Evaluation of primer pairs for eDNA-based assessment of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera across a biogeographically diverse region

Macroinvertebrates serve as key indicators in ecological assessments of aquatic ecosystems, where the composition and richness of their communities are indicative of environmental and anthropogenic change. Established monitoring of macroinvertebrates is expensive and time-consuming, and relies on expert taxonomic knowledge. In contrast, biomonitoring based on molecular tools can support faster characterization of aquatic communities but needs validation for the target taxonomic groups and the study region. Here, we used data from a biomonitoring program covering a large biogeographic gradient to compare the routine kick-net method with eDNA metabarcoding. We used two primer pairs targeting COI, one targeting a broad metazoan spectrum (mICOIintF/jgHCO2198) and another more recently developed primer pair optimized for the detection of freshwater invertebrates (fwhF2/EPTDr2n). We used the data of the macroinvertebrate monitoring with a focus on the orders of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera across 92 rivers in Switzerland, covering four continental drainage basins and an elevational range from 198 to 1650 m a.s.l. Across all sample sites, the kick-net detected more distinct taxa than either of the metabarcoding approaches. At a site level, however, both primer pairs detected on average more species. Comparing both primer pairs, the fwhF2/EPTDr2n primer pair captured more species assigned to the indicator groups Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera, and showed a significantly larger overlap with the kick-net method. However, the community composition still varied significantly among the different metabarcoding approaches. Fewer Trichoptera species were recovered by eDNA, whereas the fwhF2/EPTDr2n primer pair detected more Plecopterans than the other two approaches. This study highlights the importance of the optimization and validation of novel molecular approaches under consideration of the target organismal group and the study area

Simulated shifts in trophic niche breadth modulate range loss of alpine butterflies under climate change

Species currently track suitable abiotic and biotic conditions under ongoing climate change. Adjustments of trophic interactions may provide a mechanism for population persistence, an option that is rarely included in model projections. Here, we model the future distribution, of butterflies in the western Alps of Switzerland under climate change, simulating potential diet expansion resulting from adaptive behavior or new host opportunities. We projected the distribution of 60 butterfly and 298 plant species with species distribution models (SDMs) under three climate change scenarios. From known host plants, we allowed a potential diet expansion based on phylogenetic constraints. We assessed whether diet expansion could reduce the rate of expected regional species extinction under climate change. We found that the risk of species extinctions decreased with a concave upward decreasing shape when expanding the host plant range. A diet expansion to even a few phylogenetically closely related host plants would significantly decrease extinction rates. Yet, even when considering expansion toward all plant species available in the study area, the overall regional extinction risk would remain high. Ecological or evolutionary shifts to new host plants may attenuate extinction risk, but the severe decline of suitable abiotic conditions is still expected to drive many species to local extinction

Les Juilléras (Mondragon, Vaucluse) site d'habitat et funéraire du Néolithique récent, Néolithique final, Campaniforme - Bronze ancien et Bronze final 2b : Premiers résultats

Le site des Juilléras a fait l'objet d'une fouille de sauvetage sur le tracé du TGV Méditerranée. Plusieurs occupations successives ont pu être mises en évidence. Un ensemble mégalithique à vocation funéraire est mis en place au Néolithique récent. Deux fosses indiquent une occupation au Néolithique final. Le site est ensuite occupé au Campaniforme-Bronze ancien et livre une petite nécropole en marge d'une aire d'occupation domestique. Il est réutilisé une dernière fois au Bronze final 2b par l'implantation d'un four à galets chauffés indiquant la présence d'une aire d'activité particulière

: = Les Arnajons (Le-Puy-Sainte-Réparade, Bouches-du-Rhône): a new long chambered tomb of south-east France

International audienceA new dolmen was discovered in the Bouches-du-Rhône département during surveys and test trenches performed by Inrap prior to setting up a pipeline. The archaeological potential of the structure was only assessed and the project amendment allowed avoiding a complete excavation. The monument is located on a piedmont, in the Northern part of the Bouches-du-Rhône département, approximately 15 km North-northeast of Aix-en-Provence on the edge of the Durance valley. Embedded in a pit, the structure comprises three walls and the covering slab is missing. The test trenches show that the chamber contained at least two levels of deposits. The little series of furnishings are subjected to detailed studies, particularly with regard to the lithic industry (materials, technology, microwear analysis). The furniture and the radiocarbon dating corroborate the attribution of this monument to the Final Neolithic. The discussion pertains to integrating this dolmen into megalithism in the Provence region. It looks into the issues of chronology and cultural allocation. The potential links with other types of monuments, particularly with hypogeum such as Fontvieille's, remain an fundamental source of debate.Un nouveau dolmen a été découvert dans les Bouches-du-Rhône à l'occasion de prospections et sondages réalisés par l'Inrap. Le potentiel archéologique de la structure a seulement été évalué et la modification du projet d'aménagement a permis d'en éviter la fouille. Au nord du département des Bouches-du-Rhône, en bordure de la vallée de la Durance, le monument est localisé sur un piémont. Implantée en fosse, la structure de forme trapézoïdale orientée est-ouest est matérialisée par trois murs, la dalle de couverture a disparu. Les sondages montrent que la chambre contenait au moins deux niveaux de dépôts. La petite série de mobilier fait l'objet d'études détaillées, en particulier pour l'industrie lithique (matériaux, technologie, tracéologie). Le mobilier et la datation radiocarbone confirment que le monument a été utilisé pendant les premières phases du Néolithique final. La discussion porte sur l'intégration de ce dolmen au mégalithisme provençal. Elle examine les questions de chronologie et d'attribution culturelle. Les relations avec les autres types de monuments, en particulier avec les hypogées de type Fontvieille, restent une source essentielle de débat

