Conservation features of the terrestrial Antarctic Peninsula

Conserving landscapes used by multiple stakeholder groups requires understanding of what each stakeholder values. Here we employed a semi-structured, participatory approach to identify features of value in the terrestrial Antarctic Peninsula related to biodiversity, science and tourism. Stakeholders identified 115 features, ranging from Adélie penguin colonies to sites suitable for snowshoeing tourists. We split the features into seven broad categories: science, tourism, historic, biodiversity, geographic, habitat, and intrinsic features, finding that the biodiversity category contained the most features of any one category, while science stakeholders identified the most features of any stakeholder group. Stakeholders have overlapping interests in some features, particularly for seals and seabirds, indicating that thoughtful consideration of their inclusion in future management is required. Acknowledging the importance of tourism and other social features in Antarctica and ensuring their integration into conservation planning and assessment will increase the likelihood of implementing successful environmental management strategies into the future.

Patterns of recovery in extant and extirpated seabirds after the world's largest multipredator eradication

Eradicating invasive predators from islands can result in substantial recovery of seabirds, but the mechanisms that drive population changes remain poorly understood. Meta-analyses have recently revealed that immigration is surprisingly important to the recovery of philopatric seabirds, but it is not known whether dispersal and philopatry interact predictably to determine rates of population growth and changes of distribution. We used whole-island surveys and long-term monitoring plots to study the abundance, distribution, and trends of 4 burrowing seabird species on Macquarie Island, Australia, to examine the legacy impacts of invasive species and ongoing responses to the world's largest eradication of multiple species of vertebrates. Wekas (Gallirallus australis) were eradicated in 1988; cats (Felis catus) in 2001; and rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), black rats (Rattus rattus), and mice (Mus mus) in 2011-2014. We compared surveys from 1976-1979 and 2017-2018 and monitoring from the 1990s and 2000s onward. Antarctic prions (Pachyptila desolata) and white-headed petrels (Pterodroma lessonii) increased ∼1% per year. Blue petrels (Halobaena caerulea) and gray petrels (Procellaria cinerea) recolonized following extirpation from the main island in the 1900s but remained spatially and numerically rare in 2018. However, they increased rapidly at 14% and 10% per year, respectively, since cat eradication in 2001. Blue and gray petrel recolonization occurred on steep, dry, west-facing slopes close to ridgelines at low elevation (i.e., high-quality petrel habitat). They overlapped <5% with the distribution of Antarctic prion and white-headed petrels which occurred in suboptimal shallow, wet, east-facing slopes at high elevation. We inferred that the speed of population growth of recolonizing species was related to their numerically smaller starting size compared with the established species and was driven by immigration and selection of ideal habitat.

Multiple introductions, polyploidy and mixed reproductive strategies are linked to genetic diversity and structure in the most widespread invasive plant across Southern Ocean archipelagos

Biological invasions in remote areas that experience low human activity provide unique opportunities to elucidate processes responsible for invasion success. Here we study the most widespread invasive plant species across the isolated islands of the Southern Ocean, the annual bluegrass, Poa annua. To analyse geographical variation in genome size, genetic diversity and reproductive strategies, we sampled all major sub-Antarctic archipelagos in this region and generated microsatellite data for 470 individual plants representing 31 populations. We also estimated genome sizes for a subset of individuals using flow cytometry. Occasional events of island colonization are expected to result in high genetic structure among islands, overall low genetic diversity and increased self-fertilization, but we show that this is not the case for P. annua. Microsatellite data indicated low population genetic structure and lack of isolation by distance among the sub-Antarctic archipelagos we sampled, but high population structure within each archipelago. We identified high levels of genetic diversity, low clonality and low selfing rates in sub-Antarctic P. annua populations (contrary to rates typical of continental populations). In turn, estimates of selfing declined in populations as genetic diversity increased. Additionally, we found that most P. annua individuals are probably tetraploid and that only slight variation exists in genome size across the Southern Ocean. Our findings suggest multiple independent introductions of P. annua into the sub-Antarctic, which promoted the establishment of genetically diverse populations. Despite multiple introductions, the adoption of convergent reproductive strategies (outcrossing) happened independently in each major archipelago. The combination of polyploidy and a mixed reproductive strategy probably benefited P. annua in the Southern Ocean by increasing genetic diversity and its ability to cope with the novel environmental conditions.

