The challenge of securing future food production for aquaculture species under environmental change: enhancing physiological performance under environmental stress

Rising sea surface temperatures and ocean acidification present profound challenges for many marine species, leading to cascading effects on ecosystem functionality and food security. Phenotypic plasticity is anticipated to play a key role in helping marine ectotherms maintain performance and acclimate to changes in these global environmental drivers. However, our understanding of phenotypic plasticity in the context of climate change is largely based on short-term studies, with limited ecological relevance, which often overlook some important response modifiers such as environmental context, exposure nature, reproductive modes, and potential trade-offs between fitness components. As a result, the full potential for marine ectotherms to exhibit physiological acclimation within and across generations remains not well understood. This thesis addresses this knowledge gap by investigating the extent of physiological plasticity in key intertidal species, which are crucial for both ecological and commercial purposes, considering such response modifiers. Different species are exposed to ocean warming (OW) and/or ocean acidification (OA) across various life-cycle stages. I first characterize metabolic plasticity in adult intertidal gastropods after exposure to OW and OA, exploring the effects of exposure length (over 12 months) and seasonal dynamics on metabolic responses (Chapter 2). I then assess the cost of thermal acclimation in adults of two gastropods with different reproductive modes, examining the potential trade-off between scope for growth (SfG), reproduction, and survival in relation to reproductive mode and the magnitude of temperature change (Chapter 3). I also compare the effects of two thermal regimes different in their nature (repeated heat shocks vs chronic warming) on thermal tolerance and performance in adults of a commercial gastropod, characterizing differences in condition index and thermal performance and tolerance traits (Chapter 4). Lastly, I evaluate the effects of exposing parents of a commercially important gastropod to these 7 thermal regimes (applied in Chapter 4) on offspring thermal performance developed under two temperatures (15 °C or 20 °C), exploring the potential for parental effects and/or developmental plasticity (Chapter 5). My findings reveal several important insights. Firstly, the interactive effects of OW and OA on metabolism of gastropods were observed only after 6 months of exposure under summer conditions, with species-specific responses. Metabolic changes were intricately linked to how species respond to seasonal environmental fluctuations, either exacerbating or mitigating the consequences of stressors. Secondly, a trade-off between SfG, reproduction, and survival during thermal acclimation was observed, where the pattern was dependent on temperature change magnitude and reproductive mode. Thirdly, the nature of the thermal regime influenced adult responses as, while both thermal regimes (repeated heat shocks or chronic warming) resulted in higher thermal tolerance compared with control, differences in the measured traits indicated different mechanisms were at play, and differences in the overall cost of exposure. Finally, chronically warmed parents showed an increase in maternal provisioning, however reduced hatching success, larval development, and overall performance regardless of developmental conditions. Conversely, heat-hardened parents produced eggs of a smaller average size, yet they exhibited comparable hatching success to control parents. When compared to offspring from control parents, those from heat-hardened parents demonstrated heightened overall physiological performance under warm developmental conditions across stages. Overall, my results provide valuable insights for understanding the capacity for physiological acclimation within and across generations of important mollusc species, with promising effects of heat hardening on thermal performance in both parents and their offspring. This knowledge is paramount for better conservation and commercial sustainability management of our marine resources under predicted climate change scenarios

I am here - the collective experience, impacts and sense-making from a shared Summer School experience

This paper aims to offer a practice-inspired contribution to reflect on the role of extracurricular activities in the journey of academics, in particular PhD students, by describing and analysing a particular lived experience at the European Educational Research Summer School. Held at the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences of the University of Porto, Portugal, it focused on “Participatory Approaches in Educational Research”. Being a group of two tutors and six doctoral students, we depict some of the impacts the week had on all participants while sharing and reflecting on the potential of participatory research and processes in both individual projects and collective experience. The group mobilised arts-based research methodologies to start a reflexive dialogue about the transitioning process from doctoral student to becoming a researcher. Inspired by Photovoice (Wang & Burris, 1997) and Image Theatre (Boal, 2002), attending to the multiplicity of our collective visions, voices, and experiences, we endeavoured to foster a safe and creative space for collaboration where thoughts and feelings could be collectively experienced and reflected upon. The use of arts-based research, the rapid growth of trust within the group, and the agency that was felt andtaken up by the participants were the main themes identified in our analysis, which were at the heart of the unexpected way the week unfolded

Physical Activity Patterns Within Dementia Care Dyads

Previous research has explored the physical activity habits of people with dementia and their family carers separately, with little consideration of how physical habits are associated within dyads. In this observational study, we sought to explore the relationship between people with dementia and their carers\u27 physical activity, at a group level and at a dyadic level. Twenty-six participant dyads (persons with dementia and their carer spouses) were asked to wear an accelerometer for 30 days continuously. Comparisons were made at a group level and a dyadic level. People with dementia did not participate in significantly more moderate to vigorous physical activity (M = 15.44 min/day; SD = 14.40) compared with carers (M = 17.95 min/day; SD = 17.01). Within dyads, there were moderately strong associations between daily moderate to vigorous physical activity (r = .48-.54), but not with overall activity levels (r = .24). Despite physical activity habits remaining relatively low within people with dementia and carers, respectively, moderate to vigorous physical activity levels appear to be correlated within dyads. Understanding mutual influence on physical activity levels within dyads is an important pathway to promote an active lifestyle

