Alkalinity to calcium flux ratios for corals and coral reef communities: variances between isolated and community conditions

Calcification in reef corals and coral reefs is widely measured using the alkalinity depletion method which is based on the fact that two protons are produced for every mole of CaCO3 precipitated. This assumption was tested by measuring the total alkalinity (TA) flux and Ca2+ flux of isolated components (corals, alga, sediment and plankton) in reference to that of a mixed-community. Experiments were conducted in a flume under natural conditions of sunlight, nutrients, plankton and organic matter. A realistic hydrodynamic regime was provided. Groups of corals were run separately and in conjunction with the other reef components in a mixed-community. The TA flux to Ca2+ flux ratio (ΔTA: ΔCa2+) was consistently higher in the coral-only run (2.06 ± 0.19) than in the mixed-community run (1.60 ± 0.14, p-value = 0.011). The pH was higher and more stable in the mixed-community run (7.94 ± 0.03 vs. 7.52 ± 0.07, p-value = 3 × 10−5). Aragonite saturation state (Ωarag) was also higher in the mixed-community run (2.51 ± 0.2 vs. 1.12 ± 0.14, p-value = 2 × 10−6). The sediment-only run revealed that sediment is the source of TA that can account for the lower ΔTA: ΔCa2+ ratio in the mixed-community run. The macroalgae-only run showed that algae were responsible for the increased pH in the mixed-community run. Corals growing in a mixed-community will experience an environment that is more favorable to calcification (higher daytime pH due to algae photosynthesis, additional TA and inorganic carbon from sediments, higher Ωarag). A paradox is that the alkalinity depletion method will yield a lower net calcification for a mixed-community versus a coral-only community due to TA recycling, even though the corals may be calcifying at a higher rate due to a more optimal environment

Two-component spike nanoparticle vaccine protects macaques from SARS-CoV-2 infection

Brouwer et al. present preclinical evidence in support of a COVID-19 vaccine candidate, designed as a self-assembling two-component protein nanoparticle displaying multiple copies of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, which induces strong neutralizing antibody responses and protects from high-dose SARS-CoV-2 challenge.The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic is continuing to disrupt personal lives, global healthcare systems, and economies. Hence, there is an urgent need for a vaccine that prevents viral infection, transmission, and disease. Here, we present a two-component protein-based nanoparticle vaccine that displays multiple copies of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Immunization studies show that this vaccine induces potent neutralizing antibody responses in mice, rabbits, and cynomolgus macaques. The vaccine-induced immunity protects macaques against a high-dose challenge, resulting in strongly reduced viral infection and replication i

Open to closed system transition traced through the TDIC isotopic signature at the aquifer recharge stage, implications for groundwater 14C dating

14C dating models are limited when considering recent groundwater for which the carbon isotopic signature of the total dissolved inorganic carbon (TDIC) is mainly acquired in the unsaturated zone. Reducing the uncertainties of dating thus implies a better identification of the processes controlling the carbon isotopic composition of the TDIC during groundwater recharge. Geochemical interactions between gas, water and carbonates in the unsaturated zone were investigated for two aquifers (the carbonate-free Fontainebleau sands and carbonate-bearing Astian sands, France) in order to identify the respective roles of CO2 and carbonates on the carbon isotopic signatures of the TDIC; this analysis is usually approached using open or closed system terms. Under fully open system conditions, the seasonality of the 13C values in the soil CO2 can lead to important uncertainties regarding the so-called "initial 14C activity" used in 14C correction models. In a carbonate-bearing unsaturated zone such as in the Astian aquifer, we show that an approach based on fully open or closed system conditions is not appropriate. Although the chemical saturation between water and calcite occurs rapidly within the first metre of the unsaturated zone, the carbon isotopic contents (δ13C) of the CO2 and the TDIC evolve downward, impacted by the dissolution-precipitation of the carbonates. In this study, we propose a numerical approach to describe this evolution. The δ13C and the A 14C (radiocarbon activity) of the TDIC at the base of the carbonate-hearing unsaturated zone depends on (i) the δ13C and the A 14C of the TDIC in the soil determined by the soil CO2, (ii) the water's residence time in the unsaturated zone and (iii) the carbonate precipitation-dissolution fluxes. In this type of situation, the carbonate δ13C-A 14C evolutions indicate the presence of secondary calcite and permit the calculation of its accretion flux, equal to ~ 4.5 ± 0.5 x 10-9 mol grock-1 yr-1. More generally, for other sites under temperate climate and with similar properties to the Astian sands site, this approach allows for a reliable determination of the carbon isotopic composition at the base of the unsaturated zone as the indispensable "input function" data of the carbon cycle into the aquifer

Open to closed system transition traced through the TDIC isotopic signature at the aquifer recharge stage, implications for groundwater 14C dating

International audienc

Naturally occurring phytopathogens enhance biological control of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) by Megamelus scutellaris (Hemiptera: Delphacidae), even in eutrophic water.

Insect biological control agents directly damage target weeds by removal of plant biomass, but herbivorous insects have both direct and indirect impacts on their host plants and can also facilitate pathogen infection. Megamelus scutellaris Berg (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) was recently released into South Africa to help control invasive water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes, Pontederiaceae). We compared the impact of fungicide surface-sterilised and unsterilised M. scutellaris individuals and water hyacinth leaves on growth of the weed at two nutrient levels. The survival and reproduction of adult M. scutellaris was not reduced by sterilisation. Under high nutrient conditions, unsterilised M. scutellaris with unsterilised leaves reduced water hyacinth daughter plant production by 32%, length of the second petiole by 15%, chlorophyll content by 27% and wet weight biomass by 48%, while also increasing leaf chlorosis 17-fold, in relation to control plants under the same nutrient regime. Surface sterilisation of the insect and/or plant surfaces led to a general reduction in these impacts on water hyacinth growth and health. This contrast was less evident under low nutrient conditions. Megamelus scutellaris facilitated infection by fungal and other pathogens, thus its biology is compatible with pathogens that could be developed into mycoherbicides. This integrated approach may be ideal for management of infestations of water hyacinth in eutrophic water systems where control has been problematic, both in South Africa and elsewhere

Towards a unified territorial design approach — Applications, algorithms and GIS integration

Territory design, political districting, sales territory alignment, optimization algorithms, Geographical Information Systems, computational geometry, 90C59, 90B80, 68U05, 90-02,