Threat management priorities for conserving Antarctic biodiversity

Antarctic terrestrial biodiversity faces multiple threats, from invasive species to climate change. Yet no large-scale assessments of threat management strategies exist. Applying a structured participatory approach, we demonstrate that existing conservation efforts are insufficient in a changing world, estimating that 65% (at best 37%, at worst 97%) of native terrestrial taxa and land-associated seabirds are likely to decline by 2100 under current trajectories. Emperor penguins are identified as the most vulnerable taxon, followed by other seabirds and dry soil nematodes. We find that implementing 10 key threat management strategies in parallel, at an estimated present-day equivalent annual cost of US$23 million, could benefit up to 84% of Antarctic taxa. Climate change is identified as the most pervasive threat to Antarctic biodiversity and influencing global policy to effectively limit climate change is the most beneficial conservation strategy. However, minimising impacts of human activities and improved planning and management of new infrastructure projects are cost-effective and will help to minimise regional threats. Simultaneous global and regional efforts are critical to secure Antarctic biodiversity for future generations.

Islands in the ice: Potential impacts of habitat transformation on Antarctic biodiversity

Antarctic biodiversity faces an unknown future with a changing climate. Most terrestrial biota is restricted to limited patches of ice-free land in a sea of ice, where they are adapted to the continent's extreme cold and wind and exploit microhabitats of suitable conditions. As temperatures rise, ice-free areas are predicted to expand, more rapidly in some areas than others. There is high uncertainty as to how species' distributions, physiology, abundance, and survivorship will be affected as their habitats transform. Here we use current knowledge to propose hypotheses that ice-free area expansion (i) will increase habitat availability, though the quality of habitat will vary; (ii) will increase structural connectivity, although not necessarily increase opportunities for species establishment; (iii) combined with milder climates will increase likelihood of non-native species establishment, but may also lengthen activity windows for all species; and (iv) will benefit some species and not others, possibly resulting in increased homogeneity of biodiversity. We anticipate considerable spatial, temporal, and taxonomic variation in species responses, and a heightened need for interdisciplinary research to understand the factors associated with ecosystem resilience under future scenarios. Such research will help identify at-risk species or vulnerable localities and is crucial for informing environmental management and policymaking into the future.

Combating ecosystem collapse from the tropics to the Antarctic

Globally, collapse of ecosystems-potentially irreversible change to ecosystem structure, composition and function-imperils biodiversity, human health and well-being. We examine the current state and recent trajectories of 19 ecosystems, spanning 58° of latitude across 7.7 M km² , from Australia's coral reefs to terrestrial Antarctica. Pressures from global climate change and regional human impacts, occurring as chronic 'presses' and/or acute 'pulses', drive ecosystem collapse. Ecosystem responses to 5-17 pressures were categorised as four collapse profiles-abrupt, smooth, stepped and fluctuating. The manifestation of widespread ecosystem collapse is a stark warning of the necessity to take action. We present a three-step assessment and management framework (3As Pathway Awareness, Anticipation and Action) to aid strategic and effective mitigation to alleviate further degradation to help secure our future.

Progress towards a representative network of Southern Ocean protected areas

Global threats to ocean biodiversity have generated a worldwide movement to take actions to improve conservation and management. Several international initiatives have recommended the adoption of marine protected areas (MPAs) in national and international waters. National governments and the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources have successfully adopted multiple MPAs in the Southern Ocean despite the challenging nature of establishing MPAs in international waters. But are these MPAs representative of Southern Ocean biodiversity? Here we answer this question for both existing and proposed Antarctic MPAs, using benthic and pelagic regionalizations as a proxy for biodiversity. Currently about 11.98% of the Southern Ocean is protected in MPAs, with 4.61% being encompassed by no-take areas. While this is a relatively large proportion of protection when compared to other international waters, current Antarctic MPAs are not representative of the full range of benthic and pelagic ecoregions. Implementing additional protected areas, including those currently under negotiation, would encompass almost 22% of the Southern Ocean. It would also substantially improve representation with 17 benthic and pelagic ecoregions (out of 23 and 19, respectively) achieving at least 10% representation.

