An expert-based assessment of global threats and conservation measures for spiders

Despite the prominent role of spiders in most ecosystems, these invertebrates are still notably endangered as well as underrepresented in current conservation efforts. We sent a survey to spider experts and enthusiasts belonging to arachnological societies across the globe to determine the general consensus on globally relevant threats to spiders as well as the most relevant conservation measures. We report that respondents found agriculture, livestock farming & forestry, climate change, urbanisation and pollution (including pesticides) to be the most relevant threats to spider species worldwide. Likewise, land protection and education & awareness were considered the most relevant conservation measures to avoid species declines and extinctions. Although these results tend to be consistent across the biogeographic regions of expertise of respondents, there was significant variation between regions. We discuss the support and justification for the patterns found, their regional variations, and the relevance of threats and conservation measures. This is the first global roadmap for spider species conservation action and research. In general, land should be set aside for species protection, agroforestry practices should be carefully considered, climate change should be mitigated, and the general public should be made more aware of spiders, their importance and the threats they face.Peer reviewe

Automated Discovery of Relationships, Models, and Principles in Ecology

Ecological systems are the quintessential complex systems, involving numerous high-order interactions and non-linear relationships. The most used statistical modeling techniques can hardly accommodate the complexity of ecological patterns and processes. Finding hidden relationships in complex data is now possible using massive computational power, particularly by means of artificial intelligence and machine learning methods. Here we explored the potential of symbolic regression (SR), commonly used in other areas, in the field of ecology. Symbolic regression searches for both the formal structure of equations and the fitting parameters simultaneously, hence providing the required flexibility to characterize complex ecological systems. Although the method here presented is automated, it is part of a collaborative human-machine effort and we demonstrate ways to do it. First, we test the robustness of SR to extreme levels of noise when searching for the species-area relationship. Second, we demonstrate how SR can model species richness and spatial distributions. Third, we illustrate how SR can be used to find general models in ecology, namely new formulas for species richness estimators and the general dynamic model of oceanic island biogeography. We propose that evolving free-form equations purely from data, often without prior human inference or hypotheses, may represent a very powerful tool for ecologists and biogeographers to become aware of hidden relationships and suggest general theoretical models and principles.Peer reviewe

Towards establishment of a centralized spider traits database

A main goal of ecological and evolutionary biology is understanding and predicting interactions between populations and both abiotic and biotic environments, the spatial and temporal variation of these interactions, and the effects on population dynamics and performance. Trait-based approaches can help to model these interactions and generate a comprehensive understanding of ecosystem functioning. A central tool is the collation of databases that include species trait information. Such centralized databases have been set up for a number of organismal groups but is lacking for one of the most important groups of predators in terrestrial ecosystems - spiders. Here we promote the collation of an open spider traits database, integrated into the global Open Traits Network. We explore the current collation of spider data and cover the logistics of setting up a global database, including which traits to include, the source of data, how to input data, database governance, geographic cover, accessibility, quality control and how to make the database sustainable long-term. Finally, we explore the scope of research questions that could be investigated using a global spider traits database.Peer reviewe

Telomerase promoter mutations in cancer: an emerging molecular biomarker?

João Vinagre, Vasco Pinto and Ricardo Celestino contributed equally to the manuscript.Cell immortalization has been considered for a long time as a classic hallmark of cancer cells. Besides telomerase reactivation, such immortalization could be due to telomere maintenance through the “alternative mechanism of telomere lengthening” (ALT) but the mechanisms underlying both forms of reactivation remained elusive. Mutations in the coding region of telomerase gene are very rare in the cancer setting, despite being associated with some degenerative diseases. Recently, mutations in telomerase (TERT) gene promoter were found in sporadic and familial melanoma and subsequently in several cancer models, notably in gliomas, thyroid cancer and bladder cancer. The importance of these findings has been reinforced by the association of TERT mutations in some cancer types with tumour aggressiveness and patient survival. In the first part of this review, we summarize the data on the biology of telomeres and telomerase, available methodological approaches and non-neoplastic diseases associated with telomere dysfunction. In the second part, we review the information on telomerase expression and genetic alterations in the most relevant types of cancer (skin, thyroid, bladder and central nervous system) on record, and discuss the value of telomerase as a new biomarker with impact on the prognosis and survival of the patients and as a putative therapeutic target

Model for fatigue crack growth analysis

precisely. A literature review about analytical models showed a great number of models developed for specific materials and loading conditions. A numerical analysis of a CT specimen made of 304L stainless steel showed the complex influence of material parameters on FCG, which also depends on loading parameters, geometry and environmental conditions. Therefore an alternative to analytical models is proposed here, based on plastic CTOD, assuming that this is the crack driving force. A material law must be first obtained relating da/dN with plastic CTOD range, p, obtained numerically using the finite element method or experimentally using DIC. This law changes with material and includes all material parameters and also environmental conditions (temperature and atmosphere) . The design of a specific cracked component is made using numerical tools in order to obtain p for different crack lengths. This second analysis includes the effect of geometrical and loading parameters