Drought rewires the cores of food webs

Droughts are intensifying across the globe, with potentially devastating implications for freshwater ecosystems. We used new network science approaches to investigate drought impacts on stream food webs and explored potential consequences for web robustness to future perturbations. The substructure of the webs was characterized by a core of richly connected species surrounded by poorly connected peripheral species. Although drought caused the partial collapse of the food webs, the loss of the most extinction-prone peripheral species triggered a substantial rewiring of interactions within the networks’ cores. These shifts in species interactions in the core conserved the underlying core/periphery substructure and stability of the drought-impacted webs. When we subsequently perturbed the webs by simulating species loss in silico, the rewired drought webs were as robust as the larger, undisturbed webs. Our research unearths previously unknown compensatory dynamics arising from within the core that could underpin food web stability in the face of environmental perturbations

Sediment deposition from eroding peatlands alters headwater invertebrate biodiversity

Land use and climate change are driving widespread modifications to the biodiverse and functionally unique headwaters of rivers. In temperate and boreal regions, many headwaters drain peatlands where land management and climate change can cause significant soil erosion and peat deposition in rivers. However, effects of peat deposition in river ecosystems remain poorly understood. We provide two lines of evidence—derived from sediment deposition gradients in experimental mesocosms (0–7.5 g/m2) and headwaters (0.82–9.67 g/m2)—for the adverse impact of peat deposition on invertebrate community biodiversity. We found a consistent negative effect of sediment deposition across both the experiment and survey; at the community level, decreases in density (1956 to 56 individuals per m2 in headwaters; mean 823 ± 129 (SE) to 288 ± 115 individuals per m2 in mesocosms) and richness (mean 12 ± 1 to 6 ± 2 taxa in mesocosms) were observed. Sedimentation increased beta diversity amongst experimental replicates and headwaters, reflecting increasing stochasticity amongst tolerant groups in sedimented habitats. With increasing sedimentation, the density of the most common species, Leuctra inermis, declined from 290 ± 60 to 70 ± 30 individuals/m2 on average in mesocosms and >800 individuals/m2 to 0 in the field survey. Traits analysis of mesocosm assemblages suggested biodiversity loss was driven by decreasing abundance of invertebrates with trait combinations sensitive to sedimentation (longer life cycles, active aquatic dispersal of larvae, fixed aquatic eggs, shredding feeding habit). Functional diversity metrics reinforced the idea of more stochastic community assembly under higher sedimentation rates. While mesocosm assemblages showed some compositional differences to surveyed headwaters, ecological responses were consistent across these spatial scales. Our results suggest short‐term, small‐scale stressor experiments can inform understanding of “real‐world” peatland river ecosystems. As climate change and land‐use change are expected to enhance peatland erosion, significant alterations to invertebrate biodiversity can be expected where these eroded soils are deposited in rivers

Extreme drought pushes stream invertebrate communities over functional thresholds

Functional traits are increasingly being used to predict extinction risks and range shifts under long‐term climate change scenarios, but have rarely been used to study vulnerability to extreme climatic events, such as supraseasonal droughts. In streams, drought intensification can cross thresholds of habitat loss, where marginal changes in environmental conditions trigger disproportionate biotic responses. However, these thresholds have been studied only from a structural perspective, and the existence of functional nonlinearity remains unknown. We explored trends in invertebrate community functional traits along a gradient of drought intensity, simulated over 18 months, using mesocosms analogous to lowland headwater streams. We modelled the responses of 16 traits based on a priori predictions of trait filtering by drought, and also examined the responses of trait profile groups (TPGs) identified via hierarchical cluster analysis. As responses to drought intensification were both linear and nonlinear, generalized additive models (GAMs) were chosen to model response curves, with the slopes of fitted splines used to detect functional thresholds during drought. Drought triggered significant responses in 12 (75%) of the a priori‐selected traits. Behavioural traits describing movement (dispersal, locomotion) and diet were sensitive to moderate‐intensity drought, as channels fragmented into isolated pools. By comparison, morphological and physiological traits showed little response until surface water was lost, at which point we observed sudden shifts in body size, respiration mode and thermal tolerance. Responses varied widely among TPGs, ranging from population collapses of non‐aerial dispersers as channels fragmented to irruptions of small, eurythermic dietary generalists upon extreme dewatering. Our study demonstrates for the first time that relatively small changes in drought intensity can trigger disproportionately large functional shifts in stream communities, suggesting that traits‐based approaches could be particularly useful for diagnosing catastrophic ecological responses to global change

Coupling virtual watersheds with ecosystem services assessment: A 21st century platform to support river research and management

