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opencc-by-4.0Nov 2023View details →

SeaPaCS_In search of Plastic

Supported by the public engagement activities funds by the <a href="https://crowdusg.net/diggeoesomas/">DIGGEO@ESOMAS</a>, Department ESOMAS – University of Turin and the SeaPaCS project (funded by I<a href="https://impetus4cs.eu/">MPETUS project</a> – funded by the European Union), the video tells a compelling story about the <a href="https://crowdusg.net/2023/04/03/exploration-of-the-plastisphere-in-the-chthulucene-participatory-science-for-microplastic-monitoring-on-a-sailboat-at-lni-in-anzio/">explorations of the plastisphere </a>and <a href="https://crowdusg.net/2023/05/23/photo-exhibition-on-new-hybrid-ecologies-of-the-mediterranean-sea/">its visual documentation</a>.

opencc-zeroNov 2023View details →

Data for: A histone demethylase links the loss of plasticity to nongenetic inheritance and morphological change

Plasticity is a widespread feature of development, enabling phenotypic change based on the environment. Although the evolutionary loss of plasticity has been linked both theoretically and empirically to increased rates of phenotypic diversification, molecular insights into how this process might unfold are generally lacking. Here, we show that a regulator of nongenetic inheritance links evolutionary loss of plasticity in nature to changes in plasticity and morphology as selected in the laboratory. Across nematodes of Diplogastridae, which ancestrally had a polyphenism, or discrete plasticity, in their feeding morphology, we use molecular evolutionary analyses to screen for change associated with independent losses of plasticity. Having inferred a set of ancestrally polyphenism-biased genes from phylogenetically informed gene-knockouts and gene-expression comparisons, selection signatures associated with plasticity's loss identify the histone H3K4 di/monodemethylase gene spr-5/LSD1/KDM1A. Manipulations of this gene affect both sensitivity and variation in plastic morphologies, and artificial selection of manipulated lines drives multigenerational shifts in these phenotypes. Our findings thus give mechanistic insight into how traits are modified as they traverse the continuum of greater to lesser environmental sensitivity.

Data from: Plastic mulches reduce abundance of some arthropods but are not detrimental to pollinators in primocane raspberries

Cultural practices modify agroecosystems to prevent or reduce pest outbreaks, but they may be detrimental to beneficial arthropods and non-target effects are not commonly evaluated. Plastic mulches are an effective management practice for spotted-wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii Matsumura) since they increase UV radiance in the plant canopy to reduce larval infestation of fruit. In this two-year study, we evaluated how black, white, and metallic plastic mulches impact populations of arthropods, including predators of D. suzukii and raspberry pollinators in Wisconsin. The three plastic mulches did not affect arthropod richness and did not affect the abundance of about 65% of arthropod groups identified. In the raspberry canopy, the black mulch decreased the abundance of Orthoptera and Thysanoptera and increased Orius spp.; the white mulch increased Diptera, Thysanoptera, and Orius spp.; and the metallic mulch decreased Coleoptera, micro-Hymenoptera, Orthoptera, and Thysanoptera. On the ground, all mulches decreased the abundance of Gryllidae, the black and metallic increased Formicidae, and the white increased Staphylinidae. We reported ten insect groups visiting raspberry flowers. Bombus impatiens Cresson was the most common, accounting for 82% of flower visits. The plastic mulches did not reduce flower visitation, though the white plastic mulch increased the abundance of B. impatiens compared to the other mulch treatments. Plastic mulches can reduce populations of pests such as D. suzukii and overall have no severe non-target effects on other arthropods in Wisconsin raspberry.