Transient aseismic vertical deformation across the steeply-dipping Pisia-Skinos normal fault (Gulf of Corinth, Greece)

Geodetically-derived deformation rates are sometimes used to infer seismic hazard, implicitly assuming that short-term (annual-decadal) deformation is representative of longer-term deformation. This is despite geological observations indicating that deformation/slip rates are variable over a range of timescales. Using geodetic data from 2016-2021, we observe an up to 7-fold increase in vertical deformation rate in mid-2019 across the Pisia-Skinos normal fault in Greece. We hypothesise that this deformation is aseismic as there is no temporally correlated increase in the earthquake activity (M\u3e1). We explore four possible physical mechanisms, and our preferred hypothesis is that the transient deformation is caused by centimetre-scale slip in the upper 5km of the Pisia fault zone. This is the first observation of shallow tectonic (i.e. not related to human activities) aseismic deformation on a normal fault globally. Our results suggest that continental normal faults can exhibit variable deformation over shorter timescales than previously observed, and thus care should be taken when utilising geodetic rates to quantify seismic hazard

Psychotropic medicines\u27 prevalence, patterns and effects on cognitive and physical function in older adults with intellectual disability in Ireland

Background The frequent prescribing of psychotropics and high prevalence of polypharmacy among older adults with intellectual disabilities require close monitoring. Aims To describe change in prevalence, predictors and health outcomes of psychotropic use during the four waves (2009/2010, 2013/2014, 2016/2017, 2019/2020) of the Intellectual Disability Supplement to the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (IDS-TILDA). Method Eligible participants were adults (≥40 years) with intellectual disabilities who participated in all four waves of IDS-TILDA and who reported medication use for the entire period. Differences between groups were tested using Cochran\u27s Q test for binary variables and the McNemar-Bowker test for variables with more than two categories. Generalised estimating equation models were used to assess associations between psychotropic use, participants\u27 characteristics and health outcomes. Results Across waves (433 participants) there were no significant differences in prevalence of psychotropic use (61.2-64.2%) and psychotropic polypharmacy (42.7-38.3%). Antipsychotics were the most used subgroup, without significant change in prevalence between waves (47.6-44.6%). A significant decrease was observed for anxiolytics (26.8-17.6%; P \u3c 0.001) and hypnotics/sedatives (14.1-9.0%; P \u3c 0.05). A significant increase was recorded for antidepressants (28.6-35.8%; P \u3c 0.001) and mood-stabilising agents (11.5-14.6%; P \u3c 0.05). Psychotropic polypharmacy (≥2 psychotropics) was significantly associated with moderate to total dependence in performing activities of daily living over the 10-year period (OR = 1.80, 95% CI 1.21-2.69; P \u3c 0.05). Conclusions The study indicates an increase in usage of some classes of psychotropic, a reduction in others and no change in the relatively high rate of antipsychotic use over 10 years in a cohort of older adults with intellectual disabilities and consequent risk of psychotropic polypharmacy and medication-related harm

Meeting reports

Learning is productive when people with acommon interest come together. The second2-day training event to discuss EducationalResearch in the Biosciences was a collaborationbetween the Biochemical Society and theAnatomical Society. Twenty-five educators(from the UK, Ireland, and the USA) assembledto discuss how to design, evaluate, and publishnew research projects in bioscience education.The workshops were built around collaborativedesign through group discussions, whichprovided an environment to facilitate researchcollaborations and share knowledge onspecific topics of interest. Facilitators sharedtheir experiences and guided the attendees indeveloping their research ideas. The interactionsbetween facilitators and participants wereextremely productive, resulting in learning forboth groups

Incidence of diabetes after SARS-CoV-2 infection in England and the implications of COVID-19 vaccination: a retrospective cohort study of 16 million people

