Seagrass communities of the Great Barrier Reef and their desired state: applications for spatial planning and management

The research program reported here evolved from an interest in developing ecologically relevant target criteria that, if met, correspond to desired ecological outcomes (e.g. desired state) for the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (GBRWHA) and to achieving the overarching objective of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s Long-term Sustainability Plan. The objective of the original National Environment Science Program (NESP) Tropical Water Quality Hub (TWQ) Project 3.2.1 Deriving ecologically relevant load targets to meet desired ecosystem condition for the Great Barrier Reef: a case study for seagrass meadows in the Burdekin region was to examine relationships between catchment inputs of sediment and seagrass desired state, and to compare these against the 2018 Water Quality Improvement Plan’s ecological targets. This objective was met using a case study in Cleveland Bay based on sediment loads from the Burdekin River and other smaller catchments that discharge into the bay (Collier et al., 2020). The techniques developed in the Cleveland Bay case study are used in the present report at the scale of the whole GBRWHA for NESP TWQ Hub Project 5.4. To achieve this we followed three steps: (1) a consolidation and verification of seagrass data at the GBRWHA scale, (2) an analysis of the distribution of GBRWHA seagrass habitat and communities, and (3) an estimation of a desired state target for communities with sufficient data. To achieve step 1, we compiled and standardised 35 years of seagrass survey data in a spatial database, including 81,387 georeferenced data points. Twelve seagrass species were recorded, the deepest of which (Halophila spinulosa) was found at 76 m. This database is a valuable resource that provides coastal managers, researchers and the global marine community with a long-term spatial resource describing seagrass populations from the mid1980s against which to benchmark change. For step 2, we identified 88,331 km2 of potential seagrass habitat within the GBRWHA; 1,111 km2 in estuaries, 16,276 km2 in coastal areas, and 70,934 km2 in reef areas. Thirty-six seagrass community types were defined by species assemblages. The environmental conditions that structure the location and extent of these communities included depth, tidal exposure, latitude, current speed, benthic light, proportion of mud, water type, water temperature, salinity, and wind speed. Environmental parameters interact with the topography of the reef and changes in the coastal plain, its watersheds, and its development with latitude. We describe seagrass distributions and communities that are shaped by multiple combinations of these environmental complexities and how that may influence marine spatial planning and environmental protection initiatives (Chapter 3). For step 3, we used more than 20 years of historical data (1995-2018) on seagrass biomass for the diverse seagrass communities of the GBRWHA to develop desired state benchmarks. Of the 36 seagrass communities, desired state was identified for 25 of them, with the remainder having insufficient data. Desired state varied by more than one order of magnitude between community types, and was influenced by the mix of species in the communities and the range of environmental conditions that define community boundaries. We identified a historical, decadal-scale cycle of decline and recovery. Recovery to desired state has occurred for coastal intertidal communities following the most recent declines in 2008 - 2012. A number of the estuarine and coastal subtidal communities have not recovered to desired state biomass in recent years (Chapter 4). This body of work provides a huge step forward in our understanding of the complexities of GBRWHA seagrass communities. We discuss the relevance of these research outputs to future marine spatial planning and management. This includes zoning in “representative areas”, hierarchical monitoring design (e.g. RIMReP), and the setting of ecologically relevant sediment load targets for desired state (e.g. Lambert et al., 2019). The updated seagrass data, seagrass distribution, community classification and desired state targets provides important new information for incorporation into marine spatial planning and management that is discussed in Chapter 5. These applications include: • Future assessments of non-reef habitats within the GBRWHA and GBRMP. • Assessing how risk and spatial protection intersect with seagrass communities and the role they play in protecting seagrass, e.g. Queensland State and Commonwealth marine parks, Fish Habitat Areas, Dugong Protected Areas, Port Exclusion Zones. • Expanding our spatial analysis to areas ecologically connected but outside of the GBRWHA such as Torres Strait, the Gulf of Carpentaria, and Fraser Island coast, where we already have seagrass data. • Designing a hierarchical seagrass monitoring design with coarse scales (intertidal, subtidal, estuary, coast, reef) and fine scales (36 communities). We have identified significant knowledge gaps that should guide future monitoring efforts (e.g. RIMReP and Queensland Land and Sea Ranger Program), including a lack of consistent and recent data for reef seagrass communities. • We identified communities where data is deficient, such as in estuaries where important seagrass communities have potential exposure to multiple threats for which more consistent environmental data would be valuable. • Identifying potential restoration sites. Our work has highlighted the critical role of historical data in understanding spatial complexity and for making informed management decisions on the current state of seagrass in the GBRWHA. Our approach can be adapted for monitoring, management and assessment of pressures at other relevant scales and jurisdictions. Our results guide conservation planning through prioritisation of at-risk communities that are continuing to fail to attain desired state

Language, disfigurement, stigma and clothing

The language we use shapes the encounters we have with children, young people and their families. The words we choose carry power to support, label, positively affect or diminish self-esteem. The words we select either consciously or unconsciously have impact. Words are culturally, contextually and temporally bound. They are political, shifting both in response to situations and in order to reframe situations. Words evolve. Words that were acceptable and commonplace can soon be perceived as being demeaning, mocking and stigmatising. Words carry meaning. Assaultive speech can produce victimising effects (Butler, 1997). The notion that speech wounds relies on the inseparable and incongruous relation between body and speech. Importantly, as Butler (1997) tells us, efforts to establish the wounding power of certain words depends on who is interpreting what the words mean and what they perform. This raises concerns about which words wound and which representations offend

FGFR2 amplification in colorectal adenocarcinoma

FGFR2 is recurrently amplified in 5% of gastric cancers and 1%–4% of breast cancers; however, this molecular alteration has never been reported in a primary colorectal cancer specimen. Preclinical studies indicate that several FGFR tyrosine-kinase inhibitors (TKIs), such as AZD4547, have in vitro activity against the FGFR2-amplified colorectal cell line, NCI-H716. The efficacy of these inhibitors is currently under investigation in clinical trials for breast and gastric cancer. Thus, better characterizing colorectal tumors for FGFR2 amplification could identify a subset of patients who may benefit from FGFR TKI therapies. Here, we describe a novel FGFR2 amplification identified by clinical next-generation sequencing in a primary colorectal cancer. Further characterization of the tumor by immunohistochemistry showed neuroendocrine differentiation, similar to the reported properties of the NCI-H716 cell line. These findings demonstrate that the spectrum of potentially clinically actionable mutations detected by targeted clinical sequencing panels is not limited to only single-nucleotide polymorphisms and insertions/deletions but also to copy-number alterations.</jats:p

Observations on Bats from Trinidad, with a Checklist of Species Occurring on the Island

In their comprehensive treatment of the bats of Trinidad, Goodwin and Greenhall (1961) reported 58 species from the island. Subsequent authors (Goodwin and Greenhall, 1962, 1964; Genoways et al., 1973a; LaVal, 1973a, 1973b) have added some species to the list and changed the status of others so that the known chiropteran fauna of Trinidad now comprises 64 species: five emballonurids, one noctilionid, four mormoopids, 36 phyllostomids (see Handley, 1980, for family-group names), one natalid, one furipterid, one thyropterid, seven vespertilionids, and eight molossids. Among the phyllostomids, the subfamilies Phyllostominae (15) and Stenodermatinae (14) are the best represented, whereas only a few species of the other three subfamilies Glossophaginae (four), Carolliinae (one), and Desmodontinae (two)-are present. In this paper, we report additional data on 55 species. These data add to the available information concerning distribution, reproduction, and molt. Where appropriate, we have included taxonomic comments on the status of Trinidadian populations. Material reported here is the result of three collecting trips to Trinidad led by R.J. Baker

Increased cytotoxicity of oxidized flame soot

AbstractCombustion–generated particles released into the atmosphere undergo reactions with oxidants, which can change the particles’ physiochemical characteristics. In this work, we compare the physical and chemical properties and cellular response of particles fresh from a flame with those oxidized by ozone and nitrogen dioxide. The reaction with ozone and nitrogen dioxide does not significantly modify the physical characteristics of the particles (primary particle size, fractal dimension, and surface area). However, oxidation affects the chemical characteristics of the particles, creating more oxygen and nitrogen containing functional groups, and increases their hydrophilicity. In addition, oxidized soot generates more reactive oxygen species, as measured by the dithiothreitol (DTT) assay. Furthermore, oxidized soot is 1.5 – 2 times more toxic than soot that was not reacted with ozone, but the inflammatory response, measured by interleukin–8 (IL–8) secretion, is unchanged. These results imply that combustion–generated particles released into the atmosphere will have an increased toxicity on or after high ozone days

A spatial analysis of seagrass habitat and community diversity in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area

The Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (GBRWHA) in north eastern Australia spans 2,500 km of coastline and covers an area of ~350,000 km2. It includes one of the world’s largest seagrass resources. To provide a foundation to monitor, establish trends and manage the protection of seagrass meadows in the GBRWHA we quantified potential seagrass community extent using six random forest models that include environmental data and seagrass sampling history. We identified 88,331 km2 of potential seagrass habitat in intertidal and subtidal areas: 1,111 km2 in estuaries, 16,276 km2 in coastal areas, and 70,934 km2 in reef areas. Thirty-six seagrass community types were defined by species assemblages within these habitat types using multivariate regression tree models. We show that the structure, location and distribution of the seagrass communities is the result of complex environmental interactions. These environmental conditions include depth, tidal exposure, latitude, current speed, benthic light, proportion of mud in the sediment, water type, water temperature, salinity, and wind speed. Our analysis will underpin spatial planning, can be used in the design of monitoring programs to represent the diversity of seagrass communities and will facilitate our understanding of environmental risk to these habitats

