1
|
Harries V, Abraham J, Vesi L, Reupena A, Faaselele-Savusa K, Duckham RL, Bribiescas R, Hawley N. The milk study protocol: A longitudinal, prospective cohort study of the relationship between human milk metabolic hormone concentration, maternal body composition, and early growth and satiety development in Samoan infants aged 1-4 months. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0292997. [PMID: 38728264 PMCID: PMC11086876 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0292997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Current research suggests that energy transfer through human milk influences infant nutritional development and initiates metabolic programming, influencing eating patterns into adulthood. To date, this research has predominantly been conducted among women in high income settings and/or among undernourished women. We will investigate the relationship between maternal body composition, metabolic hormones in human milk, and infant satiety to explore mechanisms of developmental satiety programming and implications for early infant growth and body composition in Samoans; a population at high risk and prevalence for overweight and obesity. Our aims are (1) to examine how maternal body composition influences metabolic hormone transfer from mother to infant through human milk, and (2) to examine the influences of maternal metabolic hormone transfer and infant feeding patterns on early infant growth and satiety. METHODS We will examine temporal changes in hormone transfers to infants through human milk in a prospective longitudinal cohort of n = 80 Samoan mother-infant dyads. Data will be collected at three time points (1, 3, & 4 months postpartum). At each study visit we will collect human milk and fingerpick blood samples from breastfeeding mother-infant dyads to measure the hormones leptin, ghrelin, and adiponectin. Additionally, we will obtain body composition measurements from the dyad, observe breastfeeding behavior, conduct semi-structured interviews, and use questionnaires to document infant hunger and feeding cues and satiety responsiveness. Descriptive statistics, univariate and multivariate analyses will be conducted to address each aim. DISCUSSION This research is designed to advance our understanding of variation in the developmental programming of satiety and implications for early infant growth and body composition. The use of a prospective longitudinal cohort alongside data collection that utilizes a mixed methods approach will allow us to capture a more accurate representation on both biological and cultural variables at play in a population at high risk of overweight and obesity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Harries
- Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Jyothi Abraham
- School of Nursing, National University of Samoa, Apia, Samoa
| | - Lupesina Vesi
- Obesity, Lifestyle, and Genetic Adaptations Study Group, Apia, Samoa
| | - Aniva Reupena
- Obesity, Lifestyle, and Genetic Adaptations Study Group, Apia, Samoa
| | | | - Rachel L. Duckham
- Institute of Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia
- Australian Institute for Musculoskeletal Sciences, The University of Melbourne and Western Health, St Albans, Australia
| | - Richard Bribiescas
- Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Nicola Hawley
- Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Monk JD, Donadio E, Gregorio PF, Schmitz OJ. Vicuña antipredator diel movement drives spatial nutrient subsidies in a high Andean ecosystem. Ecology 2024; 105:e4262. [PMID: 38351587 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Large animals could be important drivers of spatial nutrient subsidies when they ingest resources in some habitats and release them in others, even moving nutrients against elevational gradients. In high Andean deserts, vicuñas (Vicugna vicugna) move daily between nutrient-rich wet meadows, where there is abundant water and forage but high risk of predation by pumas (Puma concolor), and nutrient-poor open plains with lower risk of predation. In all habitats, vicuñas defecate and urinate in communal latrines. We investigated how these latrines impacted soil and plant nutrient concentrations across three habitats in the Andean ecosystem (meadows, plains, and canyons) and used stable isotope analysis to explore the source of fecal nutrients in latrines. Latrine soils had higher concentrations of nitrogen, carbon, and other nutrients than did nonlatrine soils across all habitats. These inputs corresponded with an increase in plant quality (lower C:N) at latrine sites in plains and canyons, but not in meadows. Stable isotope mixing models suggest that ~7% of nutrients in plains latrines originated from vegetation in meadows, which is disproportionately higher than the relative proportion of meadow habitat (2.6%) in the study area. In contrast, ~68% of nutrients in meadow latrines appear to originate from plains and canyon vegetation, though these habitats made up nearly 98% of the study area. Vicuña diel movements thus appear to concentrate nutrients in latrines within habitats and to drive cross-habitat nutrient subsidies, with disproportionate transport from low-lying, nutrient-rich meadows to more elevated, nutrient-poor plains. When these results are scaled up to the landscape scale, the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus subsidized in soil at plains latrines was of the same order of magnitude as estimates of annual atmospheric nitrogen and phosphorus deposition for this region (albeit far more localized and patchy). Thus, vicuña-mediated nutrient redistribution and deposition appears to be an important process impacting ecosystem functioning in arid Andean environments, on par with other major inputs of nutrients to the system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julia D Monk