Shared memory parallelism and low-rank approximation techniques applied to direct solvers in FEM simulation

International audienceIn this paper, the performance of a parallel sparse direct solver on a shared memory multicore system is presented. Large size test matrices arising from finite element simulation of induction heating industrial applications are used in order to evaluate the performance improvements due to low-rank representations and multicore parallelizatio

Bidirectional KCNQ1:β-catenin interaction drives colorectal cancer cell differentiation.

The K+ channel KCNQ1 has been proposed as a tumor suppressor in colorectal cancer (CRC). We investigated the molecular mechanisms regulating KCNQ1:β-catenin bidirectional interactions and their effects on CRC differentiation, proliferation, and invasion. Molecular and pharmacologic approaches were used to determine the influence of KCNQ1 expression on the Wnt/β-catenin signaling and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in human CRC cell lines of varying stages of differentiation. The expression of KCNQ1 was lost with increasing mesenchymal phenotype in poorly differentiated CRC cell lines as a consequence of repression of the KCNQ1 promoter by β-catenin:T-cell factor (TCF)-4. In welldifferentiated epithelial CRC cell lines, KCNQ1 was localized to the plasma membrane in a complex with β-catenin and E-cadherin. The colocalization of KCNQ1 with adherens junction proteins was lost with increasing EMT phenotype. ShRNA knock-down of KCNQ1 caused a relocalization of β-catenin from the plasma membrane and a loss of epithelial phenotype in CRC spheroids. Overexpression of KCNQ1 trapped β-catenin at the plasma membrane, induced a patent lumen in CRC spheroids, and slowed CRC cell invasion. The KCNQ1 ion channel inhibitor chromanol 293B caused membrane depolarization, redistribution of β-catenin into the cytosol, and a reduced transepithelial electrical resistance, and stimulated CRC cell proliferation. Analysis of human primary CRC tumor patient databases showed a positive correlation between KCNQ1:KCNE3 channel complex expression and disease-free survival. We conclude that the KCNQ1 ion channel is a target gene and regulator of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, and its repression leads to CRC cell proliferation, EMT, and tumorigenesis

Low spatial autocorrelation in mountain biodiversity data and model residuals

Spatial autocorrelation (SAC) is a common feature of ecological data where observations tend to be more similar at some geographic distance(s) than expected by chance. Despite the implications of SAC for data dependencies, its impact on the performance of species distribution models (SDMs) remains controversial, with reports of both strong and negligible impacts on inference. Yet, no study has comprehensively assessed the prevalence and the strength of SAC in the residuals of SDMs over entire geographic areas. Here, we used a large-scale spatial inventory in the western Swiss Alps to provide a thorough assessment of the importance of SAC for (1) 850 species belonging to nine taxonomic groups, (2) six predictors commonly used for modeling species distributions, and (3) residuals obtained from SDMs fitted with two algorithms with the six predictors included as covariates. We used various statistical tools to evaluate (1) the global level of SAC, (2) the spatial pattern and spatial extent of SAC, and (3) whether local clusters of SAC can be detected. We further investigated the effect of the sampling design on SAC levels. Overall, while environmental predictors expectedly displayed high SAC levels, SAC in biodiversity data was rather low overall and vanished rapidly at a distance of similar to 5-10 km. We found low evidence for the existence of local clusters of SAC. Most importantly, model residuals were not spatially autocorrelated, suggesting that inferences derived from SDMs are unlikely to be affected by SAC. Further, our results suggest that the influence of SAC can be reduced by a careful sampling design. Overall, our results suggest that SAC is not a major concern for rugged mountain landscapes.Peer reviewe

Integrating ecosystem services within spatial biodiversity conservation prioritization in the Alps

