Dual threat of tidal flat loss and invasive Spartina alterniflora endanger important shorebird habitat in coastal mainland China

China's coastal wetlands are critically important to shorebirds. Substantial loss of tidal flats, shorebirds' primary foraging grounds, has occurred from land claim and other processes, and is driving population declines in multiple species. Smooth cordgrass Spartina alterniflora was intentionally introduced to the coast of China in 1979 to promote conversion of tidal flats into dry land and has since spread rapidly. The occurrence of S. alterniflora reduces the availability of foraging and roosting habitat for shorebirds, and may be particularly detrimental in places that have experienced other tidal flat loss. However, the extent to which S. alterniflora is encroaching upon important shorebird habitat throughout coastal mainland China, and its intersection with tidal flat loss, has not been quantified. Here, we i) estimate change in the spatial extent of tidal flats between 2000 and 2015 in coastal mainland China where internationally important numbers of shorebirds have been recorded; ii) map the extent of S. alterniflora coverage in 2015 at the same set of sites; and, iii) investigate where these two threats to important shorebird habitat intersect. Our analysis of remote sensing data indicated a 15% net loss in tidal flat area between 2000 and 2015 across all sites, including a net loss in tidal flat area in 39 of 53 individual sites (74%). Spartina alterniflora occurred at 28 of 53 sites (53%) in 2015, of which 22 sites (79%) also had a net loss in tidal flat area between 2000 and 2015. Combined pressures from tidal flat loss and S. alterniflora invasion were most severe in eastern coastal China. Species highly dependent on migrating through this region, which include the Critically Endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper and Endangered Nordmann's Greenshank and Far Eastern Curlew, may be particularly impacted. Our results underscore the urgent need to arrest tidal flat declines and develop a comprehensive control program for S. alterniflora in coastal areas of mainland China that are important for shorebirds

Where to draw the line? Using movement data to inform protected area design and conserve mobile species

Protected areas (PAs) are a cornerstone of modern conservation. For PAs that are established to conserve mobile species, it is important to cover all the key areas regularly used by these species. However, zonation and boundaries of PAs have often been established with limited knowledge of animal movements, leaving the effectiveness of some PAs doubtful. We used radio tracking data to evaluate the extent to which two coastal PAs in mainland China encompassed the full range of habitats used by migratory shorebirds during non-breeding seasons. The core zone (highest restriction on human activities) of the Yalu Jiang Estuary National Nature Reserve (Liaoning) incorporated only 22 ± 6% (n = 34) of the diurnal home range (95% kernel density) of the endangered great knots Calidris tenuirostris. In contrast, the core zone of Chongming Dongtan (Shanghai) incorporated 73 ± 24% (n = 25) of the home range of dunlins Calidris alpina. During high tide, great knots in Yalu Jiang mostly occurred in the experimental zone (least restriction on human activities) or sometimes outside the PA boundary altogether, where the birds could face substantial threats. By investigating satellite tracking records, consulting published literature, interviewing local experts and mapping habitat composition in different coastal PAs in China, we found that wet artificial supratidal habitats were frequently used by migratory shorebirds but the coverage of these habitats in coastal PAs was low. These PA boundaries and/or zonations should be revised to conserve mobile species more effectively. With the increasing number of tracking studies, analysing the spatial relationships between PAs and the movement ranges of mobile species can increasingly inform the development of a representative, comprehensive PA network

Blood n-3 fatty acid levels and total and cause-specific mortality from 17 prospective studies.

The health effects of omega-3 fatty acids have been controversial. Here we report the results of a de novo pooled analysis conducted with data from 17 prospective cohort studies examining the associations between blood omega-3 fatty acid levels and risk for all-cause mortality. Over a median of 16 years of follow-up, 15,720 deaths occurred among 42,466 individuals. We found that, after multivariable adjustment for relevant risk factors, risk for death from all causes was significantly lower (by 15-18%, at least p < 0.003) in the highest vs the lowest quintile for circulating long chain (20-22 carbon) omega-3 fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic, docosapentaenoic, and docosahexaenoic acids). Similar relationships were seen for death from cardiovascular disease, cancer and other causes. No associations were seen with the 18-carbon omega-3, alpha-linolenic acid. These findings suggest that higher circulating levels of marine n-3 PUFA are associated with a lower risk of premature death.The EPIC Norfolk study (DOI 10.22025/2019.10.105.00004) has received funding from the Medical Research Council (MR/N003284/1 and MC-UU_12015/1) and Cancer Research UK (C864/A14136). NJW, NGF, and FI were supported by the Medical Research Council Epidemiology Unit core funding [MC_UU_12015/1 and MC_UU_12015/5]. NJW and NGF acknowledge support from the National Institute for Health Research Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre [IS-BRC-1215-20014] and NJW is an NIHR Senior Investigator

