Empirical studies highlight the detrimental effect of gender bias on women's careers in academia, but emerging data shows that improving conscious understanding of these biases can contribute to enhanced equity in the field. We delve into the publication data of review articles in microbiology to examine statistical relationships with the gender of the contributing authors. Between 2010 and 2022, we investigated the data within review articles published across three key microbiology review journals: Nature Reviews Microbiology, Trends in Microbiology, and Annual Review of Microbiology. A noteworthy correlation exists between the lead author's gender and the gender of co-authors in publications with multiple authors. Review articles spearheaded by male authors display a substantially lower proportion of female co-authors when compared to those led by female authors. The variance in the proportion of men and women leading publications has the potential to substantially affect the profile of women in microbiology, which could further negatively impact scientific productivity through a reduction in collaborative diversity.
Common epidemics are unfortunately becoming more severe and prevalent, although discerning the underlying causes, especially in marine systems, is undeniably difficult. HRX215 The unresolved cause of sea star wasting (SSW) disease, the presently largest known panzootic of marine wildlife, remains a mystery. The longitudinal gene expression of 24 adult Pisaster ochraceus sea stars, gathered from a rehabilitated habitat, was studied as they remained asymptomatic (8 specimens) or naturally developed sea star wasting syndrome (16 specimens) within individual aquarium settings. Elevated expression of immune-related genes, indicators of tissue integrity, and pro-collagen genes was observed in asymptomatic patients, contrasted by higher expression of genes associated with hypoxia-inducible factor 1 and RNA processing in wasting patients. The identical tissue samples' microbiome data enabled identification of genes and microbes with abundances/growth rates that correlated with disease status. Notably, the sea stars that appeared in excellent health highlighted the lack of significant effect of laboratory conditions on their microbiome makeup. Regarding genotypes at 98,145 single-nucleotide polymorphisms, no variants were identified as correlated with the individual's ultimate health status. These results suggest that exposure to factors associated with SSW does not result in overt symptoms in the affected animals, but rather leads to an active immune response and maintaining collagen homeostasis. Conversely, animals demonstrating wasting syndrome reveal evidence of a hypoxic response and a malfunctioning RNA processing system.
The slow-fast continuum is a widely employed paradigm for examining the spectrum of life-history strategies that are seen across different species populations. Research on pace-of-life syndrome frequently assumes a parallel progression in individual life histories. In spite of this, the degree to which a gradual progression from slow to fast life histories adequately describes the variations in life-history traits among members of a population is not established. Using detailed, long-term individual-based demographic data from 17 bird and mammal species with varying life history traits, we formally tested for the existence of a slow-fast continuum of life histories within and across populations. Principal component analyses helped us identify the principal axes of life-history variation, incorporating our estimations of adult lifespan, age at first reproduction, annual breeding frequency, and annual fecundity. bacteriophage genetics We observed that, across species, the slow-fast continuum represents the primary driver of life-history diversity. Nevertheless, the observed variation in individual life histories across populations did not conform to a slow-fast spectrum in any of the species examined. Therefore, a scale that ranks individuals from those with a slow lifestyle to those with a fast one is not likely to effectively delineate individual differences in life history patterns across a population. It is probable that each species demonstrates unique patterns in individual life histories, possibly because of stochastic events, population density dynamics, and disparate resource acquisition capabilities. These varied species-specific effects create non-generalizable patterns.
