Site Selection for Coral Reef Restoration Using Airborne Imaging Spectroscopy

Over the past decade, coral restoration efforts have increased as reefs continue to decline at unprecedented rates. Identifying suitable coral outplanting locations to maximize coral survival continues to be one of the biggest challenges for restoration practitioners. Here, we demonstrate methods of using derivatives from imaging spectroscopy from the Global Airborne Observatory (GAO) to identify suitable coral outplant sites and report on the survival rates of restored coral at those sites. Outplant sites for a community-based, citizen science outplant event in Bávaro, Dominican Republic, were identified using expert-defined criteria applied to a suitability model from data layers derived from airborne imagery. Photo quadrat analysis of the benthic community confirmed the accuracy of airborne remote sensing maps with live coral cover averaging 3.5–4% and mean algal cover (macro algae and turf) ranging from 28 to 32%. Coral outplant sites were selected at 3–7 m depth with maximized levels of habitat complexity (i.e., rugosity) and live coral cover and minimized levels of macroalgal cover, as predicted by the imaging spectrometer data. In November 2019, 1,722 Acropora cervicornis fragments (80–180 mm in length) were outplanted to these sites. Surveys conducted in January 2020 in four of these sites confirmed that 92% of outplants survived after 3 months. By October 2020 (11 months after outplanting), survivorship remained above 76%. These results demonstrate higher than average success rates for coral outplant survival for this species. An online tool was developed to enable replication and facilitate future selection of coral restoration sites. Our objective is to present a case study that uses GAO-derived map products within a suitability model framework to provide a quantitative and replicable method for selecting coral restoration sites with the goal of increasing outplant survival over time

Regional High-Resolution Benthic Habitat Data From Planet Dove Imagery For Conservation Decision-Making and Marine Planning

High-resolution benthic habitat data fill an important knowledge gap for many areas of the world and are essential for strategic marine conservation planning and implementing effective resource management. Many countries lack the resources and capacity to create these products, which has hindered the development of accurate ecological baselines for assessing protection needs for coastal and marine habitats and monitoring change to guide adaptive management actions. The PlanetScope (PS) Dove Classic SmallSat constellation delivers high-resolution imagery (4 m) and near-daily global coverage that facilitates the compilation of a cloud-free and optimal water column image composite of the Caribbean’s nearshore environment. These data were used to develop a first-of-its-kind regional thirteen-class benthic habitat map to 30 m water depth using an object-based image analysis (OBIA) approach. A total of 203,676 km2 of shallow benthic habitat across the Insular Caribbean was mapped, representing 5% coral reef, 43% seagrass, 15% hardbottom, and 37% other habitats. Results from a combined major class accuracy assessment yielded an overall accuracy of 80% with a standard error of less than 1% yielding a confidence interval of 78–82%. Of the total area mapped, 15% of these habitats (31,311.7 km2) are within a marine protected or managed area. This information provides a baseline of ecological data for developing and executing more strategic conservation actions, including implementing more effective marine spatial plans, prioritizing and improving marine protected area design, monitoring condition and change for post-storm damage assessments, and providing more accurate habitat data for ecosystem service models

Ovarian Cancer Progression is Controlled by Phenotypic Changes in Dendritic Cells

We characterized the initiation and evolution of the immune response against a new inducible p53-dependent model of aggressive ovarian carcinoma that recapitulates the leukocyte infiltrates and cytokine milieu of advanced human tumors. Unlike other models that initiate tumors before the development of a mature immune system, we detect measurable antitumor immunity from very early stages, which is driven by infiltrating dendritic cells (DCs) and prevents steady tumor growth for prolonged periods. Coinciding with a phenotypic switch in expanding DC infiltrates, tumors aggressively progress to terminal disease in a comparatively short time. Notably, tumor cells remain immunogenic at advanced stages, but anti-tumor T cells become less responsive, whereas their enduring activity is abrogated by different microenvironmental immunosuppressive DCs. Correspondingly, depleting DCs early in the disease course accelerates tumor expansion, but DC depletion at advanced stages significantly delays aggressive malignant progression. Our results indicate that phenotypically divergent DCs drive both immunosurveillance and accelerated malignant growth. We provide experimental support for the cancer immunoediting hypothesis, but we also show that aggressive cancer progression after a comparatively long latency period is primarily driven by the mobilization of immunosuppressive microenvironmental leukocytes, rather than loss of tumor immunogenicity