Supporting data: Functional plasticity of the swim bladder as an acoustic organ for communication in a vocal fish

<div> In this study, we show that the swim bladder of male plainfin midshipman fish (Porichthys notatus) exhibits reproductive state-dependent changes in morphology and function for sound production and reception. We quantified swim bladder morphometrics and utilized psuedolandmarking to identify differences in nonreproductive and reproductive male swim bladders. We utilized auditory evoked potential recordings, to measure the auditory sensitivity of saccular hair cells in response to sound pressure levels ranging from 97 - 154 dB re: 1 µPa to determine how the swim bladder contributes to midshipman auditory sensitivity. Finally, we used finite element modeling to explore the frequency response of nonreproductive and reproductive male swim bladders. </div>

Strong plastic responses in aerenchyma formation in F1 hybrids of Imperata cylindrica under different soil moisture conditions

There is insufficient evidence demonstrating how phenotypic plasticity in specific traits mediates hybrid performance. Two ecotypes of Imperata cylindrica produce F1 hybrids. The early flowering type (E-type) in wet habitats has larger internal gas spaces (aerenchyma) than the common type (C-type) in dry habitats. This study evaluated the relationships between the habitat utilisation, aerenchyma plasticity, and growth of I. cylindrica accessions. We hypothesize that plasticity in expressing parental traits explains hybrid establishment in habitats with various soil moisture conditions. Aerenchyma formation was examined in the leaf midribs, rhizomes, and roots of two parental ecotypes and their F1 hybrids in their natural habitats. In common garden experiments, we examined plastic aerenchyma formation in the leaf midribs, rhizomes and roots of natural and artificial F1 hybrids and parental ecotypes. Their vegetative growth performance was also quantified. In the natural habitats where soil moisture content varied widely, the F1 hybrids showed larger variation of aerenchyma formation in the rhizomes than their parental ecotypes. In the common garden experiments, the F1 hybrids showed high plasticity of aerenchyma formation in the rhizomes, and their growth was similar to that of C-type and E-type under drained and flooded conditions, respectively. The results demonstrate that the F1 hybrids of I. cylindrica exhibit plasticity in aerenchyma development in response to varying local soil moisture content. This characteristic allows the hybrids to thrive in diverse soil moisture conditions.

opencc-by-4.0Dec 2023View details →

Fault Detection and Inventory Management in Manufacturing with Plastic Bricks: A Dataset

Dataset for Smart Manufacturing The dataset contains images of plastic bricks showcasing various colors, shapes, and minor surface damages, designed to represent the use-cases of quality classification and inventory management in manufacturing. The use cases are separated and include 3 categories for quality classification and 24 categories for inventory classification. The data is analyzed in the publication titled "Demonstrating Computer Vision to Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises in Manufacturing: Towards Overcoming Costs and Implementation Challenges". The associated research explores the development of a simple computer vision demonstrator and its demonstration to small- and medium-sized enterprises.  Structure of Files <blockquote> quality_classification (224 images)     defect     defect_free     empty inventory_classification (2732 images)    beige_large    beige_small    blue_bright_large    21 further categories (colour_shape) </blockquote>

Dynamics of leaching of POPs and additives from plastic in a Procellariiform gastric model: Diet and polymer dependent effects and implications for long-term exposure

Procellariiform seabirds are known to have high rates of plastic ingestion. We investigated the bioaccessibility of plastic-associated chemicals [plastic additives and sorbed persistent organic pollutants (POPs)] leached from plastic over time using an in vitro Procellariiform gastric model. High-density polyethylene (HDPE) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), commonly ingested by Procellariiform seabirds, were manufactured with one additive [decabrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE-209) or bisphenol S (BPS)]. HDPE and PVC added with PBDE-209 were additionally incubated in salt water with 2,4,4'-trichloro-1,1'-biphenyl (PCB-28) and 2,2',3,4,4',5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB-138) to simulate sorption of POPs on plastic in the marine environment. Our results indicate that the type of plastic (nature of polymer and additive), presence of food (i.e., lipids and proteins) and gastric secretions (i.e., pepsin) influence the leaching of chemicals in a seabird. In addition, 100% of the sorbed POPs were leached from the plastic within 100 hours, while only 2-5% of the additives were leached from the matrix within 100 hours, suggesting that the remaining 95% of the additives could continue to be leached. Overall, our study illustrates how plastic type, diet and plastic retention time can influence a Procellariform's exposure risk to plastic-associated chemicals.