- School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Fundación Rewilding Argentina, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | | | - Pablo F Gregorio
- Grupo de Investigaciones en Ecofisiología de Fauna Silvestre, INIBIOMA (Universidad Nacional del Comahue-CONICET), San Martín de los Andes, Argentina
| | - Oswald J Schmitz
- School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Meyer D, Brownstein CD, Jenkins KM, Gauthier JA. A Morrison stem gekkotan reveals gecko evolution and Jurassic biogeography. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20232284. [PMID: 38018104 PMCID: PMC10685121 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Geckos are a speciose and globally distributed clade of Squamata (lizards, including snakes and amphisbaenians) that are characterized by a host of modifications for nocturnal, scansorial and insectivorous ecologies. They are among the oldest divergences in the lizard crown, so understanding the origin of geckoes (Gekkota) is essential to understanding the origin of Squamata, the most species-rich extant tetrapod clade. However, the poor fossil record of gekkotans has obscured the sequence and timing of the assembly of their distinctive morphology. Here, we describe the first North American stem gekkotan based on a three-dimensionally preserved skull from the Morrison Formation of western North America. Despite its Late Jurassic age, the new species already possesses several key characteristics of the gekkotan skull along with retained ancestral features. We show that this new stem gekkotan, and several previously named species of uncertain phylogenetic relationships, comprise a widespread clade of early crown lizards, substantiating faunal homogeneity in Laurasia during the Late Jurassic that extended across disparate ecological, body-size and physiological classes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dalton Meyer
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06506520-8109, USA
| | - Chase D. Brownstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520-8106, USA
- Stamford Museum and Nature Center, Stamford, CT 06903, USA
| | - Kelsey M. Jenkins
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06506520-8109, USA
- Yale Peabody Museum, New Haven, CT 06520-8118, USA
| | - Jacques A. Gauthier
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06506520-8109, USA
- Yale Peabody Museum, New Haven, CT 06520-8118, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Merten LJF, Manafzadeh AR, Herbst EC, Amson E, Tambusso PS, Arnold P, Nyakatura JA. The functional significance of aberrant cervical counts in sloths: insights from automated exhaustive analysis of cervical range of motion. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231592. [PMID: 37909076 PMCID: PMC10618861 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Besides manatees, the suspensory extant 'tree sloths' are the only mammals that deviate from a cervical count (CC) of seven vertebrae. They do so in opposite directions in the two living genera (increased versus decreased CC). Aberrant CCs seemingly reflect neck mobility in both genera, suggesting adaptive significance for their head position during suspensory locomotion and especially increased ability for neck torsion in three-toed sloths. We test two hypotheses in a comparative evolutionary framework by assessing three-dimensional intervertebral range of motion (ROM) based on exhaustive automated detection of bone collisions and joint disarticulation while accounting for interacting rotations of roll, yaw and pitch. First, we hypothesize that the increase of CC also increases overall neck mobility compared with mammals with a regular CC, and vice versa. Second, we hypothesize that the anatomy of the intervertebral articulations determines mobility of the neck. The assessment revealed that CC plays only a secondary role in defining ROM since summed torsion (roll) capacity was primarily determined by vertebral anatomy. Our results thus suggest limited neck rotational adaptive significance of the CC aberration in sloths. Further, the study demonstrates the suitability of our automated approach for the comparative assessment of osteological ROM in vertebral series.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luisa J. F. Merten
- Comparative Zoology, Institute of Biology, Humboldt University of Berlin, Philippstrasse 12/13, 10115 Berlin, Germany
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Armita R. Manafzadeh
- Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Eva C. Herbst
- Palaeontological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich, Karl-Schmid-Strasse 4, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH, University of Zurich, Hönggerbergring 64, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Eli Amson
- Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart, Rosenstein 1, 70191 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - P. Sebastián Tambusso
- Departamento de Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Iguá 4225, 11400 Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Patrick Arnold
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse 24-25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - John A. Nyakatura
- Comparative Zoology, Institute of Biology, Humboldt University of Berlin, Philippstrasse 12/13, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Glass JR, Harrington RC, Cowman PF, Faircloth BC, Near TJ. Widespread sympatry in a species-rich clade of marine fishes (Carangoidei). Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20230657. [PMID: 37909084 PMCID: PMC10618865 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
