Conservation implications of sea turtle nesting trends: elusive recovery of a globally important loggerhead population

Abstract Understanding population status and trends is important for developing and evaluating management and conservation actions for threatened species. Monitoring population status of marine organisms is especially challenging. Because sea turtles come ashore to lay their eggs and nests are easily counted, these counts are commonly used as an index of abundance and population trends. Nest counts do not provide a direct index of adult female population abundance because females typically lay more than one nest per year and most do not reproduce every year. This study attempts for the first time to investigate the likelihood that observed fluctuations of nest counts represent inter‐annual changes of the adult female population by accounting for uncertainty in reproductive rate parameters. We analyzed 30 yr of reproductive data from the largest nesting loggerhead sea turtle population worldwide, breeding in Florida (USA), and for the three Recovery Units and seven Management Units therein. Nest counts followed a general non‐monotonic trend with wide fluctuations that corresponded to decreasing and increasing trends during short intervals. When we accounted for uncertainty in both clutch frequency and remigration interval, there was no evidence for an increasing or a declining trend in the breeding female population across the entire period. Despite extensive conservation efforts and protections for loggerheads in Florida and the wider USA, we did not find evidence of a strong population recovery. We recommend maintaining a high level of protection, addressing persistent anthropogenic threats, continued collection of rigorous nest‐count data, and monitoring reproductive parameters to better link nest counts to adult female population abundance. Our results demonstrate the need for caution in using nest counts as a direct proxy for adult female population status, as it may lead to unsupported conclusions potentially detrimental to conservation. Therefore, we recommend to always translating nest trends to at least adult female trends, including uncertainty in reproductive parameters. Our approach can be exported to other populations, even where reproductive parameters are not available. Applying high parameter uncertainty obtained from other populations can help identifying unequivocal population changes; that is, nest trends unlikely justified by uncertainty and poor knowledge of reproductive parameters

Impact of diagenesis on the spatial and temporal distribution of reservoir quality in the Jurassic Arab D and C members, offshore Abu Dhabi oilfield, United Arab Emirates

This study is based on petrographic examination (optical, scanning electron microscope, cathodo-luminescence, backscattered electron imaging, and fluorescence) of 1, 350 thin sections as well as isotopic compositions of carbonates (172 carbon and oxygen and 118 strontium isotopes), microprobe analyses, and fluid inclusion microthermometry of cored Jurassic Arab D and C members from 16 wells in a field from offshore Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The formation was deposited in a ramp with barrier islands and distal slope setting. Petrographic, stable isotopic and fluid-inclusion analyses have unraveled the impact of diagenesis on reservoir quality of Arab D and C within the framework of depositional facies, sequence stratigraphy, and burial history. Diagenetic processes include cementation by grain rim cement and syntaxial calcite overgrowths, formation of moldic porosity by dissolution of allochems, dolomitization and dolomite cementation, cementation by gypsum and anhydrite, and stylolitization. Partial eogenetic calcite and dolomite cementation has prevented porosity loss in grainstones during burial diagenesis. Dolomitization and sulphate cementation of peritidal mud are suggested to have occurred in an evaporative sabkha setting, whereas dolomitization of subtidal packstones and grainstones was driven by seepage reflux of lagoon brines formed during major falls in relative sea level. Recrystallization of dolomite occurred by hot saline waters (Th 85-100\ub0C; and salinity 14-18 wt% NaCl). Anhydrite and gypsum cements (Th 95-105\ub0C; fluid salinity 16-20 wt% NaCl), were subjected to extensive dissolution, presumably caused by thermal sulfate reduction followed by a major phase of oil emplacement. The last cement recorded was a second phase of anhydrite and gypsum (Th 95-120\ub0C; 16-22 wt% NaCl), which fills fractures associated with faults

Characterization of native hayseed: guaranteeing a seed mixture for habitat and species conservation

Here we present data on hayseed quality (purity, seed content and germination rate of seeds) for lots collected from different vegetation types and with different brush harvester types. We show that it is possible to provide labelling information with regard to hayseed quality, to calculate sowing denisties and help consumers understand the quality and performance of the product they have bought