Synaptopodin regulates denervation-induced plasticity at hippocampal mossy fiber synapses

Neurological diseases can lead to the denervation of brain regions caused by demyelination, traumatic injury or cell death. The molecular and structural mechanisms underlying lesion-induced reorganization of denervated brain regions, however, are a matter of ongoing investigation. In order to address this issue, we performed an entorhinal cortex lesion (ECL) in mouse organotypic entorhino-hippocampal tissue cultures of both sexes and studied denervation-induced plasticity of mossy fiber synapses, which connect dentate granule cells (dGCs) with CA3 pyramidal cells (CA3-PCs) and play important roles in learning and memory formation. Partial denervation caused a strengthening of excitatory neurotransmission in dGCs, CA3-PCs and their direct synaptic connections, as revealed by paired recordings (dGC-to-CA3-PC). These functional changes were accompanied by ultrastructural reorganization of mossy fiber synapses, which regularly contain the plasticity-regulating protein synaptopodin and the spine apparatus organelle. We demonstrate that the spine apparatus organelle and synaptopodin are related to ribosomes in close proximity to synaptic sites and unravel a synaptopodin-related transcriptome. Notably, synaptopodin-deficient tissue preparations that lack the spine apparatus organelle failed to express lesion-induced synaptic adjustments. Hence, synaptopodin and the spine apparatus organelle play a crucial role in regulating lesion-induced synaptic plasticity at hippocampal mossy fiber synapses.

Data from: Adaptive responses and transgenerational plasticity of a submerged plant to benthivorous fish disturbance

Benthivorous fish dominance in some subtropical lakes may alter submerged plant growth, reproduction, and progeny germination by changing water-submerged plant-algae interactions. We conducted mesocosm experiments to examine the effects of three densities of benthivorous fish, Misgurnus anguillicaudatus, on the water properties, the growth, asexual reproduction, and the germination of turions of Potamogeton crispus L. The dataset includes water environment characteristics, macrophyte traits, algae traits, and sediment nutrient characteristics. Macrophyte traits include morphological, stoichiometric, turion traits, and germination traits.

Data from: fish (eggs) out of water: evolutionary divergence in terrestrial embryonic plasticity in Trinidadian killifish

Research has shown that externally laid eggs are often responsive to environmental signals. How such embryonic plasticity evolves is unclear. In Trinidad, the killifish (Anablepsoides hartii) are found in communities with and without predators. Killifish inhabit shallower, ephemeral habitat in sites with predators. Such shifts increase the exposure of eggs to air and possible desiccation. We compared embryonic plasticity between communities by rearing eggs terrestrially on peat moss or in water. The timing of hatching did not differ between communities when eggs were reared in water. Eggs from sites with predators responded to terrestrial incubation by hatching significantly earlier compared to water reared eggs. These responses were weaker in sites with no predators. Such divergent trends show that the presence of predators is associated with shifts in embryonic plasticity. Our results provide new insights into the factors that favor the evolutionary transition between life on water vs. land.

Genetic differentiation and phenotypic plasticity drive troglomorphic character development in European cavefish

The Aach cave loach (Barbatula barbatula), a recently discovered member of the Nemacheilidae family, offers a unique opportunity to understand the mechanisms underlying evolutionary change. In a common garden experiment, we reared groups of laboratory-bred cave, surface, and hybrid loach under different light conditions. Troglomorphic characters varied significantly among the fish, influenced to a different extent by parental origin and light conditions. Cavefish progeny consistently exhibited smaller eyes, lighter pigmentation, longer barbels, and larger olfactory epithelia than surface fish, while hybrids displayed intermediate characteristics. Surface and hybrid fish raised in complete darkness resembled the cavefish phenotype, while cavefish raised under a natural photoperiod approached the surface form. Characters associated with eye degeneration were found to be primarily heritable. Conversely, traits related to chemo- and mechano-reception were enhanced in the surface and hybrid groups reared in complete darkness, suggesting phenotypic plasticity. Our findings offer valuable insights into the interplay between genetic differentiation and phenotypic plasticity to troglomorphic adaption. This contributes to the broader understanding of the early stages of adaptation, where phenotypic plasticity, drift, and selection shape phenotypes. Relatively recently established cavefish, such as the Aach cave loach, are promising candidates for comparative research investigating evolutionary mechanisms.