Reporte de desove de Plexaura homomalla (Esper, 1794) en el Parque Nacional Guanahacabibes, occidente de Cuba

El efecto directo del cambio climático y otros factores han colocado a los arrecifes de coral como uno de los ecosistemas más amenazados a nivel mundial. Los octocorales constituyen uno de los grupos macrobentónicos más diversos en los arrecifes y, aunque no intervienen directamente en la construcción de arrecifes, pueden contribuir significativamente al aporte de sedimentos y carbonato de calcio. Además, este es uno de los grupos ampliamente utilizados como indicadores ecológicos de la eutrofización, permitiendo rastrear los aportes antropogénicos de nutrientes en los ecosistemas marino-costeros. El crecimiento y desarrollo a través de la reproducción asexual en los octocorales ("astogenia") se caracteriza por la replicación iterativa de las ramas y los pólipos. Sus patrones generales de reproducción sexual están bien documentados y se encuentran entre los pocos taxa, cuya tasa de fertilización puede ser predecible y medida directamente durante eventos naturales de desoves. En Cuba, el conocimiento sobre el período exacto del desove de gorgonias como Plexaura homomalla es escaso y no existe ningún reporte científico sobre el tema. En agosto de 2019, fue observado el desove de 10 colonias de P. homomalla en el Parque Nacional Guanahacabibes (PNG). Algunos autores plantean que el desarrollo inicial de los gametos ocurre solo cuando la media diaria de la temperatura del mar, durante el mes previo al desove, sobrepasa las 27°C. Este comportamiento se corresponde con los valores de temperatura durante los meses de junio y julio en el Parque Nacional Guanahacabibes, previos al desove de P. homomalla; lo que pudiera explicar la observación del desove en el mes de agosto. No obstante, no se puede asegurar que el desove ocurrió solamente en el mes de agosto, pues no se cuentan con datos de los meses de junio y julio, pico reproductivo descrito para la especie.Esta investigación ha sido parcialmente financiada por el proyecto "Cultivo y propagación de corales pétreos para la restauración de arrecifes en Cuba" y por la ONG The Nature Conservancy. Nos gustaría agradecer especialmente a: Lic. Mileidy Soto Vazquez, Téc. Miraysis Noda Redonet, MSc. Juliett González Mendez, Dr. Ramón Alexis Fernández Osoria, Raidel Hayes Mirabal, Víctor Isla Lara, Adrián Sánchez, Abel Castro, Romel Castillo Serrano, María de los Ángeles Serrano Jerez, Reynaldo Estrada y al personal del Centro Internacional de Buceo "María la Gorda" por su colaboración y participación durante la expedición; a la ONG The Nature Conservancy por el apoyo logístico

Reporte de desove de "Plexaura homomalla" (Esper, 1794) en el Parque Nacional Guanahacabibes, occidente de Cuba

El efecto directo del cambio climático y otros factores han colocado a los arrecifes de coral como uno de los ecosistemas más amenazados a nivel mundial. Los octocorales constituyen uno de los grupos macrobentónicos más diversos en los arrecifes y, aunque no intervienen directamente en la construcción de arrecifes, pueden contribuir significativamente al aporte de sedimentos y carbonato de calcio. Además, este es uno de los grupos ampliamente utilizados como indicadores ecológicos de la eutrofización, permitiendo rastrear los aportes antropogénicos de nutrientes en los ecosistemas marino-costeros. El crecimiento y desarrollo a través de la reproducción asexual en los octocorales ("astogenia") se caracteriza por la replicación iterativa de las ramas y los pólipos. Sus patrones generales de reproducción sexual están bien documentados y se encuentran entre los pocos taxa, cuya tasa de fertilización puede ser predecible y medida directamente durante eventos naturales de desoves. En Cuba, el conocimiento sobre el período exacto del desove de gorgonias como Plexaura homomalla es escaso y no existe ningún reporte científico sobre el tema. En agosto de 2019, fue observado el desove de 10 colonias de P. homomalla en el Parque Nacional Guanahacabibes (PNG). Algunos autores plantean que el desarrollo inicial de los gametos ocurre solo cuando la media diaria de la temperatura del mar, durante el mes previo al desove, sobrepasa las 27°C. Este comportamiento se corresponde con los valores de temperatura durante los meses de junio y julio en el Parque Nacional Guanahacabibes, previos al desove de P. homomalla; lo que pudiera explicar la observación del desove en el mes de agosto. No obstante, no se puede asegurar que el desove ocurrió solamente en el mes de agosto, pues no se cuentan con datos de los meses de junio y julio, pico reproductivo descrito para la especie.   Recibido: 29.06.2022 Aceptado: 10.04.2023 Editor: Silvia Patricia González-Día