Background Some studies have shown that the incidence of type 2 diabetes increases after a diagnosis of COVID-19,although the evidence is not conclusive. However, the effects of the COVID-19 vaccine on this association, or theeffect on other diabetes subtypes, are not clear. We aimed to investigate the association between COVID-19 andincidence of type 2, type 1, gestational and non-specific diabetes, and the effect of COVID- 19 vaccination, up to52 weeks after diagnosis.Methods In this retrospective cohort study, we investigated the diagnoses of incident diabetes following COVID-19diagnosis in England in a pre-vaccination, vaccinated, and unvaccinated cohort using linked electronic health records.People alive and aged between 18 years and 110 years, registered with a general practitioner for at least 6 months beforebaseline, and with available data for sex, region, and area deprivation were included. Those with a previous COVID-19diagnosis were excluded. We estimated adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) comparing diabetes incidence afterCOVID-19 diagnosis with diabetes incidence before or in the absence of COVID-19 up to 102 weeks after diagnosis.Results were stratified by COVID-19 severity (categorised as hospitalised or non-hospitalised) and diabetes type.Findings 16669 943 people were included in the pre-vaccination cohort (Jan 1, 2020–Dec 14, 2021), 12279669 in thevaccinated cohort, and 3 076953 in the unvaccinated cohort (both June 1–Dec 14, 2021). In the pre-vaccination cohort,aHRs for the incidence of type 2 diabetes after COVID-19 (compared with before or in the absence of diagnosis)declined from 4·30 (95% CI 4·06–4·55) in weeks 1–4 to 1·24 (1·14–1.35) in weeks 53–102. aHRs were higher in unvaccinated people (8·76 [7·49–10·25]) than in vaccinated people (1·66 [1·50–1·84]) in weeks 1–4 and in patientshospitalised with COVID-19 (pre-vaccination cohort 28·3 [26·2–30·5]) in weeks 1–4 declining to 2·04 [1·72–2·42] in weeks 53–102) than in those who were not hospitalised (1·95 [1·78–2·13] in weeks 1–4 declining to 1·11 [1·01–1·22]in weeks 53–102). Type 2 diabetes persisted for 4 months after COVID-19 in around 60% of those diagnosed. Patterns were similar for type 1 diabetes, although excess incidence did not persist beyond 1 year after a COVID-19 diagnosis.Interpretation Elevated incidence of type 2 diabetes after COVID-19 is greater, and persists for longer, in people whowere hospitalised with COVID-19 than in those who were not, and is markedly less apparent in people who have beenvaccinated against COVID-19. Testing for type 2 diabetes after severe COVID-19 and the promotion of vaccination areimportant tools in addressing this public health problem

Heat hardening improves thermal tolerance in abalone, without the trade-offs associated with chronic heat exposure

Marine animals are challenged by chronically raised temperatures alongside an increased frequency of discrete, severe warming events. Exposure to repeated heat shocks could result in heat hardening, where sub-lethal exposure to thermal stress temporarily enhances thermotolerance, and may be an important mechanism by which marine species will cope with future thermal challenges. However, we have relatively little understanding of the effects of heat hardening in comparison to chronic exposure to elevated temperatures. Therefore, we compared the effects of heat hardening from repeated exposure to acute heat shocks and chronic exposure to elevated temperatures on thermal tolerance in the European abalone, Haliotis tuberculata. Adult abalones were exposed to either control temperature (15 °C), chronic warming (20 °C) or a regime of two events of repeated acute heat shock cycles (23–25 °C) during six months, and their thermal tolerance and performance, based upon cardiac activity, compared using a dynamic ramping assay. The cost associated with each treatment was also estimated via measurements of condition index (CI). Abalone exposed to both temperature treatments had higher upper thermal limits than the control, but heat-hardened individuals had significantly higher CI values, indicating an enhancement in condition status. Differences in the shape of the thermal performance curve suggest different mechanisms may be at play under different temperature exposure treatments. We conclude that heat hardening can boost thermal tolerance in this species, without performance trade-offs associated with chronic warming

Dev-ResNet

Delineating developmental events is central to experimental research using early life stages, permitting widespread identification of changes in event timing between species and environments. Yet, identifying developmental events is incredibly challenging, limiting the scale, reproducibility and throughput of using early life stages in experimental biology.We introduce Dev-ResNet, a small and efficient 3D convolutional neural network capable of detecting developmental events characterised by both spatial and temporal features, such as the onset of cardiac function and radula activity. We demonstrate the efficacy of Dev-ResNet using 10 diverse functional events throughout the embryonic development of the great pond snail, Lymnaea stagnalis. Dev-ResNet was highly effective in detecting the onset of all events, including the identification of thermally induced decoupling of event timings. Dev-ResNet has broad applicability given the ubiquity of bioimaging in developmental biology, and the transferability of deep learning, and so we provide comprehensive scripts and documentation for applying Dev-ResNet to different biological systems

A global meta-analysis of ecological effects from offshore marine artificial structures

Marine artificial structures (MAS), including oil and gas installations (O&G) and offshore wind farms (OWFs), have a finite operational period. Selecting the most suitable decommissioning options when reaching end-of-life remains a challenge, in part because their effects are still largely undetermined. Whether decommissioned structures could act (sensu ‘function’) as artificial reefs (ARs) and provide desired ecological benefits is of particular interest. Here we use a meta-analysis approach of 531 effect sizes from 109 articles to assess the ecological effects of MAS, comparing O&G and OWFs to shipwrecks and ARs, with a view to inform their decommissioning. This synthesis demonstrates that while MAS can bring ecological benefits, important idiosyncrasies exist, with differences emerging between MAS types, habitat types, taxa and ecological metrics. Notably, we find limited conclusive evidence that O&G and OWFs would provide significant ecological benefits if decommissioned as ARs. We conclude that decommissioning options aimed at repurposing MAS into ARs may not provide the intended benefits