Restoring islands and identifying source populations for introductions

Article impact statement: Structured decision making can be used to identify an optimal source population for conservation introductions.

Biodiversity redistribution under climate change: Impacts on ecosystems and human well-being

Distributions of Earth's species are changing at accelerating rates, increasingly driven by human-mediated climate change. Such changes are already altering the composition of ecological communities, but beyond conservation of natural systems, how and why does this matter? We review evidence that climate-driven species redistribution at regional to global scales affects ecosystem functioning, human well-being, and the dynamics of climate change itself. Production of natural resources required for food security, patterns of disease transmission, and processes of carbon sequestration are all altered by changes in species distribution. Consideration of these effects of biodiversity redistribution is critical yet lacking in most mitigation and adaptation strategies, including the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals.

Global thermal niche models of two European grasses show high invasion risks in Antarctica

The two non-native grasses that have established long-term populations in Antarctica (Poa pratensis and Poa annua) were studied from a global multidimensional thermal niche perspective to address the biological invasion risk to Antarctica. These two species exhibit contrasting introduction histories and reproductive strategies and represent two referential case studies of biological invasion processes. We used a multistep process with a range of species distribution modelling techniques (ecological niche factor analysis, multidimensional envelopes, distance/entropy algorithms) together with a suite of thermoclimatic variables, to characterize the potential ranges of these species. Their native bioclimatic thermal envelopes in Eurasia, together with the different naturalized populations across continents, were compared next. The potential niche of P. pratensis was wider at the cold extremes; however, P. annua life history attributes enable it to be a more successful colonizer. We observe that particularly cold summers are a key aspect of the unique Antarctic environment. In consequence, ruderals such as P. annua can quickly expand under such harsh conditions, whereas the more stress-tolerant P. pratensis endures and persist through steady growth. Compiled data on human pressure at the Antarctic Peninsula allowed us to provide site-specific biosecurity risk indicators. We conclude that several areas across the region are vulnerable to invasions from these and other similar species. This can only be visualized in species distribution models (SDMs) when accounting for founder populations that reveal nonanalogous conditions. Results reinforce the need for strict management practices to minimize introductions. Furthermore, our novel set of temperature-based bioclimatic GIS layers for ice-free terrestrial Antarctica provide a mechanism for regional and global species distribution models to be built for other potentially invasive species.

Rapid climate-driven loss of breeding habitat for Arctic migratory birds

Millions of birds migrate to and from the Arctic each year, but rapid climate change in the High North could strongly affect where species are able to breed, disrupting migratory connections globally. We modelled the climatically suitable breeding conditions of 24 Arctic specialist shorebirds and projected them to 2070 and to the mid-Holocene climatic optimum, the world's last major warming event ~6000 years ago. We show that climatically suitable breeding conditions could shift, contract and decline over the next 70 years, with 66-83% of species losing the majority of currently suitable area. This exceeds, in rate and magnitude, the impact of the mid-Holocene climatic optimum. Suitable climatic conditions are predicted to decline acutely in the most species rich region, Beringia (western Alaska and eastern Russia), and become concentrated in the Eurasian and Canadian Arctic islands. These predicted spatial shifts of breeding grounds could affect the species composition of the world's major flyways. Encouragingly, protected area coverage of current and future climatically suitable breeding conditions generally meets target levels; however, there is a lack of protected areas within the Canadian Arctic where resource exploitation is a growing threat. Given that already there are rapid declines of many populations of Arctic migratory birds, our results emphasize the urgency of mitigating climate change and protecting Arctic biodiversity.