opencc-by-4.0Jan 2024View details →

Supplementary data for Inter-provenance variability and phenotypic plasticity of wood and leaf traits related to hydraulic safety and efficiency in seven European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) provenances differing in yield

Dataset and supplementary file for Inter-provenance variability and phenotypic plasticity of wood and leaf traits related to hydraulic safety and efficiency in seven European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) provenances differing in yield paper. The ANFS_data file includes individual level measurements of xylem safety and efficiency traits, leaf traits and growth among 7 provenances planted at two common garden sites in Germany and Slovakia. More details related to the methodology might be found in the published paper by Kurjak et al. 2024. The ANFS_supplementary file includes the test for differences in distance to tip between sites and provenances,  based on the branch diameter-branch length scaling.

Predator-induced shape plasticity in D. pulex

All animals and plants respond to changes in the environment during their life cycle. This flexibility is known as phenotypic plasticity and allows organisms to cope with variable environments. A common source of environmental variation is predation risk, which describes the likelihood of being attacked and killed by a predator. Some species can respond to the level of predation risk by producing morphological defences against predation. A classic example is the production of so-called 'neckteeth' in the water flea, Daphnia pulex, which defend against predation from Chaoborus midge larvae. Previous studies of this defence have focussed on changes in pedestal size and the number of spikes along a gradient of predation risk. Although these studies have provided a model for continuous phenotypic plasticity, they do not capture the whole-organism shape response to predation risk. In contrast, studies in fish and amphibians focus on shape as a complex, multi-faceted trait made up of different variables. In this study, we analyse how multiple aspects of shape change in D. pulex along a gradient of predation risk from C. flavicans. These changes are dominated by the neckteeth defence, but there are also changes in the size and shape of the head and the body. We detected change in specific modules of the body plan and a level of integration among modules. These results are indicative of a complex, multi-faceted response to predation and provide insight into how predation risk drives variation in shape and size at the level of the whole organism.

opencc-zeroFeb 2024View details →

Diet-induced plasticity of life-history traits and gene expression in outbred Drosophila melanogaster population

Food is fundamental for the survival of organisms, governing growth, maintenance, and reproduction through the provision of essential macronutrients. However, access to food with optimum macronutrient composition, which will maximize the evolutionary fitness of an organism, is not always guaranteed. This leads to dietary mismatches with potential impacts on organismal performance. To understand the consequences of such dietary mismatches, we examined the effects of isocaloric diets varying in macronutrient composition on eight key organismal traits spanning across the lifespan of a large outbred Drosophila melanogaster population (n ~ 2500). Our findings reveal that carbohydrate-reduced isocaloric diets correlates to accelerated pre-adult development and boosts reproductive output without impacting pre-adult viability and body size. Conversely, an elevated dietary carbohydrate content correlated to reduced lifespan in flies, evidenced by accelerated functional senescence including compromised locomotor activity and deteriorating gut integrity. Furthermore, transcriptomic analysis indicated a substantial difference in gene regulatory landscapes between flies subject to high carbohydrate vs high protein diet, with elevated protein levels indicating transcriptomes primed for reduced synthesis of fatty acids. Taken together, our study helps advance our understanding of the effect of macronutrient composition on life history traits and their interrelations, offering critical insights into potential adaptive strategies that organisms might adopt against the continual dietary imbalances prevalent in the rapidly evolving environment.

opencc-zeroFeb 2024View details →

Data from: Contrasting depth-related fine root plastic responses to soil warming in a subtropical Chinese fir plantation

