Speciation in Western North America: Lomatium as an Example of Diversification and Convergent Evolution

Species delimitations and understanding the processes that drive speciation are essential to nearly all aspects of human endeavor. Determining species boundaries traditionally used morphology. Phylogenetic analyses based on DNA sequence data provide a means to resolve species boundaries, as well as test hypotheses regarding the evolutionary processes. Numerous species radiations have occurred in Western North America. Among these are several plant groups such as Astragalus, Artemisia, and Lomatium. Recent phylogenetic analyses of Lomatium and related genera have demonstrated that many of the morphological characters used to delimit taxa have arisen multiple times and that most taxa are para- or polyphyletic. Here we examine one of the clades recovered in the Lomatium group of taxa that includes Lomatium triternatum and L. grayi. The several subspecific taxa of L. triternatum have not been recovered as monophyletic and L. grayi has a widespread habitat distribution that may indicate cryptic speciation. Previous analyses have not fully resolved phylogenetic relationships with strong support. In the present study we sample an additional four loci (three chloroplast and one nuclear ribosomal) to improve the support for evolutionary relationships across this clade, resolve species boundaries, and test hypotheses on the evolution of morphological traits

Affective response as a mediator of the association between the physical and social environment and physical activity behavior

Perceptions of the physical and social environment have been shown to be predictive of physical activity (PA) behavior. However, the mechanisms of this association have not been examined. Affective response to PA was examined as a putative mediator of the association between perceptions of the PA environment and subsequent PA behavior. As part of a PA promotion study, 59 low-active overweight or obese but otherwise healthy adults completed real-time assessments of the perceived physical and social PA environment, affective response to PA, and PA behavior over a 6-month period. As hypothesized, decreased latency to and greater duration of subsequent PA was predicted by engaging in PA with a partner (b = 17.24, SE = .45, p \u3c .01), engaging in PA outdoors versus indoors (b = 3.70, SE = 0.67, p \u3c .01), and perceived pleasantness of the physical (b = 0.59, SE = .17, p \u3c .01) and social settings (b = 0.68, SE = .16, p \u3c .01). Affective response to PA (a shift toward feeling good versus bad during PA) mediated the association between engaging in PA with a partner (a path: 0.53(.11), p \u3c .01, b path: 0.42(.12), p \u3c .01, ab path: 0.22(.08), 95% CI .09–.41) and perceived pleasantness of the physical (a path: .38(.02), p \u3c .01; b path: .65(.23), p = .01; ab path: .25(.09), 95% CI .08–.43) and social setting (apath: .35(.02), p \u3c .01; b path: .57(.23), p = .01; ab path: .20(.08), 95% CI .03–.37) and PA behavior, but not the association between engaging in PA outdoors versus indoors and PA behavior. These findings suggest that perceived environmental variables may have their effects on PA through the process of psychological hedonism

The transcriptional response of soil bacteria to long-term warming and short-term seasonal fluctuations in a terrestrial forest

© The Author(s), 2021. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Chowdhury, P. R., Golas, S. M., Alteio, L., Stevens, J. T. E., Billings, A. F., Blanchard, J. L., Melillo, J. M., & DeAngelis, K. M. The transcriptional response of soil bacteria to long-term warming and short-term seasonal fluctuations in a terrestrial forest. Frontiers in Microbiology, 12, (2021): 666558, https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2021.666558.Terrestrial ecosystems are an important carbon store, and this carbon is vulnerable to microbial degradation with climate warming. After 30 years of experimental warming, carbon stocks in a temperate mixed deciduous forest were observed to be reduced by 30% in the heated plots relative to the controls. In addition, soil respiration was seasonal, as was the warming treatment effect. We therefore hypothesized that long-term warming will have higher expressions of genes related to carbohydrate and lipid metabolism due to increased utilization of recalcitrant carbon pools compared to controls. Because of the seasonal effect of soil respiration and the warming treatment, we further hypothesized that these patterns will be seasonal. We used RNA sequencing to show how the microbial community responds to long-term warming (~30 years) in Harvard Forest, MA. Total RNA was extracted from mineral and organic soil types from two treatment plots (+5°C heated and ambient control), at two time points (June and October) and sequenced using Illumina NextSeq technology. Treatment had a larger effect size on KEGG annotated transcripts than on CAZymes, while soil types more strongly affected CAZymes than KEGG annotated transcripts, though effect sizes overall were small. Although, warming showed a small effect on overall CAZymes expression, several carbohydrate-associated enzymes showed increased expression in heated soils (~68% of all differentially expressed transcripts). Further, exploratory analysis using an unconstrained method showed increased abundances of enzymes related to polysaccharide and lipid metabolism and decomposition in heated soils. Compared to long-term warming, we detected a relatively small effect of seasonal variation on community gene expression. Together, these results indicate that the higher carbohydrate degrading potential of bacteria in heated plots can possibly accelerate a self-reinforcing carbon cycle-temperature feedback in a warming climate.Funding for this study was provided by the Department of Energy Terrestrial Ecosystem Sciences program under contract number DE-SC0010740. Sites for sample collection were maintained with funding in part from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Long-Term Ecological Research (DEB 1237491) and the NSF Long-Term Research in Environmental Biology (DEB 1456528) programs

IgG and IgA autoantibodies against L1 ORF1p expressed in granulocytes correlate with granulocyte consumption and disease activity in pediatric systemic lupus erythematosus