Recent Advances in the Use of Green Corrosion Inhibitors to Prevent Chloride-Induced Corrosion in Reinforced Concrete

Inhibitors for the prevention of corrosion in reinforced concrete are chemical substances able to reduce carbon steel reinforcements corrosion without altering the overall properties of concrete. Today, many commercially available substances have a negative impact on human safety during either the inhibitor synthesis, their handling or application in field. Green corrosion inhibitors are nontoxic, biodegradable and environmentally biocompatible substances. They are generally made of extracts from natural plants or waste, which are abundantly available in several countries. The majority of green inhibitor molecules usually contain multiple bonds, aromatic rings, polar functional groups and electronegative atoms as P, N, S or O; the latter are able to coordinate with metal cations to form protective layers on the metallic surface of the reinforcements, so as to inhibit the development (initiation and/or propagation) of the corrosion process. In this review, the most recent achievements on the study and investigation of green corrosion inhibitors for concrete structures are presented and discussed. Inhibitors are classified based on their nature and inhibition mechanism. The inhibition effectiveness of the substances is compared with the well-established effective nitrite-based inhibitor, distinguishing between accelerated and long-term tests. Based on the available data, a summary of corrosion inhibitors efficiency is reported

DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF A PET RADIOMICS PROGNOSTIC MODEL FOR DIFFUSE LARGE B CELL LYMPHOMA

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Nearby Optical Galaxies: Selection of the Sample and Identification of Groups

In this paper we describe the Nearby Optical Galaxy (NOG) sample, which is a complete, distance-limited ($cz\leq$6000 km/s) and magnitude-limited (B$\leq$14) sample of $\sim$7000 optical galaxies. The sample covers 2/3 (8.27 sr) of the sky ($|b|>20^{\circ}$) and appears to have a good completeness in redshift (98%). We select the sample on the basis of homogenized corrected total blue magnitudes in order to minimize systematic effects in galaxy sampling. We identify the groups in this sample by means of both the hierarchical and the percolation {\it friends of friends} methods. The resulting catalogs of loose groups appear to be similar and are among the largest catalogs of groups presently available. Most of the NOG galaxies ($\sim$60%) are found to be members of galaxy pairs ($\sim$580 pairs for a total of $\sim$15% of objects) or groups with at least three members ($\sim$500 groups for a total of $\sim$45% of objects). About 40% of galaxies are left ungrouped (field galaxies). We illustrate the main features of the NOG galaxy distribution. Compared to previous optical and IRAS galaxy samples, the NOG provides a denser sampling of the galaxy distribution in the nearby universe. Given its large sky coverage, the identification of groups, and its high-density sampling, the NOG is suited for the analysis of the galaxy density field of the nearby universe, especially on small scales.Comment: 47 pages including 6 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap

Enzymatic scarification of Anacamptis morio (Orchidaceae) seed facilitates lignin degradation, water uptake and germination

The seed coat of many species contains hydrophobic lignins, and in soil the action of microbial ligninases may contribute to release from dormancy. Laboratory use of ligninases to stimulate germination is promising because of the specific action on the seed coat, whereas chemical scarification agents may also corrode the embryo. We hypothesised that exposure of Anacamptis morio (Orchidaceae) seeds to fungal laccase would stimulate germination, and that the mechanism involves lignin degradation and increased imbibition. Germination capacity in vitro was quantified with 1 U filter-sterilised laccase added to agar medium following autoclaving, compared to a 10% bleach solution (standard bleach surface sterilisation/scarification method used in orchid seed sowing). Lignin degradation was quantified using an optical method (phloroglucinol-HCl staining) combined with image analysis, following experimental pre-treatments involving immersion in laccase solution, distilled water (negative control) or bleach (positive control). Water uptake after experimental treatments was quantified as the proportion of seeds exhibiting visible uptake of an aqueous fluorochrome under UV excitation. Laccase stimulated a doubling of germination in vitro with respect to bleach surface sterilisation/scarification alone, from 23.7 to 49.8% (P = 0.007). Laccase and bleach methods both significantly decreased the optical signal of phloroglucinol (for laccase, to 79.9 ± 1.3% of controls; anova: F = 10.333, P = 0.002). Laccase resulted in a modest but highly significant (P < 0.0001) increase in water uptake with respect to the control (11.7%; cf 99.4% for bleach). Laccase scarification can stimulate germination of A. morio through a mechanism of targeted seed coat degradation. The results demonstrate the potential of this relatively non-invasive enzymatic scarification technique

