Bats respond negatively to increases in the amount and homogenization of agricultural land cover

Context: Agricultural intensification has led to widespread declines in biodiversity. An important component of agricultural intensification in many regions, including eastern Ontario, is the shift from grazing lands and perennial forage crops to annual row crops, with associated increases in use of pesticides. Objectives: We predicted that bat abundance and diversity would be lower in sites surrounded by landscapes with more agriculture and where the agriculture was dominated by annual row crops rather than perennial forage crops. Methods: We assessed bat occurrence and relative bat abundance with acoustic bat recorders at the centres of 32 landscapes that varied in (1) the proportion of agriculture and (2) the proportion of agriculture that is in annual row crops versus perennial forages (pasture and hay). Results: Consistent with our first prediction, the abundance or presence of four bat species, total bat abundance and bat species richness declined with increasing agricultural cover in the surrounding landscape. Inconsistent with our second prediction, the abundance of three bat species, total bat abundance and bat species richness were greatest where the proportion of agriculture in annual crops was about equal to the proportion in perennial forage in the surrounding landscape. Conclusions: Based on these results, bat abundance and richness can be increased in agricultural landscapes by reducing the conversion of natural areas to agriculture and by maintaining a balance of perennial forage and annual crop types. We speculate that farmlands with a diversity of crop types provide a more temporally stable supply of insect food for bats

Higher bat and prey abundance at organic than conventional soybean fields

Studies that have compared biodiversity at organic and conventional farms have generally found that there are more species in greater abundances at organic farms. One widespread problem with previous studies is that most do not control for differences in field structure and landscape composition at organic and conventional farms. Thus, the effects observed may be due to factors other than organic farming practices. We addressed this problem by selecting matched organic-conventional pairs of soybean fields such that in each pair the soybean fields were similar in size, hedgerow length, and surrounding landscape composition within 1 km, 2 km and 3 km of the fields. At each of our 16 field pairs (32 sites), we measured relative differences in bat species richness and abundance using acoustic bat recorders, and bat prey availability using black-light traps. We predicted that organic soybean fields would have greater bat species richness, bat abundance and bat prey abundance than conventional soybean fields due to the prohibition of synthetic pesticides and longer more diverse crop rotations in organic fields, both of which should benefit bat insect prey. We found that organic soybean fields had higher bat species richness, bat abundance and bat prey abundance than conventional fields, after controlling for the effect of differences in soybean height between conventional and organic fields. Our results suggest that the management practices used at organic farms benefit bats at least in part by providing greater bat prey availability

The effects of landscape composition and configuration on Eastern Whip-poor-will (Caprimulgus vociferous) and Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor) occupancy in an agroecosystem

Agricultural expansion and intensification are some of the leading drivers of biodiversity loss globally. Effective conservation and management strategies for threatened species in agroecosystems require information on how these species are affected by (1) the amount and configuration of natural habitats, and (2) the type and extent of agricultural land covers. The Eastern Whip-poor-will (Caprimulgus vociferous) and Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor) are two nocturnal aerial insectivores in decline in North America, and have breeding ranges that include agriculturally dominated landscapes. We first assessed mean breeding occupancy of both species in eastern Ontario, Canada in 2016 using acoustic recording units at 127 sites. We then assessed the effects of landscape composition (forest, agriculture, wetlands, and urban covers), forest configuration (mean patch size, number of patches, distance to nearest patch), and agriculture type (perennial forages versus cropland) on Eastern Whip-poor-will occupancy. Eastern Whip-poor-will and Common Nighthawk occupancy in the study area averaged 0.244 and 0.064, respectively. We were unable to examine the relationships between landscape composition/configuration and Common Nighthawk occupancy because of small sample sizes. Nonetheless, Eastern Whip-poor-will occupancy was positively correlated with the amount of wetland cover and forest patch size, was weakly negatively correlated with urban land cover, and was unrelated to the type of agriculture. Our results highlight how the conservation of the Eastern Whip-poor-will in agricultural landscapes of eastern Canada would benefit from both wetland protection and the presence of larger forest patches, which can be accomplished through both forest protection and by allowing forest regeneration on abandoned lands

