Vitrinella pseudoaristata

Diagnostic imaging, including X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans, has long been a crucial tool in monitoring human and animal health. However, for researchers studying wild populations, administering these common tests can be challenging.&nbsp;



In an effort to overcome this obstacle, a collaborative project has been initiated by scientists at the <a href="https://www.whoi.edu/">Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution</a> (WHOI) and colleagues at the Cincinnati Zoo &amp; Botanical Garden, as well as other zoos and aquariums. The team is currently testing the use of thermal video and image analysis to measure heart and respiration rates in a variety of animals in a controlled environment.&nbsp;



The ultimate goal of this research is to advance the development of non-invasive techniques for assessing the health of animals in the wild, particularly threatened and endangered species for which more invasive diagnostic procedures might carry prohibitive risks.



A new paper detailing the team's work was published today in the journal <a href="https://bmcbiol.biomedcentral.com/">BMC Biology</a>. The study highlights the importance of understanding an animal's metabolic rate, or energetic expenditure, as it provides crucial insight into a species' reproductive and survival chances.&nbsp;



Unfortunately, collecting these benchmark measurements from wild populations is logistically complex and frequently invasive. Even more straightforward tests, such as obtaining heart and respiration rates, often necessitate immobilizing the animal, which can pose its own risks. Additionally, attaching tracking devices can be both expensive and invasive.



The research, led by MIT-WHOI graduate student Caroline Rzucidlo, is investigating the potential of infrared thermography (IRT) combined with Eulerian video magnification (EVM) software to measure the vital rates of exotic wildlife species.&nbsp;



Eventually, the team wants to apply this technique to study <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/weddell-seals-sacrifice-diving-energy-to-give-iron-to-their-pups/">Weddell seal</a> populations in Antarctica, assessing whether these animals will be physiologically prepared to survive and reproduce in rapidly changing environments.



"Heart and respiration rates are often used as proxies for determining metabolic rate," explained Rzucidlo. "Thermal cameras can detect changes in skin temperature associated with blood flow and changes in air temperature associated with exhalation. Thus, determining if thermal cameras could non-invasively capture these temperature changes in animals was the first step."



While thermal video cameras can easily measure heat and body temperature, as evidenced by the technology used to screen humans for fever at airports, the question remained whether this approach could be applied to exotic animals. Taking their work directly into the field was not feasible, as the researchers first needed to validate the accuracy and precision of the method, which required a controlled setting.&nbsp;



"We had no idea how effectively we could measure temperature fluctuations with the thermal camera, including how close or far away from the animal we needed to be, and how fur, fat, or scale thickness would affect the readings," explained Rzucidlo.



The Cincinnati Zoo &amp; Botanical Garden offered the perfect setting for testing various animals under diverse conditions, allowing researchers to refine their methods. Collaborating with Erin Curry, a reproductive physiologist, and other animal care specialists, Rzucidlo dedicated months to collecting thermal video data on an array of terrestrial and marine creatures at the facility.&nbsp;



The study also encompassed work conducted at other locations, such as the Louisville Zoo (Kentucky), Columbus Zoo and Aquarium (Ohio), and the Salisbury Zoo (Maryland). Overall, 58 individual animals, ranging from Komodo dragons to polar bears, participated in the research.



“Being able to monitor individual animals under human care created a controlled setting to validate this technology that is impossible to replicate in the wild,” said Rzucidlo.



“Zoos offer a unique setting to develop technologies that can contribute to the conservation of wildlife populations. Animals in zoos have regular veterinary check-ups and some individuals are even trained to participate voluntarily in wellness exams, so using a stethoscope to obtain true heartrates while concurrently collecting infrared video of a variety of species was a very achievable goal,” added Curry.



