Discovery of a morphologically and genetically distinct population of Black-tailed Godwits in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway

Occurring across Eurasia, the Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosahas three recognized subspecies,melanuroides,limosaandislandicafrom east to west, respectively. With the smallest body size,melanuroideshas been considered the only subspecies in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. Yet, observations along the Chinese coast indicated the presence of distinctively large individuals. Here we compared the morphometrics of these larger birds captured in northern Bohai Bay, China, with those of the three known subspecies and explore the genetic population structuring of Black-tailed Godwits based on the control region of the mitochondrial genome (mtDNA). We found that the Bohai Godwits were indeed significantly larger thanmelanuroides, resemblinglimosamore thanislandica, but with relatively longer bills thanislandica. The level of genetic differentiation between Bohai Godwits and the three recognized subspecies was of similar magnitude to the differentiation among previously recognized subspecies. Based on these segregating morphological and genetic characteristics, we propose that these birds belong to a distinct population, which may be treated and described as a new subspecies

Central-West Siberian-breeding Bar-tailed Godwits (<i>Limosa lapponica</i>) segregate in two morphologically distinct flyway populations

Long-distance migratory species often include multiple breeding populations, with distinct migration routes, wintering areas and annual-cycle timing. Detailed knowledge on population structure and migratory connectivity provides the basis for studies on the evolution of migration strategies and for species conservation. Currently, five subspecies of Bar-tailed Godwits Limosa lapponica have been described. However, with two apparently separate breeding and wintering areas, the taxonomic status of the subspecies L. l. taymyrensis remains unclear. Here we compare taymyrensis Bar-tailed Godwits wintering in the Middle East and West Africa, respectively, with respect to migration behaviour, breeding area, morphology and population genetic differentation in mitochondrial DNA. By tracking 52 individuals from wintering and staging areas over multiple years, we show that Bar-tailed Godwits wintering in the Middle East bred on the northern West-Siberian Plain (n = 19), while birds from West Africa bred further east, mostly on the Taimyr Peninsula (n = 12). The two groups differed significantly in body size and shape, and also in the timing of both northward and southward migrations. However, they were not genetically differentiated, indicating that the phenotypic (i.e. geographical, morphological and phenological) differences arose either very recently or without current reproductive isolation. We conclude that the taymyrensis taxon consists of two distinct populations with mostly non-overlapping flyways, which warrant treatment as separate taxonomic units. We propose to distinguish a more narrowly defined taymyrensis subspecies (i.e. the Bar-tailed Godwits wintering in West Africa and breeding on Taimyr), from a new subspecies (i.e. the birds wintering in the Middle East and breeding on the northern West-Siberian Plain)

Pediatric inflammatory bowel disease clinical innovations meeting of the Crohn's and colitis foundation: Charting the future of pediatric IBD

The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation has facilitated transformational research in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), through the RISK and PROTECT studies, that has laid the groundwork for a comprehensive understanding of molecular mechanisms of disease and predictors of therapeutic response in children. Despite these advances, children have lacked timely and informed access to the latest therapeutic advancements in IBD. The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation convened a Pediatric Resource Organization for Kids with Inflammatory Intestinal Diseases (PRO-KIIDS) Clinical Innovations Meeting at the inaugural Crohn's and Colitis Congress in January 2018 to devise how to advance the care of children with IBD. The working group selected 2 priorities: (1) accelerating therapies to children with IBD and (2) stimulating investigator-initiated research while fostering sustainable collaboration; and proposed 2 actions: (a) the convening of a task force to specifically address how to accelerate pharmacotherapies to children with IBD and (b) the funding of a multicenter clinical and translational research study that incorporates the building of critical research infrastructure

Learning from multimedia and hypermedia

Computer-based multimedia and hypermedia resources (e.g., the world wide web) have become one of the primary sources of academic information for a majority of pupils and students. In line with this expansion in the field of education, the scientific study of learning from multimedia and hypermedia has become a very active field of research. In this chapter we provide a short overview with regard to research on learning with multimedia and hypermedia. In two review sections, we describe the educational benefits of multiple representations and of learner control, as these are the two defining characteristics of hypermedia. In a third review section we describe recent scientific trends in the field of multimedia/hypermedia learning. In all three review sections we will point to relevant European work on multimedia/hypermedia carried out within the last 5 years, and often carried out within the Kaleidoscope Network of Excellence. According to the interdisciplinary nature of the field this work might come not only from psychology, but also from technology or pedagogy. Comparing the different research activities on multimedia and hypermedia that have dominated the international scientific discourse in the last decade reveals some important differences. Most important, a gap seems to exist between researchers mainly interested in a “serious” educational use of multimedia/ hypermedia and researchers mainly interested in “serious” experimental research on learning with multimedia/hypermedia. Recent discussions about the pros and cons of “design-based research” or “use-inspired basic research” can be seen as a direct consequence of an increasing awareness of the tensions within these two different cultures of research on education

