Synaptobrevin N-terminally bound to syntaxin–SNAP-25 defines the primed vesicle state in regulated exocytosis

Time-resolved measurements of exocytosis identify a domain of the SNARE complex required to keep vesicles readily releasable

Raptors are still affected by environmental pollutants:Greenlandic Peregrines will not have normal eggshell thickness until 2034

The DDT-induced effects, eggshell thinning and breeding failure in Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) populations were reverted with restrictions on the use of the compound from the 1970s, and in most studied populations, the eggshell thickness is back to normal. In Greenland, a previous study of eggshell thinning in Peregrines found that shells had not yet reached pre-DDT levels. In this study, we extend the time series and reinterpret shell thinning data for 196 clutches covering a 45-year time span (1972–2017). There was a significant (P<0.001) increase in the eggshell thickness of 0.23% per year. This corresponds to a change in eggshell thinning from 14.5% to 5.4% in 2017 compared to the pre-DDT mean. With the current rate of change, pre-DDT shell thickness is predicted to be reached around the year 2034. However, a few clutches are still below the critical limit. The relatively slower recovery of the shell thickness in the Greenland population is likely indicative of the slower phasing out of DDT in the Greenlandic Peregrines’ wintering grounds in Latin America. The shell thinning in the Greenlandic population probably never crossed the 17% threshold associated with population declines, contrary to the populations in many other parts of the world

Benthos

Currently, > 4,000 Arctic macro- and megabenthic species are known, representing the majority of Arctic marine faunal diversity. This estimate is expected to increase. • Benthic invertebrates are food to shes, marine mammals, seabirds and humans, and are commercially harvested. • Traditional Knowledge (TK) emphasizes the link between the benthic species and their predators, such as walrus, and their signi cance to culture. • Decadal changes in benthos biodiversity are observed in some well-studied regions, such as the Barents Sea and Chukchi Sea. • Drivers related to climate-change such as warming, ice decline and acidification are affecting the benthic community on a pan-Arctic scale, while drivers such as trawling, river/glacier discharge and invasive species have signficant impact on regional or local scales. • Increasing numbers of species are moving into, or shifting, their distributions in Arctic waters. These species will outcompete, prey on or offer less nutritious value as prey for Arctic species. • Current monitoring efforts have focused on macro- and megabenthic species, but have been confined to the Chukchi Sea and the Barents Sea. Efforts are increasing in waters of Greenland, Iceland, the Canadian Arctic, and in the Norwegian Sea. All other Arctic Marine Areas are lacking long-term benthic monitoring. • As a first step towards an international collaborative monitoring framework, we recommend to develop a time- and cost-effective, long-term and standardized monitoring of megabenthic communities in all Arctic regions with regular annual groundfish assessment surveys. Expanding monitoring on micro-, meio- and macrobenthic groups is encouraged