Freshwater ecosystems are encountering escalating temperatures and intensified weather phenomena due to climate change, resulting in disrupted water flow. Turbidity and rising temperatures in freshwater are amplified by eutrophication and the sediment load from farming, quarrying, and the expansion of urban centers. Predators and prey both need to adapt dynamically, yet the combined influence of temperature variations and water cloudiness on their interactive behaviors remains an uncharted territory. In a fully factorial study, we investigated how increased temperature and turbidity jointly influenced the behavior of guppy shoals (Poecilia reticulata) in the presence of the blue acara (Andinoacara pulcher), their natural cichlid predator. Our observations demonstrate that prey and predator were located closest to each other in warmer, turbid water, with the combined effect of these stresses demonstrating a superadditive interaction. The interplay between temperature, water clarity, and the inter-individual distances among prey species directly affected shoal cohesion. Clear water displayed an increase in cohesion with rising temperature, whereas turbid water exhibited a decrease. The guppy's diminished schooling in turbid, warmer water, combined with its increased exposure to predators, could escalate the risk of predation, suggesting that a combination of elevated temperatures and turbidity might favor predators over prey.
Evolutionary biology has long sought to understand how mutations influence both the genetic makeup and observable characteristics of organisms. Despite this, few studies have comprehensively examined the effects of mutations on gene expression and alternative splicing across the entire genome. Employing whole-genome and RNA sequencing data from 16 obligately parthenogenetic Daphnia mutant lines, this study seeks to address the existing knowledge gap regarding the effects of ethyl methanesulfonate-induced mutations on gene expression and alternative splicing. Through careful analysis of mutations, expression modifications, and alternative splicing, we demonstrate that trans-effects are largely responsible for the variance in gene expression and alternative splicing between wild-type and mutant strains; cis-mutations, conversely, have only a limited influence on genes and do not consistently affect gene expression. Importantly, our results expose a substantial connection between differentially expressed genes and exonic mutations, implying that mutations within exons are a significant driver of changes in gene expression.
Predation's influence on prey animals includes both detrimental and non-harmful outcomes. Non-lethal predation impacts drive significant adaptations in prey by altering their life histories, behaviours, physical structures, and physiological functions, fostering evolutionary change. Sustained predation, causing chronic stress in prey, bears a resemblance to chronic stress in human populations. Conditions like anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder have been observed in patients who also experience metabolic disorders, including obesity and diabetes. In Drosophila melanogaster larvae, this study found that predator stress during development systemically inhibited Akt protein kinase, a central regulator of glucose uptake, thus impairing carbohydrate metabolism. Drosophila that experienced co-development with predators demonstrated a more robust survival capacity under direct attack from spiders during their adult stage. 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), a serotonin precursor, combined with metformin, successfully reversed these effects. A diabetes-like biochemical profile emerges as potentially adaptive, evidenced by our findings of a direct link between predator stress and metabolic disruption, impacting survival and reproductive success. This novel animal model enables investigation of the mechanisms related to the onset of these highly prevalent metabolic disorders within human populations.
The ecology of species is profoundly affected by temperature, a key factor impacting organismal fitness. The mean effects of temperature on ectotherm behavior, though well-documented, still leave unanswered questions about how temperature impacts behavioral variation among and within individuals, specifically whether these variations differ across sexes. The likelihood of ecological and evolutionary consequences from such effects is high, considering that natural selection targets individuals. Investigating the impact of temperature on individual-level behavioral differences and metabolism in adult male and female Drosophila melanogaster (n = 129), we collected repeated data on locomotor activity and metabolic rate at both a standard (25°C) and a high (28°C) temperature. In terms of average activity, males displayed a more pronounced reaction to alterations in temperature compared to females. Even so, this declaration was inaccurate for either standard or active metabolic rates, wherein no distinctions regarding sex-dependent thermal metabolic plasticity were found. Caput medusae Higher temperatures additionally enhanced variations in both intra- and inter-individual locomotor activity in males, but not females. Since variations in behavior are crucial for population survival, future studies should examine if sex differences in behavioral reactions to temperature shifts could create differing vulnerabilities to a warming climate among the sexes.
The potential for phenotypic variation emerges from the interaction between biochemical and developmental pathways, becoming the fuel for evolutionary innovation. In this context, we expect the observed phenotypic differences across species to be significantly impacted by the structure of biological pathways, resulting in distinct phenotypes from adjustments in the activity levels along these pathways' branches.