It soon became obvious to the team that the thermal video alone wasn’t enough. “Capturing heat and temperature is one step, but we needed the EVM computer software to amplify changes&nbsp; in temperature associated with respiration rate and heartbeat,” explained Rzucidlo. “Using the two together was the winning combination and offered us an unprecedented view of animal health.”&nbsp;



While thermal cameras have previously been employed to obtain vital rates in a select few species (primarily hairless ones), this groundbreaking study represents the first application of this technology to an extensive array of exotic animals. Additionally, the research identifies the specific traits that render a species suitable for acquiring measurements through thermal imaging.&nbsp;



“This new study takes thermal imaging data in a controlled setting and allows us to build benchmarks across a suite of species. Having developed and fine-tuned these methods in the zoological setting, we can then take these imaging techniques and apply it to answer much broader ecological questions in the wild,” said Michelle Shero, an associate scientist at WHOI.



“We’ve even been using this method in Antarctica to study energy dynamics in Weddell seal populations. We can use these newly developed methods to start asking how an animal’s energetic expenditure may change if environmental conditions change, or what the energetic demands are for reproduction.”



“What’s more, is that using non-invasive and quickly acquired imagery tools will allow us to make better measurements with less disturbance, and for a lot more animals than would ever have been possible using traditional techniques. This is what is really needed to start asking questions about population health.”



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Thermal imaging can help monitor animal health in the wild 

Diagnostic imaging, including X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans, has long...

A groundbreaking study published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40793-023-00467-z">Environmental Microbiome</a> suggests that urban honeybees could hold the key to unlocking insights into the microbiomes of cities around the world, providing valuable information about both hive and human health. As cities are designed for human habitation, they also host a myriad of other living species.&nbsp;



Understanding this diverse landscape is crucial for urban planning and human health. However, sampling the microbial landscape in a way that covers vast urban areas can be labor-intensive and challenging.



Lead researcher Elizabeth Hénaff and her team delved into the potential of honeybees to help gather samples of microorganisms across cities. Honeybees are known to forage daily up to one mile from their hives in urban environments.&nbsp;



The researchers conducted a pilot study in New York, where they sampled various materials from three hives. They discovered diverse genetic information, including environmental bacteria, in the debris accumulated at the bottom of the hives.&nbsp;



Further samples of hive debris from Sydney, Melbourne, Venice, and Tokyo revealed that each location possesses a unique genetic signature as seen by honeybees.



In Venice, the genetic data was predominantly composed of fungi related to wood rot and date palm DNA. Melbourne's sample was dominated by Eucalyptus DNA, while the Sydney sample showed little plant DNA but contained genetic data from a bacteria species that degrades rubber (Gordonia polyisoprenivorans). Tokyo samples included plant DNA from Lotus and wild soybean, as well as the soy sauce fermenting yeast Zygosaccharomyces rouxii.



The experts also identified genetic material from the hive debris for Rickettsia felis ('cat scratch fever'), a pathogen spread to humans through cat scratches. Although these findings highlight the potential of using this method for surveillance, they are currently too preliminary to suggest its effectiveness in monitoring human diseases.



Moreover, the hive debris contained bee-related microorganisms, likely originating from honeybee parts present in the debris. Based on 33 samples from hives across the four subsequent cities, the authors found known bee microorganisms indicating a healthy hive. In some cases, bee pathogens such as Paenibacillus larvae, Melissococcus plutonius, or the parasite Varroa destructor were detected. These findings suggest that debris analysis could also be employed to assess the overall health of honeybee hives.



In conclusion, the study demonstrates that honeybee hive debris offers a snapshot of the microbial landscape of urban environments. This innovative approach could be used alongside other measures to assess the microbial diversity and health of cities and honeybees alike, helping researchers better understand the complex interactions between humans, bees, and urban ecosystems.



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Honeybees can shed light on the health of cities

A groundbreaking study published in the journal Environmental Microbiome suggests...

A new study has shed light on a surprising exception to the pattern of uniformity across the Indo-West Pacific, the largest and most biodiverse marine ecosystem on Earth. While many species in this region have comparably wide ranges, including <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/larger-jellyfish-are-more-nutritious/">fish</a> and shells noted by Charles Darwin, the same pattern has been observed in crabs. 



Chlorodielline crabs, common on coral reefs, have long been difficult to distinguish based solely on appearance, as they look so similar. However, a team of researchers has now discovered that chlorodielline crab species with non-overlapping ranges are often nearly identical, but those that occupy the same region have a unique feature.