A universal paradigm describing patterns of speciation across the tree of life has been debated for decades. In marine organisms, inferring patterns of speciation using contemporary and historical patterns of biogeography is challenging due to the deficiency of species-level phylogenies and information on species' distributions, as well as conflicting relationships between species' dispersal, range size and co-occurrence. Most research on global patterns of marine fish speciation and biogeography has focused on coral reef or pelagic species. Carangoidei is an ecologically important clade of marine fishes that use coral reef and pelagic environments. We used sequence capture of 1314 ultraconserved elements (UCEs) from 154 taxa to generate a time-calibrated phylogeny of Carangoidei and its parent clade, Carangiformes. Age-range correlation analyses of the geographical distributions and divergence times of sister species pairs reveal widespread sympatry, with 73% of sister species pairs exhibiting sympatric geographical distributions, regardless of node age. Most species pairs coexist across large portions of their ranges. We also observe greater disparity in body length and maximum depth between sympatric relative to allopatric sister species. These and other ecological or behavioural attributes probably facilitate sympatry among the most closely related carangoids.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jessica R. Glass
- College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
- South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, Makhanda 6140, South Africa
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Richard C. Harrington
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Peter F. Cowman
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia
- Biodiversity and Geosciences Program, Museum of Tropical Queensland, Queensland Museum, Townsville, Queensland 4810, Australia
| | - Brant C. Faircloth
- Department of Biological Sciences and Museum of Natural Science, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
| | - Thomas J. Near
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, Division of Vertebrate Zoology. New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Ward EB, Polussa A, Bradford MA. Depth-dependent effects of ericoid mycorrhizal shrubs on soil carbon and nitrogen pools are accentuated under arbuscular mycorrhizal trees. Glob Chang Biol 2023; 29:5924-5940. [PMID: 37480162 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/23/2023]
Abstract
Plant mycorrhizal associations influence the accumulation and persistence of soil organic matter and could therefore shape ecosystem biogeochemical responses to global changes that are altering forest composition. For instance, arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) tree dominance is increasing in temperate forests, and ericoid mycorrhizal (ErM) shrubs can respond positively to canopy disturbances. Yet how shifts in the co-occurrence of trees and shrubs with different mycorrhizal associations will affect soil organic matter pools remains largely unknown. We examine the effects of ErM shrubs on soil carbon and nitrogen stocks and indicators of microbial activity at different depths across gradients of AM versus ectomycorrhizal (EcM) tree dominance in three temperate forest sites. We find that ErM shrubs strongly modulate tree mycorrhizal dominance effects. In surface soils, ErM shrubs increase particulate organic matter accumulation and weaken the positive relationship between soil organic matter stocks and indicators of microbial activity. These effects are strongest under AM trees that lack fungal symbionts that can degrade organic matter. In subsurface soil organic matter pools, by contrast, tree mycorrhizal dominance effects are stronger than those of ErM shrubs. Ectomycorrhizal tree dominance has a negative influence on particulate and mineral-associated soil organic matter pools, and these effects are stronger for nitrogen than for carbon stocks. Our findings suggest that increasing co-occurrence of ErM shrubs and AM trees will enhance particulate organic matter accumulation in surface soils by suppressing microbial activity while having little influence on mineral-associated organic matter in subsurface soils. Our study highlights the importance of considering interactions between co-occurring plant mycorrhizal types, as well as their depth-dependent effects, for projecting changes in soil carbon and nitrogen stocks in response to compositional shifts in temperate forests driven by disturbances and global change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth B Ward
- The Forest School, Yale School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Department of Environmental Science and Forestry, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- The New York Botanical Garden, The Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Alexander Polussa
- The Forest School, Yale School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Mark A Bradford
- The Forest School, Yale School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Karandikar H, Donadio E, Smith JA, Bidder OR, Middleton AD. Spatial ecology of the Vicuña ( Lama vicugna) in a high Andean protected area. J Mammal 2023; 104:509-518. [PMID: 37287703 PMCID: PMC10243966 DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyad018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The study of animal space use is fundamental to effective conservation and management of wildlife populations and habitats in a rapidly changing world, yet many species remain poorly described. Such is the case for the spatial ecology of the Vicuña-a medium-sized wild camelid that plays a critical role, both as a consumer and as prey, in the high Andean food web. We studied patterns of space use of 24 adult female vicuñas from April 2014 to February 2017 at the southern edge of its range. Vicuñas showed strong fidelity to their home range locations across the study period and shared large portions of their home ranges with vicuñas from other family groups. Vicuña home ranges in our study were considerably larger than previous estimates across the range of the species. Variation in environmental and terrain factors and the associated risk of predation affected vicuña diel migration distance but not home range size or overlap. Our study offers new ecological insights into vicuña space use that can inform conservation and management efforts of vicuñas and other social ungulates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Harshad Karandikar