Managing invasive plants on sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island

The Antarctic region is one of the most inhospitable frontiers on earth for weed invasion. On Australia’s world heritage sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island only three species of invasive weeds are well established (Poa annua L., Stellaria media (L.) Vill. and Cerastium fontanum Baumg.), although isolated occurrences of other species have been found and removed. These weed species are believed to have initially been introduced through human activity, a threat which is likely to increase, although strict biosecurity is in place. All three weeds are palatable and may have been suppressed to some extent by pest herbivore (rabbit) grazing. Given the high conservation value of Macquarie Island and threats to ecosystem structure and function from weed proliferation following rabbit eradication, well targeted invasive plant control management strategies are vital. We propose that a successful restoration program for Australia’s most southerly rangeland ecosystem should integrate both control of non-native plants as well as non-native herbivores. Of the non-native plants, S. media may most easily be managed, if not eradicated, because of its more limited distribution. Little, however, is known about the soil seed bank or population dynamics after rabbit eradication, nor the effect of herbicides and non-chemical control methods in cold conditions. A current research project on this non-grass species is helping to fill these knowledge gaps, complementing and building on data collected in an earlier project on the ecology and control of the more widespread invasive grass, P. annua. With an interest in off-target herbicide impacts, our work also includes a study of the movement and fate of herbicides in the cold climate Macquarie Island soils. Research in such a remote, cold, wet and windy place presents a range of logistical challenges. Nevertheless, outcomes are informing the development of effective, low-impact control or eradication options for sub-Antarctic weeds.

Antarctica's protected areas are inadequate, unrepresentative, and at risk

Global comparisons show that Antarctica's terrestrial biodiversity is poorly protected. Existing protected areas are inadequate, unrepresentative, and threatened by increasing human activity.

Antarctica is widely regarded as one of the planet's last true wildernesses, insulated from threat by its remoteness and declaration as a natural reserve dedicated to peace and science. However, rapidly growing human activity is accelerating threats to biodiversity. We determined how well the existing protected-area system represents terrestrial biodiversity and assessed the risk to protected areas from biological invasions, the region's most significant conservation threat. We found that Antarctica is one of the planet's least protected regions, with only 1.5% of its ice-free area formally designated as specially protected areas. Five of the distinct ice-free ecoregions have no specially designated areas for the protection of biodiversity. Every one of the 55 designated areas that protect Antarctica's biodiversity lies closer to sites of high human activity than expected by chance, and seven lie in high-risk areas for biological invasions. By any measure, including Aichi Target 11 under the Convention on Biological Diversity, Antarctic biodiversity is poorly protected by reserves, and those reserves are threatened.

Ontogenetic shifts in plant interactions vary with environmental severity and affect population structure

Environmental conditions and plant size may both alter the outcome of inter-specific plant-plant interactions, with seedlings generally facilitated more strongly than larger individuals in stressful habitats. However, the combined impact of plant size and environmental severity on interactions is poorly understood. Here, we tested explicitly for the first time the hypothesis that ontogenetic shifts in interactions are delayed under increasingly severe conditions by examining the interaction between a grass, Agrostis magellanica, and a cushion plant, Azorella selago, along two severity gradients. The impact of A. selago on A. magellanica abundance, but not reproductive effort, was related to A. magellanica size, with a trend for delayed shifts towards more negative interactions under greater environmental severity. Intermediate-sized individuals were most strongly facilitated, leading to differences in the size-class distribution of A. magellanica on the soil and on A. selago. The A. magellanica size-class distribution was more strongly affected by A. selago than by environmental severity, demonstrating that the plant-plant interaction impacts A. magellanica population structure more strongly than habitat conditions. As ontogenetic shifts in plant-plant interactions cannot be assumed to be constant across severity gradients and may impact species population structure, studies examining the outcome of interactions need to consider the potential for size- or age-related variation in competition and facilitation.

Climate change and elevational diversity capacity: do weedy species take up the slack?

Climate change leads to species range shifts and consequently to changes in diversity. For many systems, increases in diversity capacity have been forecast, with spare capacity to be taken up by a pool of weedy species moved around by humans. Few tests of this hypothesis have been undertaken, and in many temperate systems, climate change impacts may be confounded by simultaneous increases in human-related disturbance, which also promote weedy species. Areas to which weedy species are being introduced, but with little human disturbance, are therefore ideal for testing the idea. We make predictions about how such diversity capacity increases play out across elevational gradients in non-water-limited systems. Then, using modern and historical data on the elevational range of indigenous and naturalized alien vascular plant species from the relatively undisturbed sub-Antarctic Marion Island, we show that alien species have contributed significantly to filling available diversity capacity and that increases in energy availability rather than disturbance are the probable underlying cause.