Characterisation of barley resistance to rhynchosporium on chromosome 6HS

Key Message: Major resistance gene to rhynchosporium, Rrs18, maps close to the telomere on the short arm of chromosome 6H in barley. Rhynchosporium or barley scald caused by a fungal pathogen Rhynchosporium commune is one of the most destructive and economically important diseases of barley in the world. Testing of Steptoe × Morex and CIho 3515 × Alexis doubled haploid populations has revealed a large effect QTL for resistance to R. commune close to the telomere on the short arm of chromosome 6H, present in both populations. Mapping markers flanking the QTL from both populations onto the 2017 Morex genome assembly revealed a rhynchosporium resistance locus independent of Rrs13 that we named Rrs18. The causal gene was fine mapped to an interval of 660 Kb using Steptoe × Morex backcross 1 S₂ and S₃ lines with molecular markers developed from Steptoe exome capture variant calling. Sequencing RNA from CIho 3515 and Alexis revealed that only 4 genes within the Rrs18 interval were transcribed in leaf tissue with a serine/threonine protein kinase being the most likely candidate for Rrs18.Max Coulter, Bianca Büttner, Kerstin Hofmann, Micha Bayer, Luke Ramsay, Günther Schweizer, Robbie Waugh, Mark E. Looseley, Anna Avrov

Impact of nonoptimal intakes of saturated, polyunsaturated, and trans fat on global burdens of coronary heart disease

Background: Saturated fat (SFA), ω‐6 (n‐6) polyunsaturated fat (PUFA), and trans fat (TFA) influence risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), but attributable CHD mortalities by country, age, sex, and time are unclear. Methods and Results: National intakes of SFA, n‐6 PUFA, and TFA were estimated using a Bayesian hierarchical model based on country‐specific dietary surveys; food availability data; and, for TFA, industry reports on fats/oils and packaged foods. Etiologic effects of dietary fats on CHD mortality were derived from meta‐analyses of prospective cohorts and CHD mortality rates from the 2010 Global Burden of Diseases study. Absolute and proportional attributable CHD mortality were computed using a comparative risk assessment framework. In 2010, nonoptimal intakes of n‐6 PUFA, SFA, and TFA were estimated to result in 711 800 (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 680 700–745 000), 250 900 (95% UI 236 900–265 800), and 537 200 (95% UI 517 600–557 000) CHD deaths per year worldwide, accounting for 10.3% (95% UI 9.9%–10.6%), 3.6%, (95% UI 3.5%–3.6%) and 7.7% (95% UI 7.6%–7.9%) of global CHD mortality. Tropical oil–consuming countries were estimated to have the highest proportional n‐6 PUFA– and SFA‐attributable CHD mortality, whereas Egypt, Pakistan, and Canada were estimated to have the highest proportional TFA‐attributable CHD mortality. From 1990 to 2010 globally, the estimated proportional CHD mortality decreased by 9% for insufficient n‐6 PUFA and by 21% for higher SFA, whereas it increased by 4% for higher TFA, with the latter driven by increases in low‐ and middle‐income countries. Conclusions: Nonoptimal intakes of n‐6 PUFA, TFA, and SFA each contribute to significant estimated CHD mortality, with important heterogeneity across countries that informs nation‐specific clinical, public health, and policy priorities.peer-reviewe

Status of the Endangered Yellow Chat Epthianura crocea tunneyi on the western South Alligator River floodplain, Kakadu National Park

The current status of the Endangered Yellow Chat Alligator Rivers subspecies Epthianura crocea tunneyi is poorly known. A survey of Kakadu National Park floodplains, Northern Territory, in 2004 identified the western floodplain of the South Alligator River as a key population area. To provide preliminary information on the status of the subspecies in Kakadu National Park, this floodplain was intensively surveyed over a 4-day period in September 2014 and compared with the 2004 survey, which was undertaken at a similar time of year (late dry season: October-November). Despite covering considerable areas of floodplain habitat over nearly 40 hours of surveying, Yellow Chats were recorded in only one area in 2014; 27 Yellow Chats from nine observations were recorded over 2 days, with a minimum number of 17 individual birds (16 adult and 1 juvenile) observed. This compared with a total of 65 Yellow Chats from 2 days of surveying in 2004, clustered around five areas of the western floodplain of the South Alligator River. Habitat in 2014 comprised predominantly dry floodplain lagoon, consistent with previous surveys. Feral animals (in particular Feral Pigs Sus scrofa) were regularly observed throughout the surveys, as was significant feral-animal damage to wet floodplain areas. Although these results suggest a possible decline on the western South Alligator River floodplain over a 10-year period, a comprehensive survey is required of all floodplains within the subspecies' range to assess overall population status. This could inform the establishment of annual monitoring sites in order to evaluate long-term population trends, essential data for management of threatened species

Short-tailed Shearwater \u27Ardenna tenuirostris\u27 in the Northern Territory

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Red-rumped Swallow \u27Cecropis daurica\u27 in the Northern Territory

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