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - Emiliano Donadio
- Rewilding Argentina, Estancia La Ascensión, Los Antiguos, Santa Cruz 9041, Argentina
| | - Justine A Smith
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA
| | - Owen R Bidder
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - Arthur D Middleton
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Soriano MA, Deziel NC, Saiers JE. Regional Scale Assessment of Shallow Groundwater Vulnerability to Contamination from Unconventional Hydrocarbon Extraction. Environ Sci Technol 2022; 56:12126-12136. [PMID: 35960643 PMCID: PMC9454823 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c00470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Revised: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Concerns over unconventional oil and gas (UOG) development persist, especially in rural communities that rely on shallow groundwater for drinking and other domestic purposes. Given the continued expansion of the industry, regional (vs local scale) models are needed to characterize groundwater contamination risks faced by the increasing proportion of the population residing in areas that accommodate UOG extraction. In this paper, we evaluate groundwater vulnerability to contamination from surface spills and shallow subsurface leakage of UOG wells within a 104,000 km2 region in the Appalachian Basin, northeastern USA. We test a computationally efficient ensemble approach for simulating groundwater flow and contaminant transport processes to quantify vulnerability with high resolution. We also examine metamodels, or machine learning models trained to emulate physically based models, and investigate their spatial transferability. We identify predictors describing proximity to UOG, hydrology, and topography that are important for metamodels to make accurate vulnerability predictions outside their training regions. Using our approach, we estimate that 21,000-30,000 individuals in our study area are dependent on domestic water wells that are vulnerable to contamination from UOG activities. Our novel modeling framework could be used to guide groundwater monitoring, provide information for public health studies, and assess environmental justice issues.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mario A. Soriano
- School
of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, United States
| | - Nicole C. Deziel
- School
of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06510, United States
| | - James E. Saiers
- School
of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, United States
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Deziel NC, Clark CJ, Casey JA, Bell ML, Plata DL, Saiers JE. Assessing Exposure to Unconventional Oil and Gas Development: Strengths, Challenges, and Implications for Epidemiologic Research. Curr Environ Health Rep 2022; 9:436-450. [PMID: 35522388 PMCID: PMC9363472 DOI: 10.1007/s40572-022-00358-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Epidemiologic studies have observed elevated health risks in populations living near unconventional oil and gas development (UOGD). In this narrative review, we discuss strengths and limitations of UOG exposure assessment approaches used in or available for epidemiologic studies, emphasizing studies of children's health outcomes. RECENT FINDINGS Exposure assessment challenges include (1) numerous potential stressors with distinct spatiotemporal patterns, (2) critical exposure windows that cover long periods and occur in the past, and (3) limited existing monitoring data coupled with the resource-intensiveness of collecting new exposure measurements to capture spatiotemporal variation. All epidemiologic studies used proximity-based models for exposure assessment as opposed to surveys, biomonitoring, or environmental measurements. Nearly all studies used aggregate (rather than pathway-specific) models, which are useful surrogates for the complex mix of potential hazards. Simple and less-specific exposure assessment approaches have benefits in terms of scalability, interpretability, and relevance to specific policy initiatives such as set-back distances. More detailed and specific models and metrics, including dispersion methods and stressor-specific models, could reduce exposure misclassification, illuminate underlying exposure pathways, and inform emission control and exposure mitigation strategies. While less practical in a large population, collection of multi-media environmental and biological exposure measurements would be feasible in cohort subsets. Such assessments are well-suited to provide insights into the presence and magnitude of exposures to UOG-related stressors in relation to spatial surrogates and to better elucidate the plausibility of observed effects in both children and adults.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicole C. Deziel
- grid.47100.320000000419368710Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, 60 College St., New Haven, CT 06510 USA
| | - Cassandra J. Clark
- grid.47100.320000000419368710Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, 60 College St., New Haven, CT 06510 USA
| | - Joan A. Casey
- grid.21729.3f0000000419368729Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, 630 West 168th Street, Room 16-416, New York, NY 10032 USA