The demand for freshwater is projected to increase worldwide over the coming decades, resulting in severe water stress and threats to riverine biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and services. A major societal challenge is to determine where environmental changes will have the greatest impacts on riverine ecosystem services and where resilience can be incorporated into adaptive resource planning. Both water managers and scientists need new integrative tools to guide them towards the best solutions that meet the demands of a growing human population but also ensure riverine biodiversity and ecosystem integrity. Resource planners and scientists could better address a growing set of riverine management and risk mitigation issues by (1) using a “Virtual Watersheds” approach based on improved digital river networks and better connections to terrestrial systems; (2) integrating Virtual Watersheds with ecosystem services technology (ARtificial Intelligence for Ecosystem Services: ARIES), and (3) incorporating the role of riverine biotic interactions in shaping ecological responses. This integrative platform can support both interdisciplinary scientific analyses of pressing societal issues and effective dissemination of findings across river research and management communities. It should also provide new integrative tools to identify the best solutions and trade-offs to ensure the conservation of riverine biodiversity and ecosystem services

The MothersBabies Study, an Australian Prospective Cohort Study Analyzing the Microbiome in the Preconception and Perinatal Period to Determine Risk of Adverse Pregnancy, Postpartum, and Child-Related Health Outcomes: Study Protocol

The microbiome has emerged as a key determinant of human health and reproduction, with recent evidence suggesting a dysbiotic microbiome is implicated in adverse perinatal health outcomes. The existing research has been limited by the sample collection and timing, cohort design, sample design, and lack of data on the preconception microbiome. This prospective, longitudinal cohort study will recruit 2000 Australian women, in order to fully explore the role of the microbiome in the development of adverse perinatal outcomes. Participants are enrolled for a maximum of 7 years, from 1 year preconception, through to 5 years postpartum. Assessment occurs every three months until pregnancy occurs, then during Trimester 1 (5 + 0–12 + 6 weeks gestation), Trimester 2 (20 + 0–24 + 6 weeks gestation), Trimester 3 (32 + 0–36 + 6 weeks gestation), and postpartum at 1 week, 2 months, 6 months, and then annually from 1 to 5 years. At each assessment, maternal participants self-collect oral, skin, vaginal, urine, and stool samples. Oral, skin, urine, and stool samples will be collected from children. Blood samples will be obtained from maternal participants who can access a study collection center. The measurements taken will include anthropometric, blood pressure, heart rate, and serum hormonal and metabolic parameters. Validated self-report questionnaires will be administered to assess diet, physical activity, mental health, and child developmental milestones. Medications, medical, surgical, obstetric history, the impact of COVID-19, living environments, and pregnancy and child health outcomes will be recorded. Multiomic bioinformatic and statistical analyses will assess the association between participants who developed high-risk and low-risk pregnancies, adverse postnatal conditions, and/or childhood disease, and their microbiome for the different sample types

High prevalence of high risk human papillomavirus-capsid antibodies in human immunodeficiency virus-seropositive men: a serological study

BACKGROUND: Serological study of human papillomavirus (HPV)-antibodies in order to estimate the HPV-prevalence as risk factor for the development of HPV-associated malignancies in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive men. METHODS: Sera from 168 HIV-positive men and 330 HIV-negative individuals (including 198 controls) were tested using a direct HPV-ELISA specific to HPV-6, -11, -16, -18, -31 and bovine PV-1 L1-virus-like particles. Serological results were correlated with the presence of HPV-associated lesions, the history of other sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and HIV classification groups. RESULTS: In HIV-negative men low risk HPV-antibodies were prevailing and associated with condylomatous warts (25.4%). Strikingly, HIV-positive men were more likely to have antibodies to the high-risk HPV types -16, -18, -31, and low risk antibodies were not increased in a comparable range. Even those HIV-positive heterosexual individuals without any HPV-associated lesions exhibited preferentially antibody responses to the oncogenic HPV-types (cumulative 31.1%). The highest antibody detection rate (88,8%) was observed within the subgroup of nine HIV-positive homosexual men with anogenital warts. Three HIV-positive patients had HPV-associated carcinomas, in all of them HPV-16 antibodies were detected. Drug use and mean CD4-cell counts on the day of serologic testing had no influence on HPV-IgG antibody prevalence, as had prior antiretroviral therapy or clinical category of HIV-disease. CONCLUSION: High risk HPV-antibodies in HIV-infected and homosexual men suggest a continuous exposure to HPV-proteins throughout the course of their HIV infection, reflecting the known increased risk for anogenital malignancies in these populations. The extensive increase of high risk antibodies (compared to low risk antibodies) in HIV-positive patients cannot be explained by differences in exposure history alone, but suggests defects of the immunological control of oncogenic HPV-types. HPV-serology is economic and can detect past or present HPV-infection, independently of an anatomical region. Therefore HPV-serology could help to better understand the natural history of anogenital HPV-infection in HIV-positive men in the era of antiretroviral therapy

