¿Cómo influyen las limitaciones geométricas en las pautas de migración?

Null models exclusively invoking geometric constraints have recently been demonstrated to provide new insight as to what explains geographic patterns of species richness and range size distribution. Analyses of migration patterns have traditionally been conducted in the absence of appropriate simulations and analytical models. Here we present a null model exclusively invoking geometric constraints and a more advanced analytical model incorporating spread along a migration direction that allow investigation of the influence of physiographical and physiological boundaries for terrestria taxa, with ocean and sea as geometric constraints, in relation to observed patterns of migration. Our models take into account the low recovery probability of terrestrial taxa over sea. The null model was not found to explain any of the directional variation in the ring–recoveries, but when comparing the distribution of data modeled using a simple clock–and–compass model with distributions of ring–recoveries, geometric constraints were found to explain up to 22% of the variation in ring–recoveries. However, the assumed directional concentrations per step used in the model were much higher than expected, and the qualitative fit of the model was rather poor even when non–terrestrial sites of recoveries were excluded.Recientemente se ha demostrado que los modelos nulos que recurren exclusivamente a las limitaciones geométricas proporcionan nuevas aportaciones para explicar las pautas geográficas que definen la riqueza de las especies y la distribución por tamaños según el rango. Tradicionalmente, los análisis de pautas de migración se han realizado sin emplear simulaciones ni modelos analíticos apropiados. En este estudio presentamos un modelo nulo que se basa exclusivamente en limitaciones geométricas, así como un modelo analítico más avanzado que incorpora la dispersión y una dirección de migración, lo que permite investigar la influencia de los límites fisiográficos y fisiológicos en los taxones terrestres, tomando el océano y el mar como limitaciones geométricas, con relación a las pautas de migración observadas. Los modelos que hemos empleado tienen en cuenta la baja probabilidad de recuperación de los taxones terrestres en el mar. El modelo nulo no pudo explicar ninguna de las variaciones direccionales en las recuperaciones de anillas; sin embargo, al comparar la distribución de los datos modelados utilizando un modelo simple de reloj y brújula con distribuciones de recuperaciones de anillas, se constató que las limitaciones geométricas podían explicar hasta el 22% de la variación en las recuperaciones de anillas. Pese a ello, las concentraciones direccionales por pasos que se presupusieron en el modelo fueron muy superiores a lo previsto, y el ajuste cualitativo del mismo resultó bastante deficiente cuando se excluyeron los emplazamientos de recuperaciones no terrestres

A global mismatch in the protection of multiple marine biodiversity components and ecosystem services

The global loss of biodiversity threatens unique biota and the functioning and services of ecosystems essential for human wellbeing. To safeguard biodiversity and ecosystem services, designating protected areas is crucial; yet the extent to which the existing placement of protection is aligned to meet these conservation priorities is questionable, especially in the oceans. Here we investigate and compare global patterns of multiple biodiversity components (taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional), ecosystem services and human impacts, with the coverage of marine protected areas across a nested spatial scale. We demonstrate a pronounced spatial mismatch between the existing degree of protection and all the conservation priorities above, highlighting that neither the world’s most diverse, nor the most productive ecosystems are currently the most protected ecosystems. Furthermore, we show that global patterns of biodiversity, ecosystem services and human impacts are poorly correlated, hence complicating the identification of generally applicable spatial prioritization schemes. However, a hypothetical “consensus approach” would have been able to address all these conservation priorities far more effectively than the existing degree of protection, which at best is only marginally better than a random expectation. Therefore, a holistic perspective is needed when designating an appropriate degree of protection of marine conservation priorities worldwide

Guidance in social and ethical issues related to clinical, diagnostic care and novel therapies for hereditary neuromuscular rare diseases: "translating" the translational.

Drug trials in children engage with many ethical issues, from drug-related safety concerns to communication with patients and parents, and recruitment and informed consent procedures. This paper addresses the field of neuromuscular disorders where the possibility of genetic, mutation-specific treatments, has added new complexity. Not only must trial design address issues of equity of access, but researchers must also think through the implications of adopting a personalised medicine approach, which requires a precise molecular diagnosis, in addition to other implications of developing orphan drugs. It is against this background of change and complexity that the Project Ethics Council (PEC) was established within the TREAT-NMD EU Network of Excellence. The PEC is a high level advisory group that draws upon the expertise of its interdisciplinary membership which includes clinicians, lawyers, scientists, parents, representatives of patient organisations, social scientists and ethicists. In this paper we describe the establishment and terms of reference of the PEC, give an indication of the range and depth of its work and provide some analysis of the kinds of complex questions encountered. The paper describes how the PEC has responded to substantive ethical issues raised within the TREAT-NMD consortium and how it has provided a wider resource for any concerned parent, patient, or clinician to ask a question of ethical concern. Issues raised range from science related ethical issues, issues related to hereditary neuromuscular diseases and the new therapeutic approaches and questions concerning patients rights in the context of patient registries and bio-banks. We conclude by recommending the PEC as a model for similar research contexts in rare diseases