The effects of landscape composition and configuration on eastern whip-poor-will (Caprimulgus vociferous) and common nighthawk (chordeiles minor) occupancy in an agroecosystem Les effets de la composition et de la configuration du paysage sur la présence de l'engoulevent boispourri (Caprimulgus vociferous) et de l'engoulevent d'amérique (chordeiles minor) dans un agroécosystème

Agricultural expansion and intensification are some of the leading drivers of biodiversity loss globally. Effective conservation and management strategies for threatened species in agroecosystems require information on how these species are affected by (1) the amount and configuration of natural habitats, and (2) the type and extent of agricultural land covers. The Eastern Whip-poor-will (Caprimulgus vociferous) and Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor) are two nocturnal aerial insectivores in decline in North America, and have breeding ranges that include agriculturally dominated landscapes. We first assessed mean breeding occupancy of both species in eastern Ontario, Canada in 2016 using acoustic recording units at 127 sites. We then assessed the effects of landscape composition (forest, agriculture, wetlands, and urban covers), forest configuration (mean patch size, number of patches, distance to nearest patch), and agriculture type (perennial forages versus cropland) on Eastern Whip-poor-will occupancy. Eastern Whip-poor-will and Common Nighthawk occupancy in the study area averaged 0.244 and 0.064, respectively. We were unable to examine the relationships between landscape composition/configuration and Common Nighthawk occupancy because of small sample sizes. Nonetheless, Eastern Whip-poor-will occupancy was positively correlated with the amount of wetland cover and forest patch size, was weakly negatively correlated with urban land cover, and was unrelated to the type of agriculture. Our results highlight how the conservation of the Eastern Whip-poor-will in agricultural landscapes of eastern Canada would benefit from both wetland protection and the presence of larger forest patches, which can be accomplished through both forest protection and by allowing forest regeneration on abandoned lands

Regional variability in trajectories of Barn Swallow populations across Canada are not predicted by breeding performance

Conservation of migratory species depends on an understanding of the drivers causing population declines across the annual cycle. Since it is difficult to track the entire annual cycle for long-distance migrants, measurements from part of the cycle may provide insights into overall drivers. Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica) in Canada have undergone steep and long-term population declines. Using Breeding Bird Survey data and breeding performance data collected at field sites in three regions across Canada, we examined long- and short-term Barn Swallow population trends in Canada, differences in breeding performance across regions, if average breeding performance measures or colony size predicted regional population growth rates and if local breeding performance is driven by density dependence and/or recruitment. We found that long-term negative population trends were generally stronger in the east and west, and weaker in central Canada. Short-term population trends were generally weakly negative or neutral. Average breeding performance and colony size were poor predictors of regional growth rates observed in the subsequent year. We found little support for density dependence affecting local breeding performance; however, local breeding success, presumably through subsequent recruitment of young, was positively correlated to changes in local colony size in the following year. Since we found juveniles recruited into colonies located in the same region, but no link between average breeding performance and estimated regional population trajectories, our results suggest that extrapolating from local-scale studies to broader populations is challenging, and other demographic rates (i.e., survival) may need to be considered. Overall, our study suggests that contemporary Barn Swallow populations are below carrying capacity in Canada, further suggesting that food limitation is not currently regulating populations. Further study is needed to understand what factors are limiting and regulating Barn Swallow populations in Canada, across the annual cycle

Pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics in rheumatology

Pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics deal with possible associations of a single genetic polymorphism or those of multiple gene profiles with responses to drugs. In rheumatology, genes and gene signatures may be associated with altered efficacy and/or safety of anti-inflammatory drugs, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and biologics. In brief, genes of cytochrome P450, other enzymes involved in drug metabolism, transporters and some cytokines have been associated with responses to and toxicity of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids and DMARDs. The efficacy of biologics may be related to alterations in cytokine, chemokine and Fc gamma R genes. Numerous studies reported multiple genetic signatures in association with responses to biologics; however, data are inconclusive. More, focused studies carried out in larger patient cohorts, using pre-selected genes, may be needed in order to determine the future of pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics as tools for personalized medicine in rheumatology