Pesticide doses, landscape structure and their relative effects on farmland birds

International audiencetAgricultural changes related to the intensification of farming practices and the simplification of land-scape elements often occur simultaneously. Their respective effects on biodiversity are thus difficult todisentangle and are poorly understood. This study assessed the relative contribution of each componentof agricultural intensification on taxonomic and functional bird communities.The bird communities studied were composed of 70 species, both farmland and non-farmland birds,found in 66 fields covering three main cereal departments of France. Herbicide dose was related to mea-surable negative effects on the Community Specialization Index (CSI). Overall, the proportion of habitatspecialists, particularly of herbivorous species, decreased, and the proportion of generalists increased aspesticide doses increased. Pesticides also had a positive effect on total abundance and richness, whereasno influence of insecticide or fungicide doses could be detected. Landscape simplification was associatedwith a loss of bird species diversity and an increase in the CSI.Our findings suggest that the intensification of agriculture in this area, as reflected by increasing pes-ticide doses, modified communities by homogenizing species assemblages, whereas landscape elementsimplification led to the selection of only a few typical farmland birds enabled to persist in a simpli-fied arable landscape. These results highlight the importance of combining taxonomic with functionaldiversity indices to fully understand changes in communities that occur in response to agriculturalintensification

Perception and knowledge of plant diversity among urban park users

International audienceFor several decades, ecological studies have suggested that urbanized environments can be viewed asbiodiversity refuges, thus broadening conservation concerns from pristine to urban green areas. Despitethe increasing motivation to conserve areas where humans live and work, the conservation of urbanbiodiversity rarely takes citizens’ knowledge, perception, and needs into account. Interdisciplinary-basedconservation is thus urgently needed in order to bridge this gap. We therefore studied a park located inParis (France) where we combined ecological and human sciences to question a botanist and 100 parkusers about their knowledge and perceptions of plant richness. We then assessed the role of plant richnesson people’s perception of the services provided by the park. Our findings show that park users mainlyrecognized the cultivated plants promoted by gardeners, whereas the botanist more frequently observedspontaneous plants. Furthermore, the plant richness estimation by park users was much lower than thebotanist’s count. The users were attentive to the surrounding plant richness because of its beauty andits effect on their sense of well-being, whereas its role in biodiversity and ecological functions were lessrelevant. Finally, although the knowledge of plant richness among park users was poor and focused onornamental plants, they preferred to consider wild plant management in terms of cohabitation ratherthan removal, which may indicate a desire for more naturalistic landscapes. We discuss these resultsand propose several recommendations for improving biodiversity conservation in green parks withoutundermining the park users’ well-being

Reduce pesticides to increase earthworm abundance in agricultural systems

The loss of biodiversity due to agricultural intensification was a major environmental issue that called for the design of new cropping systems such as organic farming and low-input cropping systems. However, the potential benefits of such systems have not yet been precisely assessed. Earthworms may be affected by pesticide applications, especially species living in contact with the soil surface. Based on empirical data obtained from conventional and organic cropping systems in different sites near Paris, we established simple relationships between the Treatment Frequency index (a phytosanitary indicator of pesticide pressure) and the abundance of three earthworm species (Allolobophora chlorotica, Lumbricus castaneus and L. terrestris). Insecticides have more negative influence on earthworm species than herbicides and fungicides. We also found that species living in the soil's surface layer were the most affected by pesticides. If the Treatment Frequency Index was halved, as is currently required by some European regulations, density of these three earthworm species could be multiplied by a factor 1.5-4. This could represent an important functional benefit for agroecosystems

Promoting earthworm abundance by reducing pesticides in agricultural systems

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New advances in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis genetics: towards gene therapy opportunities for familial and young cases

International audienceDue to novel gene therapy opportunities, genetic screening is no longer restricted to familial cases of ALS (FALS) cases but also aplies to the sporadic populations (SALS). Screening of four main genes (C9orf72, SOD1, TARDBP and FUS) identified the causes in 15% of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) patients (two third of the familial cases and 8% of the sporadic ones) but their respective contribution to ALS phenotype varies according the age of disease onset. The genetic overlap between ALS and other diseases is expanding and includes frontotemporal dementia, Paget's Disease of Bone, myopathy for adult cases, HSP and CMT for young cases highlighing the importance of retrieving the exhaustive familial history for each indivdual with ALS. Incomplete disease penetrance, diversity of the possible phenotypes, as well as the lack of confidence concerning the pathogenicity of most identified variants and/or possible oligogenic inheritance are burdens of ALS genetic counseling to be delivered to patients and at risk individuals. The multitude of rare ALS genetic causes identifed seems to converge to similar cellular pathways leading to inapropriate response to stress emphacising new potential therapeutic options for the disease