Adaptive radiation and the evolution of nectarivory in a large songbird clade

The accumulation of exceptional ecological diversity within a lineage is a key feature of adaptive radiation resulting from diversification associated with the subdivision of previously underutilized resources. The invasion of unoccupied niche space is predicted to be a key determinant of adaptive diversification, and this process may be particularly important if the diversity of competing lineages within the area, in which the radiation unfolds, is already high. Here, we test whether the evolution of nectarivory resulted in significantly higher rates of morphological evolution, more extensive morphological disparity, and a heightened build‐up of sympatric species diversity in a large adaptive radiation of passerine birds (the honeyeaters, about 190 species) that have diversified extensively throughout continental and insular settings. We find that a large increase in rates of body size evolution and general expansion in morphological space followed an ancestral shift to nectarivory, enabling the build‐up of large numbers of co‐occurring species that vary greatly in size, compared to related and co‐distributed nonnectarivorous clades. These results strongly support the idea that evolutionary shifts into novel areas of niche space play a key role in promoting adaptive radiation in the presence of likely competing lineages

Distance and Regional Effects on the Value of Wild Bee Conservation

Many wild bee species are threatened across Europe, and with them the pollination function they provide. While numerous studies have assessed the value of bees as pollinators of crops, little is known about the non-marked value of bees. Using a choice modelling experiment, we examine these non-market values in Germany by identifying citizens’ willingness to pay (WTP) for wild bee conservation initiatives in four states. Effects of distance, state and regional affiliation are scrutinised, as previous research found these to affect respondents’ choices. Random parameter logit and latent class models are used to capture preference heterogeneity. Overall, we find strong support of wild bee conservation and a clear preference for improvement relative to the status quo, particularly in natural areas and for rare or endangered species. The yearly WTP for conservation initiatives ranges from 227 to 447€ per household. Our results show distance and regional effects on WTP. Initiatives in respondents’ home states are preferred, and increasing distance to initiatives in other states result in a slightly reduced WTP. Additionally, we observe regional preferences within an eastern and a western home region. These preferences are not explainable by socio-demographic characteristics, home state or distance and probably linked to social and cultural affiliations. We conclude that for widespread support in society and effective conservation initiatives, policy proposals must address this spatial heterogeneity from distance and regional effects. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.The authors thank the anonymous reviewers for their extensive and valuable comments on this manuscript. The authors would further like to thank Julian Sagebiel from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences for his support in the analysis of the survey data. They thank Alice Rogowski, Bennet Bergmann, Helena Leinweber, Jan Peters, Jean Paul Moreaux, Thomas Prossliner, as well as the focus groups participants for their valuable comments on the early version of the questionnaire. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. C.M., B.D. and C.R. thank the Danish National Research Foundation for its support of the Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate (Grant No. DNRF96)

21st Century Sea Ice Loss Will Upend 11,700 Years of Stable Habitat for Bowhead Whales

Bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) are strongly associated with Arctic sea ice during their crucial summer feeding period. However, anthropogenic climate change is causing a decline in sea ice concentrations, threatening bowhead whale suitable habitat. To characterise the long-term affinity of bowhead whales to sea ice across the Holocene and project the response of populations to 21st century climate change, we built ecological models of occurrence–environmental relationships using distribution-wide fossil, historical, and contemporary records. We found that throughout the Holocene, bowhead whale habitat suitability was consistently highest in summer average sea ice concentrations of 15%–30%. Projecting these models forward in time to 2100 ce showed that 21st century climate change is set to erode these critical sea ice conditions, resulting in the circumpolar range of bowhead whales contracting by up to 75%. We project that during this century, habitat suitability will decline in all four management populations of bowhead whales by at least 52%, with suitable habitat predicted to vanish completely in the Sea of Okhotsk. It is likely that most viable habitat for bowhead whales will exist outside their current distribution by the end of the century, directly impacting conservation policies. Our results further highlight the vulnerability of Arctic marine endemics in a warming world, showcasing how knowledge of the past can strengthen predictions of species future vulnerability to rapid ocean warming.</p