BACKGROUND: Most patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have IgG autoantibodies against the RNA-binding p40 (ORF1p) protein encoded by the L1 retroelement. This study tested if these autoantibodies are also present in children with pediatric SLE (pSLE) and if the p40 protein itself could be detected in immune cells. METHODS: Autoantibodies in the plasma of pSLE patients (n = 30), healthy children (n = 37), and disease controls juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) (n = 32) and juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) (n = 60), were measured by ELISA. Expression of p40 in immune cells was assessed by flow cytometry. Markers of neutrophil activation and death were quantitated by ELISA. RESULTS: IgG and IgA autoantibodies reactive with p40 were detected in the pSLE patients, but were low in healthy controls and in JIA or JDM. pSLE patients with active disease (13 of them newly diagnosed) had higher titers than the same patients after effective therapy (p = 0.0003). IgG titers correlated with SLEDAI (r = 0.65, p = 0.0001), ESR (r = 0.43, p = 0.02), and anti-dsDNA antibodies (r = 0.49, p < 0.03), and inversely with complement C3 (r = -0.55, p = 0.002) and C4 (r = -0.51, p = 0.006). p40 protein was detected in a subpopulation of CD66b(+) granulocytes in pSLE, as well as in adult SLE patients. Myeloperoxidase and neutrophil elastase complexed with DNA and the neutrophil-derived S100A8/A9 were elevated in plasma from pSLE patients with active disease and correlated with anti-p40 autoantibodies and disease activity. CONCLUSIONS: Children with active SLE have elevated IgG and IgA autoantibodies against L1 p40, and this protein can be detected in circulating granulocytes in both pediatric and adult SLE patients. P40 expression and autoantibody levels correlate with disease activity. Markers of neutrophil activation and death also correlate with these autoantibodies and with disease activity, suggesting that neutrophils express L1 and are a source of p40. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13075-021-02538-3

Proton Transfer, Hydrogen Bonding, and Disorder: Nitrogen Near-Edge X-ray Absorption Fine Structure and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy of Bipyridine-Acid Salts and Co-crystals

The sensitivity of near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy to Brønsted donation and the protonation state of nitrogen in the solid state is investigated through a series of multicomponent bipyridine–acid systems alongside X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) data. A large shift to high energy occurs for the 1s → 1π* resonance in the nitrogen K-edge NEXAFS with proton transfer from the acid to the bipyridine base molecule and allows assignment as a salt (C═NH+), with the peak ratio providing the stoichiometry of the types of nitrogen species present. A corresponding binding energy shift for C═NH+ is observed in the nitrogen XPS, clearly identifying protonation and formation of a salt. The similar magnitude shifts observed with both techniques relative to the unprotonated nitrogen of co-crystals (C═N) suggest that the chemical state (initial-state) effects dominate. Results from both techniques reveal the sensitivity to identify proton transfer, hydrogen bond disorder, and even the potential to distinguish variations in hydrogen bond length to nitrogen

Fire, water, and biodiversity in the sierra nevada: A possible triple win

Reducing the risk of large, severe wildfires while also increasing the security of mountain water supplies and enhancing biodiversity are urgent priorities in western US forests. After a century of fire suppression, Yosemite and Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks located in California’s Sierra Nevada initiated programs to manage wildfires and these areas present a rare opportunity to study the effects of restored fire regimes. Forest cover decreased during the managed wildfire period and meadow and shrubland cover increased, especially in Yosemite’s Illilouette Creek basin that experienced a 20% reduction in forest area. These areas now support greater pyrodiversity and consequently greater landscape and species diversity. Soil moisture increased and drought-induced tree mortality decreased, especially in Illilouette where wildfires have been allowed to burn more freely resulting in a 30% increase in summer soil moisture. Modeling suggests that the ecohydrological co-benefits of restoring fire regimes are robust to the projected climatic warming. Support will be needed from the highest levels of government and the public to maintain existing programs and expand them to other forested areas

The definition, dimensionalization, and assessment of gambling participation

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Hemodynamic Predictors of Heart Failure Morbidity and Mortality: Fluid or Flow?

BACKGROUND: Patients with advanced heart failure may persist for prolonged times with persistent hemodynamic abnormalities; intermediate and long-term outcomes of these patients are unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS: We used ESCAPE trial data to examine characteristics and outcomes of patients with invasive hemodynamic monitoring during an acute heart failure hospitalization. Patients were stratified by final measurement of cardiac index (CI; L/min/m2) and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP; mmHg) before catheter removal. The study groups were CI ≥ 2/PCWP <20 (n = 74), CI ≥ 2/PCWP ≥ 20 (n = 37), CI < 2/PCWP < 20 (n = 23), and CI < 2/PCWP ≥ 20 (n = 17). Final CI was not associated with the combined risk of death, cardiovascular hospitalization, and transplantation (HR:1.03, 95% CI:0.96–1.11 per 0.2 L/min/m(2) decrease, p=0.39), but final PCWP ≥ 20mmHg was associated with increased risk of these events (HR:2.03, 95% CI:1.31–3.15, p<0.01), as was higher final right atrial pressure (RAP; HR:1.09, 95% CI:1.06–1.12 per mmHg increase, p<0.01). CONCLUSION: Final PCWP and final RAP were stronger predictors of post-discharge outcomes than CI in patients with advanced heart failure. The ability to lower filling pressures appears to be more prognostically important than improving CI in the management of patients with advanced heart failure. CLINICALTRIALS.GOV IDENTIFIER: NCT0000061