A note on the laboratory culture of the benthic foraminifer Cornuloculina balkwilli (MacFadyen)

Background: Genetic studies of the Foraminifera provide valuable insights into marine speciation and biogeography, yet the discovery of vitally needed new genetic markers for this important group is being severely limited by an extreme lack of genetic data. The establishment of a laboratory culture from a single, asexually reproducing foraminifer, will be essential to provide enough pooled genetic material from these unicellular organisms, to facilitate full genome sequencing and genetic marker discovery, using next-generation sequencing techniques. Findings: The aim of this study was to develop a simple and inexpensive method of culturing benthic foraminifera, via asexual reproduction, in a controlled laboratory environment. Individual specimens of the benthic foraminfer Cornuloculina balkwilli (MacFadyen) were placed in 7 cm plastic beakers, containing 50 ml natural seawater, filtered to 0.2 μm, and kept at 23°C, with a 12-hour light/dark cycle, and fed weekly on a mixed algal diet of Dunaliella tertiolecta and Phaeodactylum tricornutum. Asexually derived cultures were successfully established from 4 specimens of Cornuloculina balkwilli, originally added to the culture vessels as immature specimens. Many thousands of individuals were present after 6 months. Conclusions: The method presented here demonstrates that only basic laboratory equipment is required to establish and maintain a thriving culture of the benthic foraminfer, C. balkwilli, from a single asexually reproducing specimen, providing an excellent source of genetic material for use in next generation sequencing. The method is easily reproducible and will greatly aid in the discovery of critically needed new genetic markers in the Foraminifera. It also highlights C. balkwilli as a good candidate species for use in the field of environmental micropaleontology

Resolving the basal divisions in the stylommatophoran land snails and slugs with special emphasis on the position of the Scolodontidae

The deep divisions at the base of the stylommatophoran land snails and slugs have proved to be controversial, with the phylogenetic position of the Scolodontidae remaining unresolved. Here we present a phylogenetic analysis of 34 stylommatophoran genera based on a combined dataset (5782 sites) of four loci with the aim of resolving the position of the Scolodontidae and their relationship to the ‘achatinoid’ and ‘non-achatinoid’ clades. We also evaluate the phylogenetic utility of different genes and gene partitions. The deep phylogenetic relationships within the Stylommatophora are now clearly resolved. The Scolodontidae are shown categorically to be the sister group to all other stylommatophoran groups with robust support and with all phylogeny reconstruction methods. The ‘achatinoid’ and ‘non-achatinoid’ clades are also strongly supported in the tree. The original LSU 1-5 fragment used extensively in studies of the Stylommatophora was found to be the most informative gene fragment and works well at resolving relationships at most levels in the Stylommatophora but does not reliably resolve the deep level relationships at the very base of the clade. The concatenated dataset of four genes employed in this study is not only informative at lower levels but also resolves the deep level relationships at the base of the Stylommatophora with robust support

Sea breeze forcing of estuary turbulence and air-water CO2 exchange

The sea breeze is often a dominant meteorological feature at the coastline, but little is known about its estuarine impacts. Measurements at an anchored catamaran and meteorological stations along the Hudson River and New York Bay estuarine system are used to illustrate some basic characteristics and impacts of the feature. The sea breeze propagates inland, arriving in phase with peak solar forcing at seaward stations, but several hours later at up-estuary stations. Passage of the sea breeze front raises the water-to-air CO2 flux by 1–2 orders of magnitude, and drives turbulence comparable to spring tide levels in the upper meter of the water column, where most primary productivity occurs in this highly turbid system. Modeling and observational studies often use remotely-measured winds to compute air-water fluxes (e.g., momentum, CO2), and this leads to a factor of two flux error on sea breeze days during the study