Promoting earthworm abundance by reducing pesticides in agricultural systems

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Réduire les pesticides pour augmenter les populations de vers de terre dans les champs cultivés

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Reduction of pesticide use can increase earthworm populations in wheat crops in a European temperate region

Agricultural intensification has led to reduced soil biodiversity in arable lands. The potential benefits from organic farming and from low-input cropping systems have not yet been precisely assessed. Earthworm, having important agro-ecological functions, may be affected by pesticide applications, especially those species living mainly in the surface soil layer. We used a five-year experimental database including conventional and organic cropping systems to establish simple relationships between the Treatment Frequency Index - a phytosanitary indicator of pesticide pressure - and the abundance of three important earthworm species. We found that insecticides have more negative influence on earthworm species than herbicides and fungicides, and that species living in the soil's surface layer were the most affected by pesticides. Density of these earthworm species could be multiplied by a factor 1.5-4 if the Treatment Frequency Index was halved, as is currently required by some European regulations. Our results thus demonstrate that a reduction in pesticide application would increase earthworm population density in agricultural fields

Delineation of the genetic and clinical spectrum of Phelan-McDermid syndrome caused by SHANK3 point mutations

Abstract Background Phelan-McDermid syndrome (PMS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by psychiatric and neurological features. Most reported cases are caused by 22q13.3 deletions, leading to SHANK3 haploinsufficiency, but also usually encompassing many other genes. While the number of point mutations identified in SHANK3 has increased in recent years due to large-scale sequencing studies, systematic studies describing the phenotype of individuals harboring such mutations are lacking. Methods We provide detailed clinical and genetic data on 17 individuals carrying mutations in SHANK3. We also review 60 previously reported patients with pathogenic or likely pathogenic SHANK3 variants, often lacking detailed phenotypic information. Results SHANK3 mutations in our cohort and in previously reported cases were distributed throughout the protein; the majority were truncating and all were compatible with de novo inheritance. Despite substantial allelic heterogeneity, four variants were recurrent (p.Leu1142Valfs*153, p.Ala1227Glyfs*69, p.Arg1255Leufs*25, and c.2265+1G>A), suggesting that these are hotspots for de novo mutations. All individuals studied had intellectual disability, and autism spectrum disorder was prevalent (73%). Severe speech deficits were common, but in contrast to individuals with 22q13.3 deletions, the majority developed single words, including 41% with at least phrase speech. Other common findings were consistent with reports among individuals with 22q13.3 deletions, including hypotonia, motor skill deficits, regression, seizures, brain abnormalities, mild dysmorphic features, and feeding and gastrointestinal problems. Conclusions Haploinsufficiency of SHANK3 resulting from point mutations is sufficient to cause a broad range of features associated with PMS. Our findings expand the molecular and phenotypic spectrum of PMS caused by SHANK3 point mutations and suggest that, in general, speech impairment and motor deficits are more severe in the case of deletions. In contrast, renal abnormalities associated with 22q13.3 deletions do not appear to be related to the loss of SHANK3

Genetic screening of ANXA11 revealed novel mutations linked to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

International audienceANXA11 mutations have previously been discovered in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) motor neuron disease. To confirm the contribution of ANXA11 mutations to ALS, a large exome dataset obtained from 330 French patients, including 150 familial ALS (FALS) index cases and 180 sporadic (SALS) cases, was analyzed, leading to the identification of 3 rare ANXA11 variants in 5 patients. The novel p.L254V variant was associated to early onset SALS. The novel p.D40Y mutation and the p.G38R variant concerned patients with predominant pyramidal tract involvement and cognitive decline. Neuropathological findings in a p.G38R carrier associated the presence of ALS typical inclusions within the spinal cord, massive degeneration of the lateral tracts and type A Frontotemporal Lobar degeneration (FTLD). This mutant form of Annexin A11 accumulated in various brain regions and in spinal cord motor neurons, although its stability was decreased in patients' lymphoblasts. Since most ANXA11 inclusions were not colocalized with TDP-43 or p62 deposits, ANXA11 aggregation does not seem mandatory to trigger neurodegeneration with additional participants/partner proteins that could intervene