| | - Michelle L. Bell
- Yale School of the Environment, 195 Prospect St., New Haven, CT 06511 USA
| | - Desiree L. Plata
- grid.116068.80000 0001 2341 2786Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Parsons Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 15 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
| | - James E. Saiers
- Yale School of the Environment, 195 Prospect St., New Haven, CT 06511 USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Damian-Serrano A, Hetherington ED, Choy CA, Haddock SHD, Lapides A, Dunn CW. Characterizing the secret diets of siphonophores (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) using DNA metabarcoding. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0267761. [PMID: 35594271 PMCID: PMC9122208 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 04/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Siphonophores (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) are abundant and diverse gelatinous predators in open-ocean ecosystems. Due to limited access to the midwater, little is known about the diets of most deep-dwelling gelatinous species, which constrains our understanding of food-web structure and nutrient flow in these vast ecosystems. Visual gut-content methods can rarely identify soft-bodied rapidly-digested prey, while observations from submersibles often overlook small prey items. These methods have been differentially applied to shallow and deep siphonophore taxa, confounding habitat and methodological biases. DNA metabarcoding can be used to assess both shallow and deep species' diets under a common methodological framework, since it can detect both small and gelatinous prey. We (1) further characterized the diets of open-ocean siphonophores using DNA metabarcoding, (2) compared the prey detected by visual and molecular methods to evaluate their technical biases, and (3) evaluated tentacle-based predictions of diet. To do this, we performed DNA metabarcoding analyses on the gut contents of 39 siphonophore species across depths to describe their diets, using six barcode regions along the 18S gene. Taxonomic identifications were assigned using public databases combined with local zooplankton sequences. We identified 55 unique prey items, including crustaceans, gelatinous animals, and fish across 47 siphonophore specimens in 24 species. We reported 29 novel predator-prey interactions, among them the first insights into the diets of nine siphonophore species, many of which were congruent with the dietary predictions based on tentilla morphology. Our analyses detected both small and gelatinous prey taxa underrepresented by visual methods in species from both shallow and deep habitats, indicating that siphonophores play similar trophic roles across depth habitats. We also reveal hidden links between siphonophores and filter-feeders near the base of the food web. This study expands our understanding of the ecological roles of siphonophores in the open ocean, their trophic roles within the 'jelly-web', and the importance of their diversity for nutrient flow and ecosystem functioning. Understanding these inconspicuous yet ubiquitous predator-prey interactions is critical to predict the impacts of climate change, overfishing, and conservation policies on oceanic ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Damian-Serrano
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States of America
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, United States of America
| | - Elizabeth D. Hetherington
- Integrative Oceanography Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States of America
| | - C. Anela Choy
- Integrative Oceanography Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States of America
| | - Steven H. D. Haddock
- Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Midwater Research, Moss Landing, CA, United States of America
| | - Alexandra Lapides
- Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Midwater Research, Moss Landing, CA, United States of America
| | - Casey W. Dunn
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Dutton CL, Subalusky AL, Sanchez A, Estrela S, Lu N, Hamilton SK, Njoroge L, Rosi EJ, Post DM. The meta-gut: community coalescence of animal gut and environmental microbiomes. Sci Rep 2021; 11:23117. [PMID: 34848778 PMCID: PMC8633035 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-02349-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
All animals carry specialized microbiomes, and their gut microbiota are continuously released into the environment through excretion of waste. Here we propose the meta-gut as a novel conceptual framework that addresses the ability of the gut microbiome released from an animal to function outside the host and alter biogeochemical processes mediated by microbes. We demonstrate this dynamic in the hippopotamus (hippo) and the pools they inhabit. We used natural field gradients and experimental approaches to examine fecal and pool water microbial communities and aquatic biogeochemistry across a range of hippo inputs. Sequencing using 16S RNA methods revealed community coalescence between hippo gut microbiomes and the active microbial communities in hippo pools that received high inputs of hippo feces. The shared microbiome between the hippo gut and the waters into which they excrete constitutes a meta-gut system that could influence the biogeochemistry of recipient ecosystems and provide a reservoir of gut microbiomes that could influence other hosts. We propose that meta-gut dynamics may also occur where other animal species congregate in high densities, particularly in aquatic environments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher L Dutton
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, 165 Prospect St., New Haven, CT, 06511, USA.