Ecological partitioning and diversity in tropical planktonic foraminifera

Background: Ecological processes are increasingly being viewed as an important mode of diversification in the marine environment, where the high dispersal potential of pelagic organisms, and a lack of absolute barriers to gene flow may limit the occurrence of allopatric speciation through vicariance. Here we focus on the potential role of ecological partitioning in the diversification of a widely distributed group of marine protists, the planktonic foraminifera. Sampling was conducted in the tropical Arabian Sea, during the southwest (summer) monsoon, when pronounced environmental conditions result in a strong disparity in temperature, salinity and productivity between distinct northern and southern water masses. Results: We uncovered extensive genetic diversity within the Arabian Sea planktonic foraminifera, identifying 13 morphospecies, represented by 20 distinct SSU rRNA genetic types. Several morphospecies/genetic types displayed non-random biogeographical distributions, partitioning between the northern and southern water masses, giving a strong indication of independent ecological adaptations. Conclusions: We propose sea-surface primary productivity as the main factor driving the geographical segregation of Arabian Sea planktonic foraminifera, during the SW monsoon, with variations in symbiotic associations possibly playing a role in the specific ecological adaptations observed. Our findings suggest that ecological partitioning could be contributing to the high levels of 'cryptic' genetic diversity observed within the planktonic foraminifera, and support the view that ecological processes may play a key role in the diversification of marine pelagic organisms

Data Services Librarians’ Responsibilities and Perspectives on Research Data Management

This study of data services librarians is part of a series of studies examining the current roles and perspectives on Research Data Management (RDM) services in higher education. Reviewing current best practices provides insights into the role-based responsibilities for RDM services that data services librarians perform, as well as ways to improve and create new services to meet the needs of their respective university communities. Objectives: The objectives of this article are to provide the context of research data services through a review of past studies, explain how they informed this qualitative study, and provide the methods and results of the current study. This study provides an in-depth overview of the overall job responsibilities of data services librarians and as well as their perspectives on RDM through job analyses. Methods: Job analysis interviews provide insight and context to the tasks employees do as described in their own words. Interviews with 10 data services librarians recruited from the top 10 public and top 10 private universities according to the 2020 Best National University Rankings in the US News and World Reports were asked 30 questions concerning their overall job tasks and perspectives on RDM. Five public and five private data services librarians were interviewed. The interviews were recorded and transcribed. The transcriptions were analyzed in NVivo using a grounded theory application of open, axial, and selective coding to generate categories and broad themes based on the responses using synonymous meanings. Results: The results presented here provide the typical job tasks of data services librarians that include locating secondary data, reviewing data management plans (DMPs), conducting outreach, collaborating, and offering RDM training. Fewer data services librarians assisted with data curation or manage an institutional repository. Discussion: The results indicate that there may be different types of data services librarians depending on the mix of responsibilities. Academic librarianship will benefit from further delineation of job titles using tasks while planning, advertising, hiring, and evaluating workers in this emerging area. There remain many other explorations needed to understand the challenges and opportunities for data services librarians related to RDM. Conclusions: This article concludes with a proposed matrix of job tasks that indicates different types of data services librarians to inform further study. Future job descriptions, training, and education will all benefit from differentiating between the many associated research data services roles and with increased focus on research data greater specializations will emerge

A New, Bright, Short-Period, Emission Line Binary in Ophiuchus

The 11th magnitude star LS IV-08°3 has been classified previously as an OB star in the Luminous Stars survey, or alternatively as a hot subdwarf. It is actually a binary star. We present spectroscopy, spectroscopic orbital elements, and time-series photometry from observations made at the Kitt Peak National Observatory 2.1 m, Steward Observatory 2.3 m, MDM Observatory 1.3 m and 2.4 m, Hobby-Eberly 9.2 m, and Michigan State University 0.6 m telescopes. The star exhibits emission of varying strength in the cores of H and He I absorption lines. Emission is also present at 4686 Å (He II) and near 4640/4650 Å (N III/C III). Time-series spectroscopy collected from 2005 July to 2007 June shows coherent, periodic radial velocity variations of the Hα line, which we interpret as orbital motion with a period of 0.1952894(10) days. High-resolution spectra show that there are two emission components, one broad and one narrow, moving in antiphase, as might arise from an accretion disk and the irradiated face of the mass donor star. Less coherent, low-amplitude photometric variability is also present on a timescale similar to the orbital period. Diffuse interstellar bands indicate considerable reddening, which however is consistent with a distance of ~100-200 pc. The star is the likely counterpart of a weak ROSAT X-ray source, whose properties are consistent with accretion in a cataclysmic variable (CV) binary system. We classify LS IV-08°3 as a new member of the UX UMa subclass of CV stars