The study, which was led by Robert Lasley, former postdoctoral researcher at the <a href="https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/">Florida Museum of Natural History</a>, revealed that the key to distinguishing these similar-looking crabs lies in their specialized appendages used for reproduction, called gonopods. These complex and species-specific structures have evolved multiple times in different arthropod groups, including crustaceans, moths and butterflies, and millipedes, and are variously used for sperm transfer and clasping.



“They all look the same, until you compare their gonopods, which are structurally complex and very species-specific,” explained Lasley.



In crabs, the gonopods sometimes come equipped with elaborate frills that give them the appearance of a spatula with a mohawk. Lasley wanted to understand if there was any pattern to the variation in these gonopods, which led him to study species across the Indo-West Pacific. Over the course of more than a decade, he collected specimens during numerous marine field forays in the Red Sea, Singapore, Australia, and the Phoenix Islands, searching for crabs hiding among the coral bric-a-brac.



The study's findings indicate that the key to distinguishing closely related species of chlorodielline crabs is in their gonopods, rather than their external appearance. While the gonopods of species with non-overlapping ranges are often nearly identical, those of species occupying the same region have unique structures, suggesting that their evolution is influenced by interactions with other closely related species.



Chlorodielline crabs are one of the most abundant crustaceans in coral reef ecosystems, where they occupy the base of the food chain. These tiny crabs, most of which are no larger than a kernel of corn, are especially diverse in the coral triangle, a region that stretches from Indonesia to the Solomon Islands and supports 76 percent of the world's coral species and more than a quarter of all coral reef fishes. Despite their importance, chlorodielline crabs have long been difficult to distinguish based on appearance alone.



The researchers sought to understand why chlorodielline crabs have such wildly different gonopods, specialized appendages used for reproduction. To do this, Lasley first had to determine how chlorodielline species are related to each other, which he accomplished through an analysis of DNA extracted from museum specimens. The experts then added information regarding the range of each species and the shape of their gonopods.



The study's findings shed light on one of marine biology's most perplexing mysteries: how do marine invertebrates, such as crabs, remain isolated long enough for evolution to generate diversity? While roaming animals on land become isolated all the time, the larval stage of many marine invertebrates makes this step in the speciation process more difficult to achieve. Naturalists like Charles Darwin saw the Indo West Pacific as one vast body of water, uninterrupted by geographic barriers that would otherwise act as a catalyst in the process of speciation.



However, the results of this study suggest that sheer distance and time can also act as barriers. Many chlorodielline crabs have ranges that extend across the entirety of the Indo-West Pacific, and the genetic analysis revealed that these cryptic species have slowly accumulated differences in their DNA over millions of years. But it wasn't until close relatives were reunited after an extended separation that those genetic differences visibly manifested in a single, peculiar way. In almost every case, close relatives with overlapping ranges had uniquely shaped gonopods but otherwise looked exactly the same.



“What we can say is these crabs start genetically diverging in different geographic areas, and then the divergence of gonopods is an important piece of the speciation process that happens at the tail end of things,” Lasley said.



The findings of this study have important implications for our understanding of marine biodiversity, as they suggest that far more variation exists in the Indo-West Pacific than previously suspected. The engine driving this diversity has yet to be entirely discovered, but Lasley intends to test his hypothesis that the way these crabs reproduce may play a role in the evolution of their unique gonopods in future studies.



The research is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2023.107710">Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution</a>.



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Hidden crab diversity discovered in coral reefs

A new study has shed light on a surprising exception...

In many high-income countries, over one in ten children are diagnosed with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plant-compound-offers-new-hope-for-people-with-food-allergies/">food allergies</a>, with the incidence of such allergies continuing to rise at an alarming rate. However, according to a recent study published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0282725">PLoS ONE</a>, children exposed to pet cats or indoor dogs during fetal development and early infancy tend to have fewer food allergies in comparison to other children.