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
| | - Amanda L Subalusky
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, 165 Prospect St., New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Alvaro Sanchez
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, 165 Prospect St., New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
- Microbial Sciences Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Sylvie Estrela
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, 165 Prospect St., New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
- Microbial Sciences Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Nanxi Lu
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, 165 Prospect St., New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
- Microbial Sciences Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Stephen K Hamilton
- W.K. Kellogg Biological Station and Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, MI, USA
- Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY, USA
| | | | - Emma J Rosi
- Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY, USA
| | - David M Post
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, 165 Prospect St., New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Luque J, Xing L, Briggs DEG, Clark EG, Duque A, Hui J, Mai H, McKellar RC. Crab in amber reveals an early colonization of nonmarine environments during the Cretaceous. Sci Adv 2021; 7:eabj5689. [PMID: 34669480 PMCID: PMC8528423 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abj5689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Amber fossils provide snapshots of the anatomy, biology, and ecology of extinct organisms that are otherwise inaccessible. The best-known fossils in amber are terrestrial arthropods—principally insects—whereas aquatic organisms are rarely represented. Here, we present the first record of true crabs (Brachyura) in amber—from the Cretaceous of Myanmar [~100 to 99 million years (Ma)]. The new fossil preserves large compound eyes, delicate mouthparts, and even gills. This modern-looking crab is nested within crown Eubrachyura, or “higher” true crabs, which includes the majority of brachyuran species living today. The fossil appears to have been trapped in a brackish or freshwater setting near a coastal to fluvio-estuarine environment, bridging the gap between the predicted molecular divergence of nonmarine crabs (~130 Ma) and their younger fossil record (latest Cretaceous and Paleogene, ~75 to 50 Ma) while providing a reliable calibration point for molecular divergence time estimates for higher crown eubrachyurans.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Javier Luque
- Museum of Comparative Zoology and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520-8109, USA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa–Ancón, 0843-03092 Panamá, Panamá
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Lida Xing
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
- School of the Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Derek E. G. Briggs
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520-8109, USA
| | - Elizabeth G. Clark
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520-8109, USA
- Biology Department, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Alex Duque
- Computer Animation and Visual Effects, College of Communication and Design, Lynn University, 2601 North Military Trail, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA
| | - Junbo Hui
- Longyin Amber Museum, Xishan District, Kunming 650228, Yunnan, China
| | - Huijuan Mai
- Yunnan Key Laboratory for Palaeobiology, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, Yunnan, China
- MEC International Laboratory for Palaeobiology and Palaeoenvironment, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, Yunnan, China
| | - Ryan C. McKellar
- Royal Saskatchewan Museum, Regina, SK S4P 4W7, Canada
- Biology Department, University of Regina, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Clark EG, Hutchinson JR, Briggs DEG. Three-dimensional visualization as a tool for interpreting locomotion strategies in ophiuroids from the Devonian Hunsrück Slate. R Soc Open Sci 2020; 7:201380. [PMID: 33489281 PMCID: PMC7813258 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.201380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Living brittle stars (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) employ a very different locomotion strategy to that of any other metazoan: five or more arms coordinate powerful strides for rapid movement across the ocean floor. This mode of locomotion is reliant on the unique morphology and arrangement of multifaceted skeletal elements and associated muscles and other soft tissues. The skeleton of many Palaeozoic ophiuroids differs markedly from that in living forms, making it difficult to infer their mode of locomotion and, therefore, to resolve the evolutionary history of locomotion in the group. Here, we present three-dimensional digital renderings of specimens of six ophiuroid taxa from the Lower Devonian Hunsrück Slate: four displaying the arm structure typical of Palaeozoic taxa (Encrinaster roemeri, Euzonosoma tischbeinianum, Loriolaster mirabilis, Cheiropteraster giganteus) and two (Furcaster palaeozoicus, Ophiurina lymani) with morphologies more similar to those in living forms. The use of three-dimensional digital visualization allows the structure of the arms of specimens of these taxa to be visualized in situ in the round, to our knowledge for the first time. The lack of joint interfaces necessary for musculoskeletally-driven locomotion supports the interpretation that taxa with offset ambulacrals would not be able to conduct this form of locomotion, and probably used podial walking. This approach promises new insights into the phylogeny, functional morphology and ecological role of Palaeozoic brittle stars.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- E. G. Clark