Independent evolution of neurotoxin and flagellar genetic loci in proteolytic Clostridium botulinum

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Proteolytic <it>Clostridium botulinum </it>is the causative agent of botulism, a severe neuroparalytic illness. Given the severity of botulism, surprisingly little is known of the population structure, biology, phylogeny or evolution of <it>C. botulinum</it>. The recent determination of the genome sequence of <it>C. botulinum </it>has allowed comparative genomic indexing using a DNA microarray.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Whole genome microarray analysis revealed that 63% of the coding sequences (CDSs) present in reference strain ATCC 3502 were common to all 61 widely-representative strains of proteolytic <it>C. botulinum </it>and the closely related <it>C. sporogenes </it>tested. This indicates a relatively stable genome. There was, however, evidence for recombination and genetic exchange, in particular within the neurotoxin gene and cluster (including transfer of neurotoxin genes to <it>C. sporogenes</it>), and the flagellar glycosylation island (FGI). These two loci appear to have evolved independently from each other, and from the remainder of the genetic complement. A number of strains were atypical; for example, while 10 out of 14 strains that formed type A1 toxin gave almost identical profiles in whole genome, neurotoxin cluster and FGI analyses, the other four strains showed divergent properties. Furthermore, a new neurotoxin sub-type (A5) has been discovered in strains from heroin-associated wound botulism cases. For the first time, differences in glycosylation profiles of the flagella could be linked to differences in the gene content of the FGI.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Proteolytic <it>C. botulinum </it>has a stable genome backbone containing specific regions of genetic heterogeneity. These include the neurotoxin gene cluster and the FGI, each having evolved independently of each other and the remainder of the genetic complement. Analysis of these genetic components provides a high degree of discrimination of strains of proteolytic <it>C. botulinum</it>, and is suitable for clinical and forensic investigations of botulism outbreaks.</p

Utilization of Never-Medicated Bipolar Disorder Patients towards Development and Validation of a Peripheral Biomarker Profile

There are currently no biological tests that differentiate patients with bipolar disorder (BPD) from healthy controls. While there is evidence that peripheral gene expression differences between patients and controls can be utilized as biomarkers for psychiatric illness, it is unclear whether current use or residual effects of antipsychotic and mood stabilizer medication drives much of the differential transcription. We therefore tested whether expression changes in first-episode, never-medicated BPD patients, can contribute to a biological classifier that is less influenced by medication and could potentially form a practicable biomarker assay for BPD. We employed microarray technology to measure global leukocyte gene expression in first-episode (n=3) and currently medicated BPD patients (n=26), and matched healthy controls (n=25). Following an initial feature selection of the microarray data, we developed a cross-validated 10-gene model that was able to correctly predict the diagnostic group of the training sample (26 medicated patients and 12 controls), with 89% sensitivity and 75% specificity (p<0.001). The 10-gene predictor was further explored via testing on an independent cohort consisting of three pairs of monozygotic twins discordant for BPD, plus the original enrichment sample cohort (the three never-medicated BPD patients and 13 matched control subjects), and a sample of experimental replicates (n=34). 83% of the independent test sample was correctly predicted, with a sensitivity of 67% and specificity of 100% (although this result did not reach statistical significance). Additionally, 88% of sample diagnostic classes were classified correctly for both the enrichment (p=0.015) and the replicate samples (p<0.001). We have developed a peripheral gene expression biomarker profile, that can classify healthy controls from patients with BPD receiving antipsychotic or mood stabilizing medication, which has both high sensitivity and specificity. Moreover, assay of three first-episode patients who had never received such medications, to first enrich the expression dataset for disease-related genes independent of medication effects, and then to test the 10-gene predictor, validates the peripheral biomarker approach for BPD

An evaluation of Minor Groove Binders as anti-lung cancer therapeutics

A series of 47 structurally diverse MGBs, derived from the natural product distamycin, was evaluated for anti-lung cancer activity by screening against the melanoma cancer cell line B16-F10. Five compounds have been found to possess significant activity, more so than a standard therapy, Gemcitabine. Moreover, one compound has been found to have an activity around 70-fold that of Gemcitabine and has a favourable selectivity index of greater than 125. Furthermore, initial studies have revealed this compound to be metabolically stable and thus it represents a lead for further optimisation towards a novel treatment for lung cance