The scientists used data from the <a href="https://www.env.go.jp/chemi/ceh/en/">Japan Environment and Children’s Study</a> (JECS) – a nationwide, prospective birth cohort – to investigate the associations between exposure to various types of pets during fetal development and early infancy and the incidence of food allergies in 66,215 children for whom such data was available. Among the participants, approximately 22 percent were exposed to indoor cats and dogs in their early years and, in some cases, even before birth.&nbsp;



The analysis revealed a significantly reduced incidence of food allergies among children exposed to indoor pets, but no significant difference in the case of those growing in households with outdoor dogs. Moreover, different pet species seemed to reduce the incidence of allergies to different types of foods. For example, children exposed to indoor dogs were less likely to experience egg, milk, and nut allergies, while those exposed to cats were less likely to develop egg, wheat, and soybean allergies. Surprisingly though, children exposed to hamsters (0.9 percent of the cohort) had a significantly greater incidence of nut allergies.



Although the study had several limitations - including the use of self-reported data relying on the accurate recall of participants, and the impossibility to determine whether the association between pet exposure and food allergy incidence was causative or merely correlational – these findings suggest that exposure to pets may be extremely beneficial to children, leading to better health outcomes. However, further research into the mechanisms behind childhood food allergies and how they are influenced by exposure to pets is needed.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Indoor pets reduce the risk of food allergies in children 

In many high-income countries, over one in ten children are...

During the Late Permian period, about 250 million years ago, South Africa was home to a species of large predatory <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fossils-link-mysterious-amphibians/">amphibians</a> with bodies similar to today’s crocodiles or big salamanders. Although these animals – called rhinesuchid temnospondyls – are known mainly from skeletal remains, a team of researchers led by the <a href="https://www.wits.ac.za/">University of the Witwatersrand</a> in South Africa has recently discovered a set of trace fossils that provide key insights into how these creatures moved through their environment.



The remains were discovered in a site called the Dave Green paleosurface, in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa, on a rocky surface which was the floor of a tidal flat or lagoon of the ancient Karoo Sea during the Late Permian. By analyzing seven body impressions (resting traces), along with several tail-marks (swimming traces), the experts inferred that they were likely made by one or two two-meters-long rhinesuchid temnospondyls swimming from one resting place to another, or searching for prey.



The sinuous shapes of the tail-marks provide evidence that the amphibians propelled themselves through the water with continuous side-to-side tail motions, which is remarkably similar to how modern crocodiles and salamanders move. Moreover, the shape of their body impressions, along with a relative lack of footprints alongside the traces, suggests that they tuck their legs against their bodies while swimming, just like today’s crocodiles. Finally, these fossils indicate an active lifestyle characterized by behaviors such as swimming or bottom-walking, and are extremely valuable for better understanding the structure of Permian ecosystems.



“The findings of the study are significant because they help to fill in gaps in our knowledge of these ancient animals.&nbsp;The remarkable tracks and traces preserved on the Dave Green palaeosurface are a window&nbsp;onto&nbsp;the shoreline of the Karoo Sea roughly 255 million years ago, and&nbsp;provide direct evidence of how these animals moved and interacted with their environment. In addition to its remarkable scientific contribution, this study also demonstrates how important paleontological discoveries are often made by curious people bringing their findings to the attention of paleontologists,” the authors concluded.



The research is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0282354">PLoS ONE</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Ancient amphibians swam like modern crocodiles

During the Late Permian period, about 250 million years ago,...

A survey of body sizes of Earth’s organisms conducted by <a href="https://www.rutgers.edu/">Rutgers University</a> has found that, although life may be found in all shapes and sizes, the most extreme sizes are predominant in nature. The research shows that our planet’s biomass – the material making up all living organisms – is concentrated at either end of the size spectrum.



“This conclusion – that life on Earth comes packaged predominantly in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/largest-smallest-animals-extinction/">largest and smallest sizes</a> – was a discovery that surprised us,” said study co-author Malin Pinsky, an associate professor of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources at Rutgers.



“Sometimes it seems like mosquitoes or flies or ants must run the world, and yet, when we did the numbers, we found that our world is dominated by the microbes and the trees. These are the silent partners that recycle the nutrients and replenish the air all around us.”