Fluorescent labeling of yeast

This unit describes the use of several different fluorescence methods for labeling yeast cells. It includes methods to label the vacuole, the actin cytoskeleton, and chitin deposits on cell walls (bud scars), as well as methods for visualizing specific proteins in live cells with GFP chimeras and in fixed cells by immunofluorescence.

Yeast as a model system for studying endocytosis

Endocytosis is the membrane trafficking process by which plasma membrane components and extracellular material are internalized into cytoplasmic vesicles and delivered to early and late endosomes, eventually either recycling back to the plasma membrane or arriving at the lysosome/vacuole. The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has proven to be an invaluable system for identifying proteins involved in endocytosis and elucidating the mechanisms underlying internalization and postinternalization events. Through genetic studies in yeast and biochemical studies in mammalian cells, it has become apparent that multiple cellular processes are linked to endocytosis, including actin cytoskeletal dynamics, ubiquitylation, lipid modification, and signal transduction. In this review, we will highlight the most exciting recent findings in the field of yeast endocytosis. Specifically, we will address the involvement of the actin cytoskeleton in internalization, the role of ubiquitylation as a regulator of multiple steps of endocytosis in yeast, and the sorting of endocytosed proteins into the recycling and vacuolar pathways.

Personality moderators of the relationship between abusive supervision and subordinates' resistance

Results of a study using data collected at 2 points in time, separated by 6 months, suggested that subordinates resisted their supervisors' downward influence tactics with greater frequency when their supervisors were more abusive and that subordinates' personality moderated the effects of abusive supervision. The relationship between abusive supervision and subordinates' dysfunctional resistance was stronger among subordinates who were lower in conscientiousness than among subordinates who were higher in conscientiousness, but this effect emerged only for subordinates who were also lower in agreeableness. The relationship between abusive supervision and subordinates' constructive resistance was stronger among subordinates who were higher in conscientiousness than among subordinates who were lower in conscientiousness. The study's implications for theory and research are discussed.

Positive affectivity and negative outcomes: the role of tenure and job satisfaction

In this study, the authors proposed and tested a 3-way interaction among positive affectivity (PA), job satisfaction, and tenure in predicting negative employee outcomes. Specifically, the authors predicted that the relationship between job satisfaction and negative outcomes would be stronger for high PAs and that this relationship would be more pronounced for longer tenured employees. Results support this 3-way interaction in predicting job search behavior, physical health complaints, and counterproductive employee behavior. In particular, the relationship between job satisfaction and negative outcomes was most strongly negative for high-PA individuals with longer tenure. The authors discuss the implications of these results and some directions for future research.

Subantarctic Macquarie Island - a model ecosystem for studying animal-derived nitrogen sources using 15N natural abundance

Plants collected from diverse sites on subantarctic Macquarie Island varied by up to 30‰ in their leaf δ¹⁵N values. ¹⁵N natural abundance of plants, soils, animal excrement and atmospheric ammonia suggest that the majority of nitrogen utilised by plants growing in the vicinity of animal colonies or burrows is animal-derived. Plants growing near scavengers and animal higher in the food chain had highly enriched δ¹⁵N values (mean = 12.9‰), reflecting the highly enriched signature of these animals' excrement, while plants growing near nesting penguins and albatross, which have an intermediate food chain position, had less enriched δ¹⁵N values (>6‰). Vegetation in areas affected by rabbits had lower δ¹⁵N values (mean = 1.2‰), while the highly depleted δ¹⁵N values (below -5‰) of plants at upland plateau sites inland of penguin colonies, suggested that a portion of their nitrogen is derived from ammonia (mean ¹⁵N =-10‰) lost during the degradation of penguin guano. Vegetation in a remote area had δ¹⁵N values near -2‰. These results contrast with arctic and subarctic studies that attribute large variations in plant ¹⁵N values to nitrogen partitioning in nitrogen-limited environments. Here, plant ¹⁵N reflects the ¹⁵N of the likely nitrogen sources utilised by plants.

