A new transoceanic invasion? First records of <i>Neomysis americana</i> (Crustacea: Mysidae) in the East Atlantic

First records in the East Atlantic are reported for the North-West Atlantic endemic mysid Neomysis americana (S. I. Smith, 1873), previously known as an invader of South-West Atlantic coasts. Two specimens were caught in 2010 in coastal waters of The Netherlands. The new records provide the first evidence for a west to east transfer of a mysid species across the Atlantic, whereas previously published transfers were observed only in the opposite direction. Major diagnostic characters are reconsidered and the validity of the European species of Neomysis and Acanthomysis is discussed. A pictorial key to these species is given to facilitate future assessments of potential range expansions of N. americana

Soluble forms of tau are toxic in Alzheimer's disease

Accumulation of neurofibrillary tangles (NFT), intracellular inclusions of fibrillar forms of tau, is a hallmark of Alzheimer Disease. NFT have been considered causative of neuronal death, however, recent evidence challenges this idea. Other species of tau, such as soluble misfolded, hyperphosphorylated, and mislocalized forms, are now being implicated as toxic. Here we review the data supporting soluble tau as toxic to neurons and synapses in the brain and the implications of these data for development of therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer’s disease and other tauopathies

Co-limitation towards lower latitudes shapes global forest diversity gradients

The latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG) is one of the most recognized global patterns of species richness exhibited across a wide range of taxa. Numerous hypotheses have been proposed in the past two centuries to explain LDG, but rigorous tests of the drivers of LDGs have been limited by a lack of high-quality global species richness data. Here we produce a high-resolution (0.025° × 0.025°) map of local tree species richness using a global forest inventory database with individual tree information and local biophysical characteristics from ~1.3 million sample plots. We then quantify drivers of local tree species richness patterns across latitudes. Generally, annual mean temperature was a dominant predictor of tree species richness, which is most consistent with the metabolic theory of biodiversity (MTB). However, MTB underestimated LDG in the tropics, where high species richness was also moderated by topographic, soil and anthropogenic factors operating at local scales. Given that local landscape variables operate synergistically with bioclimatic factors in shaping the global LDG pattern, we suggest that MTB be extended to account for co-limitation by subordinate drivers

Current status of the freshwater Mysidae in The Netherlands, with records of Limnomysis benedeni Czerniavsky, 1882, a Pontocaspian species in Dutch Rhine branches

The freshwater Mysidacea of The Netherlands are presently composed of three species. The indigenous mysid, Neomysis integer (Leach, 1814) has recently been joined by two Pontocaspian species, Limnomysis benedeni Czerniavsky, 1882 and Hemimysis anomala G.O. Sars, 1907. All three species now coexist in the Dutch Rhine. The present paper deals with the first records of L. benedeni in The Netherlands with ecological notes on the three species