Using bio-physical modelling and population genetics for conservation and management of an exploited species, Pecten maximus L.

This is the final version. Available on open access from Wiley via the DOI in this recordData availability statement: The microsatellite data along with the site location data that support the findings of this study are openly available in FigShare at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.12907430Connectivity between populations is important when considering conservation or the management of exploitation of vulnerable species. We investigated how populations of a broadcast-spawning marine species (scallop, Pecten maximus) that occur in discrete geographic locations were connected to each other. Population genetic insights were related to the outputs from a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model implemented with scallop larval behaviour to understand the extent to which these areas were linked by oceanographic processes and how this was altered by season and two contrasting years that had strongly different average temperature records (warm vs cold) to provide contrasting oceanographic conditions. Our results span from regional to shelf scale. Connectivity was high at a regional level (e.g. northern Irish Sea), but lower at scales >100 km between sites. Some localities were possibly isolated thus dependent on self-recruitment to sustain local populations. Seasonal timing of spawning and inter-annual fluctuations in seawater temperature influenced connectivity patterns, and hence will affect spatial recruitment. Summer rather than spring spawning increased connectivity among some populations, due to the seasonal strengthening of temperature-driven currents. Furthermore, the warm year resulted in higher levels of modelled connectivity than the cold year. The combination of genetic and oceanographic approaches provided valuable insights into the structure and connectivity at a continental shelf scale. This insight provides a powerful basis for defining conservation management units and the appropriate scale for spatial management. Temporal fluctuations in temperature impact upon variability in connectivity, suggesting that future work should account for ocean warming when investigating population resilience.Isle of Man GovernmentEuropean Fisheries FundEuropean Union Regional Development Fun

Acute respiratory effects on workers exposed to metalworking fluid aerosols in an automotive transmission plant

Exposure to metalworking fluids has been linked to modest cross-shift reductions in FEV 1 and occupational asthma. To identify responsible agents, we measured personal exposures to thoracic particulate (TP), viable plus nonviable thoracic bacteria (BAC), and vapor phase nicotine (VPN) (as a surrogate for tobacco particulate) among 83 machinists exposed to soluble oils and 46 dry assemblers working in an automotive transmission machining plant using biocides infrequently. The participants completed interviews and performed pre- and postshift spirometry on Monday and Thursday of the same week in each of three rounds of data collection (June 1992, January 1993, June 1993). Generalized estimating equations were used to combine information across rounds in multiple regression models of cross-shift and cross-week changes in forced expiratory volume, I second (FEV 1 ) and forced vital capacity (FVC). Mean seniority was 19 years among machinists. Mean personal TP levels were 0.41 mg/m 3 in machinists and 0.13 mg/m 3 in assemblers. Six of the 83 machinists and none of the 46 assemblers experienced a greater than 19% cross-shift decrement in FEV 1 or FVC at least once (p = .07). In regression models using either TP or BAC, among subjects with lower baseline (Monday preshift) FEV 1 /FVC ratios, increasing exposure was significantly associated with increasing cross-shift decrements in FEV 1 and FVC in linear models, and with increased likelihood of a 10% or greater cross-shift decrement in FEV 1 or FVC in logistic models. Adjustment of TP for VPN did not affect models significantly. We conclude that clinically important cross-shift decrements in pulmonary function are associated with exposure to metalworking fluid aerosols within a high-seniority population. Am. J. Ind. Med. 31:510–524, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/34816/1/4_ftp.pd

Connecting to MARTA : a guide to transit-sensitive development

M.S.Michael D. Meye

Desert crossing strategies of migrant songbirds vary between and within species

Each year, billions of songbirds cross large ecological barriers during their migration. Understanding how they perform this incredible task is crucial to predict how global change may threaten the safety of such journeys. Earlier studies based on radar suggested that most songbirds cross deserts in intermittent flights at high altitude, stopping in the desert during the day, while recent tracking with light loggers suggested diurnal prolongation of nocturnal flights and common non-stop flights for some species. We analyzed light intensity and temperature data obtained from geolocation loggers deployed on 130 individuals of ten migratory songbird species, and show that a large variety of strategies for crossing deserts exists between, but also sometimes within species. Diurnal stopover in the desert is a common strategy in autumn, while most species prolonged some nocturnal flights into the day. Nonstop flights over the desert occurred more frequently in spring than in autumn, and more frequently in foliage gleaners. Temperature recordings suggest that songbirds crossed deserts with flight bouts performed at various altitudes according to species and season, along a gradient ranging from low above ground in autumn to probably >2000 m above ground level, and possibly at higher altitude in spring. High-altitude flights are therefore not the general rule for crossing deserts in migrant songbirds. We conclude that a diversity of migration strategies exists for desert crossing among songbirds, with variations between but also within species.Peer reviewe

Animais gordos e a dissolução da fronteira entre as espécies

Animais de estimação gordos costumavam ser, para muitas pessoas, engraçados e adoráveis; para algumas, os animaizinhos gordos (especialmente gatos) ainda o são: os quadrinhos de Garfield, sobre um gato acima do peso e preguiçoso, venderam bem; há sites e livros dedicados a exaltar a beleza e o encanto dos gatos gordos; e crianças anglófonas são socializadas por meio de livros de leitura fonológicos com títulos como Fat cat on a mat, associando o prazer de ler à fofura de animais de estimação rechonchudos. Tudo isto, no entanto, está mudando. Testemunhamos a transformação da obesidade de animais de estimação de fenômeno trivial ou preferência estética idiossincrática em problema social. Este vem mobilizando os meios de comunicação de massa, a opinião pública e ampla variedade de especialistas, além da intervenção de aparatos de Estado, como os tribunais e a polícia. Este artigo discute as maneiras pelas quais a obesidade ultrapassou a fronteira das espécies. Revisa as provas divulgadas para justificar as cada vez mais comuns - e cada vez mais estridentes - alegações de que estamos em meio a uma "epidemia" de obesidade de animais de estimação (algumas das quais afirmando que os animais de estimação acima do peso chegam a 60% do total), discute a fonte e avalia a credibilidade desta informação. Examina como a obesidade animal é apresentada na mídia por organizações de caridade, como Pet Club UK ou a RSPCA. E oferece reflexões sobre o que a preocupação corrente em relação à obesidade dos animais de estimação pode nos dizer a respeito das dimensões sociais, culturais, médicas, históricas, econômicas, emocionais e subjetivas da obesidade de maneira geral.<br>For many people, fat pets used to be cute, funny and adorable, and for some people fat pets (especially fat cats) still are: the Garfield comics, about an overweight, lazy cat, sell well, there are websites and books devoted to extolling the beauty and allure of fat cats, and children are socialized, through phonics readers with titles like Fat Cat on a Mat, to associate the pleasure of reading with the cuteness of round pets. All of this, however, is changing. We are witnessing the transformation of pet obesity from a trivial phenomenon or an idiosyncratic aesthetic preference into a social problem - one that increasingly mobilizes the mass media, public opinion and a wide variety of experts, and the intervention of state apparatuses like the courts and the police. This article discusses the ways in which obesity has crossed the species boundary. It reviews the evidence circulated to justify the increasingly common - and increasingly shrill - claims that we are in the midst of an "epidemic" of pet obesity (some claims assert that as many as 60% of all pets are overweight or obese) and it discusses the source and assesses the reliability of that evidence. It examines how pet obesity is presented in the mass media and by charitable organizations like Pet Club UK or the RSPCA. It also offers some thoughts about what current concerns about pet obesity can tell us about the social, cultural, medical, historical, economic, emotional and subjective dimensions of obesity more generally