Over a period of five years, the researchers compiled and analyzed data about the size and biomass of each type of living organism on our planet, ranging from unicellular organisms such as soil archaea and bacteria to large organisms like blue whales or sequoia trees. The analysis revealed that the pattern favoring either large or small organisms can be found in all types of species, although it seems to be more pronounced in land-based organisms.



“The largest body sizes appear across multiple species groups, and their maximum body sizes are all within a relatively narrow range,” said lead author Eden Tekwa, a research associate at <a href="https://www.mcgill.ca/">McGill University</a>, who conducted the study during a fellowship at Rutgers.



“Trees, grasses, underground fungi, mangroves, corals, fish, and marine mammals all have similar maximum body sizes. This might suggest that there is a universal upper size limit due to ecological, evolutionary, or biophysical limitations.” According to Tekwa, humans belong to the size comprising the highest biomass, which is a relatively large body size.



"Body size is a fundamental feature of life, governing everything from metabolic rates to birth rates and generation times. Cataloging which body sizes are most common is a key step towards understanding the world around us,” Pinsky concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0283020">PLoS ONE</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Largest and smallest sizes are dominant in nature

A survey of body sizes of Earth’s organisms conducted by...

A team of researchers from <a href="https://en.nagoya-u.ac.jp/">Nagoya University</a> in central Japan has recently uncovered three new <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/two-new-species-of-carnivorous-plants-discovered-in-ecuador/">species</a> of bioluminescent polycirrus worms, contributing to our growing understanding of the world's luminescent organisms. Found in various parts of Japan, these small worms are typically found in shallow water and are well-known for their bioluminescence. 



The research group, which was led by Naoto Jimi and Special Assistant Professor Manabu Bessho-Uehara, comprised members from AIST, Olympus Corporation, and Japan Underwater Films Corporation. Their groundbreaking findings have been published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.230039">Royal Society Open Science</a>.



Despite over 7,000 species of luminescent organisms being known to science, only a small fraction of these have been studied in depth. One reason for this is the difficulty in classifying certain specimens, which can hinder accurate identification and limit the usefulness of comparing research findings.&nbsp;



However, the team from Nagoya University has made strides in organizing polycirrus worms according to their diversity, ultimately leading to the discovery of the three new species, each emitting a blue-violet light.



Reflecting on the significance of their work, Jimi expressed the team's amazement at the discovery and their sense of responsibility to document and classify these unique creatures. "Our previous research on the luminescence of the genus Polycirrus had established it as a valuable subject for bioluminescence studies. However, we later discovered what we thought was a single species of Polycirrus was actually three different species."



To honor their Japanese origins, the researchers named the new species with cultural significance. Polycirrus onibi and Polycirrus aoandon were named after yokai, creatures from Japanese folklore, due to their bluish-violet luminescence.&nbsp;



In the folktales, onibi (demon fire) is a will-o'-the-wisp type of yokai that leads travelers astray, while aoandon (blue lantern) is a ghostly figure that haunts lanterns in homes by turning their light an eerie blue color. The third species was named Polycirrus ikeguchii in recognition of Shinichiro Ikeguchi, the former director of the Notojima Aquarium.



"We used the names of Japanese yokai, such as onibi and aoandon, for the new species because the hazy violet-blue bioluminescence emitted by the Polycirrus species is strikingly similar to the descriptions of these creatures found in folklore," said Jimi. "Polycirrus ikeguchii, on the other hand, was described from specimens collected in the Notojima region in Japan. As Shinichi Ikeguchi was the former director of Notojima Aquarium and helped to find the worm, it seemed appropriate to name it after him."



The research team plans to build upon their findings to further investigate the molecular nature of bioluminescence, which has the potential to lead to the development of innovative technologies in the life sciences.



Jimi emphasized the importance of understanding luminescence mechanisms in contributing to medical and life science research. "Bioluminescence is a treasure trove of interesting and unusual chemistry. We intend to use our findings to deepen our understanding of the molecular nature of this phenomenon and apply this knowledge to the development of new life sciences technologies."



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Three new species of glowing sea worms found in Japan

A team of researchers from Nagoya University in central Japan...

Vitrinella pseudoaristata

Taxonomic tree: