Using life-history traits to explain bird population responses to changing weather variability

Bird population dynamics are expected to change in response to increased weather variability, an expression of climate change. The extent to which species are sensitive to effects of weather on survival and reproduction depends on their life-history traits. We investigated how breeding bird species can be grouped, based on their life-history traits and according to weather-correlated population dynamics. We developed and applied the linear trait–environment method (LTE), which is a modified version of the fourth-corner method. Despite our focus on single traits, 2 strategies—combinations of several traits—stand out. As expected, breeding populations of waterfowl species are negatively impacted by severe winters directly preceding territory monitoring, probably because of increased adult mortality. Waterfowl species combine several traits: they often breed at ground or water level, feed on plant material, are precocial and are generally short-distance or partial migrants. Furthermore, we found a decline in population growth rates of insectivorous long-distance migrants due to mild winters and warm springs in the year before territory monitoring, which may be caused by reduced reproduction due to trophic mismatches. We identify species that are expected to show the most significant responses to changing weather variability, assuming that our conclusions are based on causal relationships and that the way species, weather variables and habitat interact will not alter. Species expected to respond positively can again be roughly categorized as waterfowl species, while insectivorous long-distance migrants are mostly expected to respond negatively. As species traits play an important role in constructing functional groups that are relevant to the provisioning of ecosystem services, our study enables the incorporation of ecosystem vulnerability to climate change into such functional approache

Versnippering en klimaatverandering: hoe maken we de EHS climate change-proof?

Klimaatverandering beinvloedt de Nederlandse natuur. Soorten reageren door noordwaarts te verhuizen. Van belang is, dat ze daar de ruimte toe hebben, en niet gehinderd worden door de versnippering van de huidige natuurgebieden. De auteur houdt zich in haar promotiewerk bezig met het vinden van de knelpunten, die de Ecologische Hoofdstructuur oplevert. Verspreidingsdata van Vlinderstichting en SOVON gaan gekoppeld worden aan data van de KNMI over de afgelopen eeu

Designation of Potential Excavation Zones Suitable for Mining - Modelling Different Types of Land Uses; MINATURA2020 Hungarian Case Study (Tállya Region)

The exploitation of minerals in Europe is an indispensable activity to ensure that the present and future needs of the European society can be met. This means that sufficient access is required to explore and exploit minerals. At the same time the mineral requirements of our society must be met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Accordingly, potentially exploitable mineral deposits (known deposits, abandoned mines and historical mining sites) need to be assessed against other land uses, taking into account criteria such as habitats, other environmental concerns, priorities for settlements, etc. Decisions on the development or management of these diverse land uses requires adequate consideration of their significance and the exclusiveness (MINATURA2020 press release 2015). A strategic national land-use planning policy for minerals requires reliable geological information on the known or potential deposits in order to safeguard resources and their environments from unnecessary sterilisation (ADWG 2014). A new EU project entitled MINATURA 2020 (www.minatura.eu) – Developing a concept for a European minerals deposit framework, funded within the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 Programme, was launched in the beginning of 2015 as a response to social needs to safeguard mineral deposits of public importance for the future. The exploitation of indigenous mineral deposits in Europe is essential if we are to ensure that the needs of European society can be satisfied in a sustainable manner

Linking bayesian belief networks and GIS to assess the ecosystem integrity in the brazilian Amazon.

Deforestation and climate change heavily impact the ecosystem of the Amazon rainforest threatening its resilience and the sustainability of many human activities. Land protection may prevent ecosystems and their services to deteriorate from the pressures of agricultural expansion, population growth and wood harvesting. In the Brazilian Amazon land protection occurs in several forms such as environmental conservation, setting biodiversity priority areas and the delineation of indigenous lands. Still, the effects are not clear as understanding of the ecosystems is incomplete and responses to human actions are highly uncertain. Bayesian Belief Networks (BBN) are models that probabilistically represent correlative and causal relationships among variables. BBNs have been successfully applied to natural resource management to address environmental management problems and to assess the impact of alternative management measures. By training the probabilistic relationships using field data, Remote Sensing data and GIS data the BBN can provide information on the ecosystems: the ecosystem integrity and their likely response to climate change or alternative management actions. An increasing number of studies train and apply BBNs with evidence originating from GIS data; a cumbersome and error prone soft-linking method requiring manual conversion of data files between the BBN and GIS software systems. This paper presents the full integration of a BBN software system within an existing GIS based Discussion Support System (DSS) illustrated by the case of the ecosystem integrity of the Brazilian amazon. The full integration speeds up the processing and thereby allows doing multiple runs within a short period of time such as a stakeholder workshop. Each consecutive run is based upon insights from a previous one. Furthermore, the DSS provides the management of different options, visualize spatial summaries and trade-offs between different impact indicators and see regional differences

Imaging subsurface damage of grinded fused silica optics by confocal fluorescence microscopy

International audienceWe report an experimental investigation of fluorescence confocal microscopy as a tool to measure subsurface damage on grinded fused silica optics. Confocal fluorescence microscopy was performed with an excitation at the wavelength of 405 nm on fixed abrasive diamond grinded fused silica samples. We detail the measured fluorescence spectrums and compare them to those of oil based coolants and grinding slurries. We evidence that oil based coolant used in diamond grinding induces a fluorescence that marks the subsurface damages and eases its observation. Such residual traces might also be involved in the laser damage process

Rab4b Is a Small GTPase Involved in the Control of the Glucose Transporter GLUT4 Localization in Adipocyte

Endosomal small GTPases of the Rab family, among them Rab4a, play an essential role in the control of the glucose transporter GLUT4 trafficking, which is essential for insulin-mediated glucose uptake. We found that adipocytes also expressed Rab4b and we observed a consistent decrease in the expression of Rab4b mRNA in human and mice adipose tissue in obese diabetic states. These results led us to study this poorly characterized Rab member and its potential role in glucose transport.We used 3T3-L1 adipocytes to study by imaging approaches the localization of Rab4b and to determine the consequence of its down regulation on glucose uptake and endogenous GLUT4 location. We found that Rab4b was localized in endosomal structures in preadipocytes whereas in adipocytes it was localized in GLUT4 and in VAMP2-positive compartments, and also in endosomal compartments containing the transferrin receptor (TfR). When Rab4b expression was decreased with specific siRNAs by two fold, an extent similar to its decrease in obese diabetic subjects, we observed a small increase (25%) in basal deoxyglucose uptake and a more sustained increase (40%) in presence of submaximal and maximal insulin concentrations. This increase occurred without any change in GLUT4 and GLUT1 expression levels and in the insulin signaling pathways. Concomitantly, GLUT4 but not TfR amounts were increased at the plasma membrane of basal and insulin-stimulated adipocytes. GLUT4 seemed to be targeted towards its non-endosomal sequestration compartment.Taken our results together, we conclude that Rab4b is a new important player in the control of GLUT4 trafficking in adipocytes and speculate that difference in its expression in obese diabetic states could act as a compensatory effect to minimize the glucose transport defect in their adipocytes

Het percentage regionaal eiwit in het Nederlandse mengvoer : actualisatie voor 2018

Wageningen University & Research onderzocht de herkomst van eiwitrijke diervoedergrondstoffen (>154 g/kg ruw eiwit) in het Nederlandse mengvoer voor de jaren 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015 en 2018. Daarbij werd 'regionaal geproduceerde eiwit' gedefinieerd als eiwit in diervoeder, geleverd door eiwitrijke grondstoffen die afkomstig zijn van in Europa geteelde gewassen. Gegevens over de gebruikte hoeveelheden grondstoffen, eiwitgehaltes van deze producten en hun oorsprong (regionaal versus niet-regionaal) zijn gecombineerd om het aandeel regionaal geproduceerde eiwitten in de vijf grootste Nederlandse veehouderijsectoren (melkvee, vleesvee, varkenshouderij, leghennen en vleespluimvee) te verkrijgen, alsmede voor de veehouderij als geheel. De regionaal geproduceerde volumes eiwitrijke diervoedergrondstoffen werden berekend als eiwitvolume en totaal volume. In deze studie ligt de focus op eiwit afkomstig uit mengvoergrondstoffen en is eiwit afkomstig uit ruwvoer en enkelvoudige grondstoffen buiten beschouwing gelaten. Wel is een variant doorgerekend waarin ook de hoeveelheid eiwit uit eiwitrijke vochtrijke diervoeders is meegenomen. Op basis van eiwitvolume was het aandeel eiwit afkomstig van eiwitrijke diervoedergrondstoffen van regionale oorsprong in mengvoeders voor alle diercategorieën samen 39% in 2011, 41% in 2013, 48% in 2014, 38% in 2015 en 47% in 2018. Wanneer ook eiwitrijke vochtrijke bijproducten worden meegenomen, was het aandeel eiwit van regionale oorsprong in 2018 50%. Als we kijken naar de herkomst van het eiwit uit alle mengvoergrondstoffen, waarbij we dus ook de grondstoffen meenemen met minder dan 154 g/kg ruw eiwit zoals de granen, dan blijkt over de periode 2011 - 2018 dat 56 tot 65% van het eiwit in mengvoer van regionale herkomst is

Using STED and ELSM confocal microscopy for a better knowledge of fused silica polished glass interface

International audienceCharacteristics and nature of close surface defects existing in fused silica polished optical surfaces were explored. Samples were deliberately scratched using a modified polishing process in presence of different fluorescent dyes. Various techniques including Epi-fluorescence Laser Scanning Mode (ELSM) or STimulated Emission Depletion (STED) confocal microscopy were used to measure and quantify scratches that are sometimes embedded under the polished layer. We show using a non-destructive technique that depth of the modified region extends far below the surface. Moreover cracks of 120 nm width can be present ten micrometers below the surface