As anthropogenic degradation of biodiversity and ecosystems increases, so does the potential threat to the supply of ecosystem services, a key contribution of nature to people. Biodiversity has often been used in spatial conservation planning and has been regarded as one among multiple services delivered by ecosystems. Hence, biodiversity conservation planning should be integrated in a framework of prioritizing services in order to inform decision-making. Here, we propose a prioritization approach based on scenarios maximising both the provision of ecosystem services and the conservation of biodiversity hotspots. Different weighting scenarios for the α-diversity in four taxonomic groups and 10 mapped ecosystem services were used to simulate varying priorities of policymakers in a mountain region. Our results illustrate how increasing priorities to ecosystem services can be disadvantageous to biodiversity. Moreover, the analysis to identify priority areas that best compromise the conservation of α-diversity and ecosystem services are predominantly not located within the current protected area network. Our analyses stress the need for an appropriate weighting of biodiversity within decision making that seek to integrate multiple ecosystem services. Our study paves the way toward further integration of multiple biodiversity groups and components, ecosystem services and various socio-economic scenarios, ultimately fuelling the development of more informed, evidence-based spatial planning decisions for conservation

A Glucose BioFuel Cell Implanted in Rats

Powering future generations of implanted medical devices will require cumbersome transcutaneous energy transfer or harvesting energy from the human body. No functional solution that harvests power from the body is currently available, despite attempts to use the Seebeck thermoelectric effect, vibrations or body movements. Glucose fuel cells appear more promising, since they produce electrical energy from glucose and dioxygen, two substrates present in physiological fluids. The most powerful ones, Glucose BioFuel Cells (GBFCs), are based on enzymes electrically wired by redox mediators. However, GBFCs cannot be implanted in animals, mainly because the enzymes they rely on either require low pH or are inhibited by chloride or urate anions, present in the Extra Cellular Fluid (ECF). Here we present the first functional implantable GBFC, working in the retroperitoneal space of freely moving rats. The breakthrough relies on the design of a new family of GBFCs, characterized by an innovative and simple mechanical confinement of various enzymes and redox mediators: enzymes are no longer covalently bound to the surface of the electron collectors, which enables use of a wide variety of enzymes and redox mediators, augments the quantity of active enzymes, and simplifies GBFC construction. Our most efficient GBFC was based on composite graphite discs containing glucose oxidase and ubiquinone at the anode, polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and quinone at the cathode. PPO reduces dioxygen into water, at pH 7 and in the presence of chloride ions and urates at physiological concentrations. This GBFC, with electrodes of 0.133 mL, produced a peak specific power of 24.4 µW mL−1, which is better than pacemakers' requirements and paves the way for the development of a new generation of implantable artificial organs, covering a wide range of medical applications

Les Arnajons (Le-Puy-Sainte-Réparade, Bouches-du-Rhône) : un nouveau dolmen dans le Sud-Est de la France

Un nouveau dolmen a été découvert dans les Bouches-du-Rhône à l’occasion de prospections et sondages réalisés par l’Inrap. Le potentiel archéologique de la structure a seulement été évalué et la modification du projet d’aménagement a permis d’en éviter la fouille. Au nord du département des Bouches-du-Rhône, en bordure de la vallée de la Durance, le monument est localisé sur un piémont. Implantée en fosse, la structure de forme trapézoïdale orientée est-ouest est matérialisée par trois murs, la dalle de couverture a disparu. Les sondages montrent que la chambre contenait au moins deux niveaux de dépôts. La petite série de mobilier fait l’objet d’études détaillées, en particulier pour l’industrie lithique (matériaux, technologie, tracéologie). Le mobilier et la datation radiocarbone confirment que le monument a été utilisé pendant les premières phases du Néolithique final. La discussion porte sur l’intégration de ce dolmen au mégalithisme provençal. Elle examine les questions de chronologie et d’attribution culturelle. Les relations avec les autres types de monuments, en particulier avec les hypogées de type Fontvieille, restent une source essentielle de débat.A new dolmen was discovered in the Bouches-du-Rhône département during surveys and test trenches performed by Inrap prior to setting up a pipeline. The archaeological potential of the structure was only assessed and the project amendment allowed avoiding a complete excavation. The monument is located on a piedmont, in the Northern part of the Bouches-du-Rhône département, approximately 15 km North-northeast of Aix-en-Provence on the edge of the Durance valley. Embedded in a pit, the structure comprises three walls and the covering slab is missing. The test trenches show that the chamber contained at least two levels of deposits. The little series of furnishings are subjected to detailed studies, particularly with regard to the lithic industry (materials, technology, microwear analysis). The furniture and the radiocarbon dating corroborate the attribution of this monument to the Final Neolithic. The discussion pertains to integrating this dolmen into megalithism in the Provence region. It looks into the issues of chronology and cultural allocation. The potential links with other types of monuments, particularly with hypogeum such as Fontvieille’s, remain an fundamental source of debate