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, 210 Whitney Avenue, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - J. R. Hutchinson
- Structure and Motion Laboratory, Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, Hatfield, Hertfordshire AL9 7TA, UK
| | - D. E. G. Briggs
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, 210 Whitney Avenue, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
- Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Anderson RP, Tosca NJ, Cinque G, Frogley MD, Lekkas I, Akey A, Hughes GM, Bergmann KD, Knoll AH, Briggs DEG. Aluminosilicate haloes preserve complex life approximately 800 million years ago. Interface Focus 2020; 10:20200011. [PMID: 32642055 PMCID: PMC7333908 DOI: 10.1098/rsfs.2020.0011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Mudstone-hosted microfossils are a major component of the Proterozoic fossil record, particularly dominating the record of early eukaryotic life. Early organisms possessed no biomineralized parts to resist decay and controls on their fossilization in mudstones are poorly understood. Consequently, the Proterozoic fossil record is compromised-we do not know whether changing temporal/spatial patterns of microfossil occurrences reflect evolution or the distribution of favourable fossilization conditions. We investigated fossilization within the approximately 1000 Ma Lakhanda Group (Russia) and the approximately 800 Ma Svanbergfjellet and Wynniatt formations (Svalbard and Arctic Canada). Vertical sections of microfossils and surrounding matrices were extracted from thin sections by focused ion beam milling. Elemental mapping and synchrotron-based infrared microspectroscopy revealed that microfossils are surrounded by haloes rich in aluminium, probably hosted in kaolinite. Kaolinite has been implicated in Cambrian Burgess Shale-type (BST) fossilization and is known to slow the growth of degraders. The Neoproterozoic mudstone microfossil record may be biased to tropical settings conducive to kaolinite formation. These deposits lack metazoan fossils even though they share fossilization conditions with younger BST deposits that are capable of preserving non-mineralizing metazoans. Thus metazoans, at least those typically preserved in BST deposits, were probably absent from sedimentary environments before approximately 800 Ma.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ross P. Anderson
- All Souls College, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 4AL, UK
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3AN, UK
| | - Nicholas J. Tosca
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3AN, UK
| | - Gianfelice Cinque
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot OX11 ODE, UK
| | - Mark D. Frogley
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot OX11 ODE, UK
| | - Ioannis Lekkas
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot OX11 ODE, UK
| | - Austin Akey
- Center for Nanoscale Systems, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Gareth M. Hughes
- Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PH, UK
| | - Kristin D. Bergmann
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Andrew H. Knoll
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Derek E. G. Briggs
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Clark EG, Hutchinson JR, Bishop PJ, Briggs DEG. Arm waving in stylophoran echinoderms: three-dimensional mobility analysis illuminates cornute locomotion. R Soc Open Sci 2020; 7:200191. [PMID: 32742688 PMCID: PMC7353985 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.200191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Accepted: 05/12/2020] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
The locomotion strategies of fossil invertebrates are typically interpreted on the basis of morphological descriptions. However, it has been shown that homologous structures with disparate morphologies in extant invertebrates do not necessarily correlate with differences in their locomotory capability. Here, we present a new methodology for analysing locomotion in fossil invertebrates with a rigid skeleton through an investigation of a cornute stylophoran, an extinct fossil echinoderm with enigmatic morphology that has made its mode of locomotion difficult to reconstruct. We determined the range of motion of a stylophoran arm based on digitized three-dimensional morphology of an early Ordovician form, Phyllocystis crassimarginata. Our analysis showed that efficient arm-forward epifaunal locomotion based on dorsoventral movements, as previously hypothesized for cornute stylophorans, was not possible for this taxon; locomotion driven primarily by lateral movement of the proximal aulacophore was more likely. Three-dimensional digital modelling provides an objective and rigorous methodology for illuminating the movement capabilities and locomotion strategies of fossil invertebrates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth G. Clark