Mechanotransduction is required for establishing and maintaining mature inner hair cells and regulating efferent innervation

In the adult auditory organ, mechanoelectrical transducer (MET) channels are essential for transducing acoustic stimuli into electrical signals. In the absence of incoming sound, a fraction of the MET channels on top of the sensory hair cells are open, resulting in a sustained depolarizing current. By genetically manipulating the in vivo expression of molecular components of the MET apparatus, we show that during pre-hearing stages the MET current is essential for establishing the electrophysiological properties of mature inner hair cells (IHCs). If the MET current is abolished in adult IHCs, they revert into cells showing electrical and morphological features characteristic of pre-hearing IHCs, including the re-establishment of cholinergic efferent innervation. The MET current is thus critical for the maintenance of the functional properties of adult IHCs, implying a degree of plasticity in the mature auditory system in response to the absence of normal transduction of acoustic signals

Characterisation of brush-harvested hayseed quality (purity, seed content and germination) for the calculation of optimal sowing densities

Several projects demonstrate the utility of hayseed for ecological restoration, but how hayseed should be employed remains ambiguous as no standard procedure currently exists for hayseed characterisation. In Europe an absence of guidelines partly reflects the lack of a requirement by EC Directive 2010/60/EU for specific data quality parameters for directly harvested seed mixtures. However, the Directive states that directly harvested seed mixtures should be appropriate for restoration of each given habitat, and a density of 8000 established seedlings m-2 has been shown as a requirement for successful revegetation in alpine grasslands (Florineth 2007). We developed a method for the standardised characterisation of hayseed lots to allow labelling of recommended sowing densities for hayseed from different grassland types, inspired by the quality tests usually applied to commercial seed (such as those of the International Seed Testing Association; ISTA 2017). Hayseed was collected from 49 grassland donor sites in Lombardy, northern Italy, using three different types of brush harvester, and characterised in terms of purity (seed:inert plant material), seed content (number of seeds per unit hayseed weight) and germination capacity (density of seedlings emerging over a given area). Hayseed was also used for restoration and restored areas monitored in terms of seedling density and cover. The mean yield across all donor sites was 60.6 kg ha-1 (min./max. 19.6 to 131.8 kg ha-1). Seed content exhibited a mean of 536.5 seeds g-l, ranging from 82.4 to 2635.0 seeds g-l, and differed between brush harvester types. The mean purity across sites was 28% seed, ranging from 5 to 68%, and was also affected by brush harvester type (p<0.05). Mean germinability was 7000 seedlings m-2 (at 30d from sowing). Recent tests conducted on sub-lots of hayseed preserved for several years (3, 4 or 5), demonstrate a significant increase in germination during short term storage (germination differences in the first and fifth years for three hayseed lots): similar effects have been noted for single species of Poaceae (e.g. Shaidaee et al. 1969). During revegetation trials, complete soil cover was generally achieved after three months, associated with declining seedling density due to shifts in competitive dominance. Monitoring of sites over several years shows the progressive and spontaneous ingress of other species from surrounding vegetation, leading to floristic enrichment and development of the grassland. Optimal sowing density for each hayseed lot ranged between 5 and 94 g of hayseed per m2: values for most lots were below the sowing densities for commercial seed mixtures advised by ERSAF (2001) for establishment of vegetation for erosion control (30 to 50 g m2). Standardised characterisation of hayseed lot quality is possible in a way that allows sowing density recommendations and labelling to be carried out for each type of donor grassland