Regional High-Resolution Benthic Habitat Data from Planet Dove Imagery for Conservation Decision-Making and Marine Planning

High-resolution benthic habitat data fill an important knowledge gap for many areas of the world and are essential for strategic marine conservation planning and implementing effective resource management. Many countries lack the resources and capacity to create these products, which has hindered the development of accurate ecological baselines for assessing protection needs for coastal and marine habitats and monitoring change to guide adaptive management actions. The PlanetScope (PS) Dove Classic SmallSat constellation delivers high-resolution imagery (4 m) and near-daily global coverage that facilitates the compilation of a cloud-free and optimal water column image composite of the Caribbean’s nearshore environment. These data were used to develop a first-of-its-kind regional thirteen-class benthic habitat map to 30 m water depth using an object-based image analysis (OBIA) approach. A total of 203,676 km2 of shallow benthic habitat across the Insular Caribbean was mapped, representing 5% coral reef, 43% seagrass, 15% hardbottom, and 37% other habitats. Results from a combined major class accuracy assessment yielded an overall accuracy of 80% with a standard error of less than 1% yielding a confidence interval of 78–82%. Of the total area mapped, 15% of these habitats (31,311.7 km2) are within a marine protected or managed area. This information provides a baseline of ecological data for developing and executing more strategic conservation actions, including implementing more effective marine spatial plans, prioritizing and improving marine protected area design, monitoring condition and change for post-storm damage assessments, and providing more accurate habitat data for ecosystem service models

Microbially driven TLR5-dependent signaling governs distal malignant progression through tumor-promoting inflammation

The dominant TLR5(R392X) polymorphism abrogates flagellin responses in >7% of humans. We report that TLR5-dependent commensal bacteria drive malignant progression at extramucosal locations by increasing systemic IL-6, which drives mobilization of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). Mechanistically, expanded granulocytic MDSCs cause γδ lymphocytes in TLR5-responsive tumors to secrete galectin-1, dampening antitumor immunity and accelerating malignant progression. In contrast, IL-17 is consistently upregulated in TLR5-unresponsive tumor-bearing mice but only accelerates malignant progression in IL-6-unresponsive tumors. Importantly, depletion of commensal bacteria abrogates TLR5-dependent differences in tumor growth. Contrasting differences in inflammatory cytokines and malignant evolution are recapitulated in TLR5-responsive/unresponsive ovarian and breast cancer patients. Therefore, inflammation, antitumor immunity, and the clinical outcome of cancer patients are influenced by a common TLR5 polymorphism.Fil: Rutkowski, Melanie R.. The Wistar Institute. Tumor Microenvironment and Metastasis Program; Estados UnidosFil: Stephen, Tom L.. The Wistar Institute. Tumor Microenvironment and Metastasis Program; Estados UnidosFil: Svoronos, Nikolaos. The Wistar Institute. Tumor Microenvironment and Metastasis Program; Estados UnidosFil: Allegrezza, Michael J.. The Wistar Institute. Tumor Microenvironment and Metastasis Program; Estados UnidosFil: Tesone, Amelia J.. The Wistar Institute. Tumor Microenvironment and Metastasis Program; Estados UnidosFil: Perales Puchalt, Alfredo. The Wistar Institute. Tumor Microenvironment and Metastasis Program; Estados UnidosFil: Brencicova, Eva. The Wistar Institute. Tumor Microenvironment and Metastasis Program; Estados UnidosFil: Escovar Fadul, Ximena. The Wistar Institute. Tumor Microenvironment and Metastasis Program; Estados UnidosFil: Nguyen, Jenny M.. The Wistar Institute. Tumor Microenvironment and Metastasis Program; Estados UnidosFil: Cadungog, Mark G.. Christiana Care Health System. Helen F. Graham Cancer Center; Estados UnidosFil: Zhang, Rugang. The Wistar Institute. Gene Expression and Regulation Program; Estados UnidosFil: Salatino, Mariana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Tchou, Julia. University of Pennsylvania; Estados UnidosFil: Rabinovich, Gabriel Adrián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Conejo Garcia, Jose R.. The Wistar Institute. Gene Expression and Regulation Program; Estados Unido