A retrospective analysis of the results of 218 consecutive rhinoplasties

In a 7-year period, 218 consecutive rhinoplasties were performed within a joint rhinoplasty service comprising a plastic surgeon and an otorhinolaryngologist. Retrospective analysis of these procedures revealed a minor surgical complication rate of 5%, no major complications and requests for revisional surgery in 10% of patients after primary rhinoplasty by the service. However when patients had not had their first operation by our joint service, the revisional operation rate after our first operation was 19%. These results are discussed in relation to other published series. The data generated should enable more precise preoperative patient counselling and act as a useful baseline for subsequent audit of performance. Specifically, patients should know that after rhinoplasty 1 in 10 patients may request revisional surgery. All trainers and trainees should be aware of such data on their own patients in order that standards be set and enhanced with time.

Kikuchi's necrotising lymphadenitis

Three cases of Kikuchi's necrotizing lymphadenitis without granulocytic infiltration presented to the ENT department as cervical lymphadenopathy with neutropaenia. Differential diagnosis from malignant lymphoma was difficult both clinically and histopathologically. Two recovered spontaneously without treatment within three months, one improved initially but was lost to follow-up after one month.

Shapes of benz[a]anthracenes: the crystal and molecular structure of 6-methylbenz[a]anthracene

The crystal structure of 6-methylbenz[a]anthracene (6-MBA), a more potent carcinogen than the other K-region monomethyl-substituted benz[a]anthracene (5-MBA), has been determined by application of direct methods to single-crystal X-ray diffractometric data and refined by least squares to R = 0.047 (Rw = 0.053). Deviations of the carbon atoms from planarity are very small with even the methyl carbon displaced by only 0.05 A from the mean molecular plane. The benzo-ring A is inclined at only about 1 1/2 degrees to each of the three rings in the anthracene moiety, i.e. 6-MBA is one of the most nearly planar benz[a]anthracenes. The K-region bond C(5)-C(6) = 1.328(6) A and two other short bonds are C(8)-C(9) = 1.341(7) and C(10)-C(11) = 1.361(7) A in the anthracene D ring.

Steric strain and tumorigenicity: the molecular structure of 3,6-dimethylcholanthrene

The crystal structure of 3,6-dimethylcholanthrene, a highly tumorogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, has been solved and refined, from X-ray diffractometric data collected at room temperature, to an R index 0.050 over 1684 independent reflections. The steric strain arising from the presence of the bay-methyl substituent distorts the molecule almost as much as in the moderately carcinogenic 1- and 12-methylbenz[a]anthracenes, with the benzo A ring inclined at approximately 16 degrees to the furthest C and D rings. The 6-methyl carbon atom is displaced 0.7 A from the molecular plane and the beach bond length of the bay region is 1.480(6) A, with beach C-C-C angles of 124.1 and 123.5 degrees. The shortest carbon-carbon bond is C(5)-C(6) = 1.331(7) A at the K region, with the next shortest C(8)-C(9) = 1.362(7), C(10)-C(11) = 1.366(7), and C(3)-C(4) = 1.369(8) A.

Rhabdomyosarcoma of the nasopharynx a case with recurrence of tumour after 20 years

A case of embryonal (botryoid) rhabdomyosarcoma of the nasopharynx originally occurring in a two year old male, with late recurrence in the neck 20 years after treatment by combined surgery and radiotherapy is presented. The histological diagnosis of rhabdomyosarcoma, and the significance of late recurrence are discussed.

X-ray refinement of the crystal and molecular structure of 1,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene

The molecular and crystal structure of 1,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene, one of the least carcinogenic of the benz[a]anthracenes, has been refined, from new X-ray diffractometric data collected at room temperature, to an R index 0.047 over 1217 independent reflections. Improved determination of molecular geometry shows that steric strain arising from the presence of two bay-methyl substituents causes even greater molecular distortion than in the highly carcinogenic 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene, with the benzo A ring inclined at about 29 degrees to the furthest C and D rings. Methyl carbon atoms are displaced 1.0 and 1.3 A on opposite sides of the mean molecular plane and the beach bond of the bay region is 1.480(4) A long, flanked by C-C-C angles of 124.3 and 125.0 degrees. The shortest carbon-carbon bond is C5-C6 = 1.327(5) A at the K region, with the next shortest C8-C9 = 1.346(6) A. Close intramolecular approaches of methyl hydrogens across the bay and to nearest aromatic hydrogens are 2.3-2.6 A.