A novel low-cost, high-resolution camera system for measuring peat subsidence and water table dynamics

This is the final version. Available from Frontiers Media via the DOI in this record. DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT: The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation.Peatlands are highly dynamic systems, able to accumulate carbon over millennia under natural conditions, but susceptible to rapid subsidence and carbon loss when drained. Short-term, seasonal and long-term peat surface elevation changes are closely linked to key peatland attributes such as water table depth (WTD) and carbon balance, and may be measured remotely using satellite radar and LiDAR methods. However, field measurements of peat elevation change are spatially and temporally sparse, reliant on low-resolution manual subsidence pole measurements, or expensive sensor systems. Here we describe a novel, simple and low-cost image-based method for measuring peat surface motion and WTD using commercially available time-lapse cameras and image processing methods. Based on almost two years’ deployment of peat cameras across contrasting forested, burned, agricultural and oil palm plantation sites in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, we show that the method can capture extremely high resolution (sub-mm) and high-frequency (sub-daily) changes in peat surface elevation over extended periods and under challenging environmental conditions. WTD measurements were of similar quality to commercially available pressure transducers. Results reveal dynamic peat elevation response to individual rain events, consistent with variations in WTD. Over the course of the relatively severe 2019 dry season, cameras in deep-drained peatlands recorded maximum peat shrinkage of over 8 cm, followed by partial rebound, leading to net annual subsidence of up to 5 cm. Sites with higher water tables, and where borehole irrigation was used to maintain soil moisture, had lower subsidence, suggesting potential to reduce subsidence through altered land-management. Given the established link between subsidence and CO2 emissions, these results have direct implications for the management of peatlands to reduce high current greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Camera-based sensors provide a simple, low-cost alternative to commercial elevation, WTD and GHG flux monitoring systems, suitable for deployment at scale, and in areas where existing approaches are impractical or unaffordable. If ground-based observations of peat motion can be linked to measured GHG fluxes and with satellite-based monitoring tools, this approach offers the potential for a large-scale peatland monitoring tool, suitable for identifying areas of active carbon loss, targeting climate change mitigation interventions, and evaluating intervention outcomes.United Kingdom Space Agency International Partnership ProgramBiotechnology and Biological Sciences Research CouncilNatural Environment Research CouncilNatural Environment Research Counci

Extreme rainfall events alter the trophic structure in bromeliad tanks across the Neotropics

Changes in global and regional precipitation regimes are among the most pervasive components of climate change. Intensification of rainfall cycles, ranging from frequent downpours to severe droughts, could cause widespread, but largely unknown, alterations to trophic structure and ecosystem function. We conducted multi-site coordinated experiments to show how variation in the quantity and evenness of rainfall modulates trophic structure in 210 natural freshwater microcosms (tank bromeliads) across Central and South America (18°N to 29°S). The biomass of smaller organisms (detritivores) was higher under more stable hydrological conditions. Conversely, the biomass of predators was highest when rainfall was uneven, resulting in top-heavy biomass pyramids. These results illustrate how extremes of precipitation, resulting in localized droughts or flooding, can erode the base of freshwater food webs, with negative implications for the stability of trophic dynamics

Direct observations of the effect of fine sediment deposition on the vertical movement of Gammarus pulex (Amphipoda: Gammaridae) during substratum drying

Benthic macroinvertebrates inhabit the streambed sediments of temporary streams during drying events. Fine sediment (< 2 mm in diameter) deposition and clogging of interstitial pathways reduces the connectivity between benthic and subsurface habitats, potentially inhibiting macroinvertebrate vertical movements. Direct observations within subsurface sediments are, however, inherently difficult. As a result, confirmation of macroinvertebrate vertical movement, and the effect of fine sediment, is limited. We used laboratory mesocosms containing transparent gravel sized particles (10–15 mm) to facilitate the direct observation and tracking of vertical movements by Gammarus pulex in response to water level reduction and sedimentation. Seven sediment treatments comprised two fine sediment fractions (small: 0.125–0.5 mm, coarse sand: 0.5–1 mm) deposited onto the surface of the substrate, and a control treatment where no fine sediment was applied. We found that G. pulex moved into the subsurface gravel sediments in response to drying, but their ability to remain submerged during water level reduction was impeded by fine sediment deposition. In particular deposition of the coarser sand fraction clogged the sediment surface, limiting vertical movements. Our results highlight the potential effect of sedimentation on G. pulex resistance to drying events in streams