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - John R. Hutchinson
- Structure and Motion Laboratory, Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield AL9 7TA, UK
| | - Peter J. Bishop
- Structure and Motion Laboratory, Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield AL9 7TA, UK
- Geosciences Program, Queensland Museum, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Derek E. G. Briggs
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
- Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Mongiardino Koch N, Coppard SE, Lessios HA, Briggs DEG, Mooi R, Rouse GW. A phylogenomic resolution of the sea urchin tree of life. BMC Evol Biol 2018; 18:189. [PMID: 30545284 PMCID: PMC6293586 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-018-1300-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2018] [Accepted: 11/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Echinoidea is a clade of marine animals including sea urchins, heart urchins, sand dollars and sea biscuits. Found in benthic habitats across all latitudes, echinoids are key components of marine communities such as coral reefs and kelp forests. A little over 1000 species inhabit the oceans today, a diversity that traces its roots back at least to the Permian. Although much effort has been devoted to elucidating the echinoid tree of life using a variety of morphological data, molecular attempts have relied on only a handful of genes. Both of these approaches have had limited success at resolving the deepest nodes of the tree, and their disagreement over the positions of a number of clades remains unresolved. RESULTS We performed de novo sequencing and assembly of 17 transcriptomes to complement available genomic resources of sea urchins and produce the first phylogenomic analysis of the clade. Multiple methods of probabilistic inference recovered identical topologies, with virtually all nodes showing maximum support. In contrast, the coalescent-based method ASTRAL-II resolved one node differently, a result apparently driven by gene tree error induced by evolutionary rate heterogeneity. Regardless of the method employed, our phylogenetic structure deviates from the currently accepted classification of echinoids, with neither Acroechinoidea (all euechinoids except echinothurioids), nor Clypeasteroida (sand dollars and sea biscuits) being monophyletic as currently defined. We show that phylogenetic signal for novel resolutions of these lineages is strong and distributed throughout the genome, and fail to recover systematic biases as drivers of our results. CONCLUSIONS Our investigation substantially augments the molecular resources available for sea urchins, providing the first transcriptomes for many of its main lineages. Using this expanded genomic dataset, we resolve the position of several clades in agreement with early molecular analyses but in disagreement with morphological data. Our efforts settle multiple phylogenetic uncertainties, including the position of the enigmatic deep-sea echinothurioids and the identity of the sister clade to sand dollars. We offer a detailed assessment of evolutionary scenarios that could reconcile our findings with morphological evidence, opening up new lines of research into the development and evolutionary history of this ancient clade.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Simon E. Coppard
- Department of Biology, Hamilton College, Clinton, NY USA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Panama
| | | | - Derek E. G. Briggs
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT USA
- Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven, CT USA
| | - Rich Mooi
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Geology, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA USA
| | - Greg W. Rouse
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA USA
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Abstract
Recent studies in coastal wetlands have indicated that consumers may play an important role in regulating large-scale ecosystem processes. Predator removal experiments have shown significant differences in above-ground biomass production in the presence of higher level consumers, or predators. These results indicate that predators play an important role in regulating biomass production, but the extent to which this regulation impacts additional ecosystem functions, such as nutrient cycling and organic matter accumulation, is unclear. This study evaluated the impact that consumers have on large-scale ecosystem processes within southern New England tidal wetlands and contributes to the general understanding of trophic control in these systems. I established enclosure cages within three coastal wetlands and manipulated the presence of green crab predators to assess how trophic interactions affect ecosystem functions. Findings suggest that although these consumers may exert some top-down effects, other environmental factors, such as other consumers not studied here or bottom-up interactions, may variably play a larger role in the maintenance of ecosystem processes within the region. These results indicate that the loss of top-down control as an important mechanism influencing ecosystem functions may not hold for all wetlands along the full extent of the New England coastline.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexandria Moore
- School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|