Extreme migration and the annual cycle: Individual strategies in New Zealand Bar-tailed Godwits

Long-distance migration places severe constraints on the annual cycles of birds, as they balance the energetic and scheduling requirements of breeding, moult, pre-migratory fuelling, and the journey itself. The most extreme migrations, traversing vast, inhospitable areas of the globe in protracted non-stop flights, may push birds to the limits of their capabilities, and would be expected to tolerate little variation in performance. Despite this, Bar-tailed Godwits Limosa lapponia baueri, which are among the world’s greatest endurance migrants, embark on northward migration from New Zealand across a month-long period, and individuals are quite faithful to their particular schedules. Godwits are highly sexually dimorphic in plumage and body size, and there is additionally substantial individual variation within each sex in both traits. These patterns demonstrate a surprising diversity of strategies within a system that should contain little room for error. In this thesis, I sought to identify the roots and consequences of both persistent and ephemeral individual differences in migration and moult of New Zealand Bar-tailed Godwits, and to identify constraints and potential bottlenecks in their annual cycle. To do this, I combined a fine-resolution multi-year focus on individuals and an entire annual-cycle perspective, both of which have generally been impossible in studies of long-distance migratory birds. At a single non-breeding site, I closely monitored moult and migration of individual Bar-tailed Godwits for three non-breeding seasons, and linked these with events outside of New Zealand by tracking a subset of the same individuals on their complete migrations to Alaska breeding grounds and back. I supplemented this by travelling to Alaska myself and describing how godwits are distributed by size and plumage across their vast breeding range. I found that most of the variation among individual Bar-tailed Godwits was linked to where they nested in Alaska: within each sex, northerly breeders were smaller, had more extensive breeding plumage, and migrated later on both northbound and southbound migrations. The differences in migration timing can be explained by variation in when tundra breeding sites become snow-free and available across a latitudinal gradient, but reasons for geographic differences in plumage and size are less clear. Variation in breeding plumage was associated with different strategies for scheduling moult, both in New Zealand and during northbound migratory stopover in the Yellow Sea. Individual godwits were extraordinarily consistent between years in their timing of departure from New Zealand, and most ‘off-schedule’ departures were attributable to birds avoiding unfavourable winds for migration. Surprisingly, timing of arrival in New Zealand after the longest recorded non-stop flight did not appear to influence a godwit’s ability to prepare for its next migration, as timing of subsequent migratory departure and extent of breeding plumage on departure were both unaffected and very consistent. Across the entire year, scheduling of events became more precisely timed as the breeding season approached, but movements were generally much more tightly scheduled than moults. These findings show that Bar-tailed Godwits adopt and enact an array of individualised strategies within an apparently constrained system. The inter-relationships among events in different parts of the globe show that an individual-based, full annual-cycle perspective is required to understand patterns in any particular season. The consistent manner in which godwits conduct their annual routines, while still demonstrating flexibility to address unforeseen circumstances, challenges us to reconsider the view of extreme long-distance migrants as organisms operating at the limits of their capabilities

Contour-feather moult of Bar-tailed Godwits (Limosa lapponica baueri) in New Zealand and the northern hemisphere reveals multiple strategies by sex and breeding region

The extreme long-distance migration of Alaskan breeding Bar-tailed Godwits (Limosa lapponica baueri) may present severe constraints on annual moult, and high individual variation in plumage and migration timing suggests that multiple strategies by sex and breeding region may exist. We used digital photography of free-living Bar-tailed Godwits to describe the timing and extent of pre-basic and pre-breeding contour-feather moults in New Zealand, and used plumage of breeding birds in Alaska to infer the proportion of moults occurring in Alaska and Asia. These data demonstrated that: (1) Godwits conducted overlapping pre-alternate and pre-supplemental moults; (2) pre-basic and pre-breeding moults were scheduled differently in relation to southbound and northbound migration respectively; (3) northern and southern Alaskan breeding Godwits of each sex were distinguishable by plumage differences throughout the non-breeding season; and (4) males and northern breeders achieved more extensive breeding plumage by spending longer in pre-breeding moult in New Zealand, rather than through faster moult rates or greater investment in moult during migratory stopover in Asia. The existence of a ventral pre-supplemental moult implies that contemporary selection for red breeding plumage overrides older selection for barred alternate plumage. Our use of individual-based data revealed a continuum of annual moult strategies within the population, which may reflect individual differences in any combination of sex, size, migration distance or breeding location. Even within the highly constrained annual cycle of extreme long-distance migrants, differential selection influences how individuals manage trade-offs among non-breeding activities such as moult, fuelling and migration