crab, Eriocheir japonica. E. japonica were collected from four sites along a gradient of radionuclide contamination 4-44 km in distance from the FDNPS in 2017. To determine potential developmental effects, fluctuating asymmetry (FA) was used as a measure of developmental stability. Combined 134Cs and 137Cs values for whole E. japonica from highly contaminated sites 4 and 16 km in distance from the FDNPS were 3040 ± 521 and 2250 ± 908 Bq kg-1 wet weight respectively, 30 and 22 times greater than the Japanese standard limit of 100 Bq kg-1. Estimated total dose rates based on radiocaesium concentrations in whole crabs and sediment ranged from 0.016 to 37.7 μGy h-1. No significant relationship between radiocaesium accumulation and FA was recorded, suggesting that chronic radiation exposure at Fukushima is not inducing developmental effects in E. japonica as measured using fluctuating asymmetry. Furthermore, estimated dose rates were below proposed regulatory limits where significant deleterious effects are expected. The present study will aid in the understanding of the long-term consequences of radiation exposure for non-human biota and the management of radioactively contaminated environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neil Fuller
- Institute of Marine Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Ferry Road, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO4 9LY, UK.
| | - Jim T Smith
- School of Environmental, Geographical and Geological Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Burnaby Building, Burnaby Road, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO1 3QL, UK
| | - Tsugiko Takase
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture, 960-1296, Japan
| | - Alex T Ford
- Institute of Marine Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Ferry Road, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO4 9LY, UK
| | - Toshihiro Wada
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture, 960-1296, Japan
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Bojko J. Amphipod disease: model systems, invasions and systematics-Introduction to DAO Special 8. DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS 2019; 136:1-2. [PMID: 31575831 DOI: 10.3354/dao03412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Amphipods are a group of globally abundant Crustacea present throughout terrestrial, marine and freshwater ecosystems. These organisms host a highly diverse systematic assemblage of parasites and pathogens, which are closely linked to the host's evolution and ecological niche. Such symbioses have been found to affect the behaviour, physiology and overall health of amphipod hosts; including effects at both the individual and population scale, altering aquatic trophic structure and possibly representing far reaching consequences for fisheries species and predatory species. Amphipod diseases explored in this Special have been linked with biological invasions, systematics, behavioural ecology, ecotoxicology, epidemiology, host physiology and cannibalistic tendencies. These studies exemplify the importance of amphipod research and provide keystone studies for the use of these animals as model systems for understanding the effects of disease in crustacean assemblages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie Bojko
- Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA
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