Warming-induced soil drought especially in topsoil may enlarge the spatial mismatch between nutrients and water along the soil profile, which impedes the uptake of not only water but also nutrients by trees. Therefore, coordinating the acquisition of soil water and nutrients along the soil profile is an important strategy for trees to cope with global warming. This study examined soil depth-related changes in nutrient concentrations, biomass, and morphology of fine roots in a Chinese fir plantation after 3 years of large-scale manipulative soil warming. Soil warming (ambient + 4°C) increased fine root nitrogen (N) concentrations but decreased fine root phosphorus (P) concentrations across soil depths. Warming did not affect total fine root biomass and its vertical distribution. At the 0–10 cm depth, warming increased specific root length (SRL), specific root area (SRA), fine root diameter (RD), and root length density (RLD) but reduced root tissue density (RTD). In the 40–60 cm layer, warming reduced RD, SRL, and RLD while increasing RTD mainly for roots of the 1–2 mm diameter class. Synthesis: We concluded that roots of Chinese fir plantations could adapt to warming-induced moderate water stress through contrasting depth-related root morphological adjustments, probably to optimize the acquisition of both soil water and nutrients. The results of this study are crucial for understanding the adaptation strategies of subtropical forests under future climate conditions.

opencc-by-4.0Mar 2024View details →

Greening Ramadan: Plastic Reduction During Iftar

During the Sabai Webinar Series 10, hosted by the Shwetaungthagathu Reform Initiative Centre (SRIc), Burmese Young Experts, including Ms Hnynn Pwint Wai, Environmental Specialist, Ms May Ye, Halal Food Blogger and Mr Tin Shine Aung, Sustainability Specialist, engaged in a discussion on how to reduce plastics during the Iftar time in Ramadan. They highlighted the alignment of plastic reduction with the Quranic's teachings and how this is important for Muslims and also to save the planet.

opencc-by-4.0Mar 2024View details →

Supplementary materials of the article "First report of plastic biomedia contamination in Brazilian beaches – evidence from the Paraná coast"

Supplementary materials of the article "First report of plastic biomedia contamination in Brazilian beaches – evidence from the Paraná coast", published in Ocean and Coastal Research.

opencc-by-4.0Mar 2024View details →

Plastic damage in sea ice - model outputs and observations.

Sea ice model outputs and observations analyzed in the paper: "On the sensitivity of sea ice deformation statistics to plastic damage". For the outputs, there is one file every 6 hours (for January 2002). Each folder represents one experiment with the associated snapshot files each containing a matrix of the given variable. The observations are the 3-day gridded velocity derivatives. The files are numpy arrays (.npy) containing time slices for every 3-day period for January 2002.   1. Naming convention of the files Model outputs The folders are named according to the model configuration following the names used in (Savard and Tremblay, 2024): "Model name" + ( + "configuration" + ) The files in each configuration follow the following convention: "Variable" + "year" + _ +  "month" + _ + "day" + _ + "hour" + _ + "minutes" + . + "experiment number" There is also an info file, which provides the numerical parameters used in each run: info + . + "experiment number" Observations The files are the velocity derivatives: "partial derivative" + .npy There is also a mask for the period of January-February-March: mask80JFM.npy   2. Variables included <ul> <li>u,v : sea ice velocity in the x,y directions (in m/s);</li> <li>A: ice concentration per grid cell (0 -- 1);</li> <li>h: mean ice thickness per grid cell (in m);</li> <li>dam: plastic damage per grid cell (0 -- 1); </li> <li>div: sea ice divergence per grid cell (in s^-1);</li> <li>shear: sea ice shear per grid cell (in s^-1).</li> </ul>   4. Recommended citation usage If any or all simulations included in the current archive are used in a future study, we ask to cite this archive and the plastic damage paper (Savard and Tremblay, 2024). If the observations provided here are used in a future study, we ask to cite this archive and the original paper in which the data is used (Kwok, 1997). The original RGPS 3-day gridded dataset can be accessed here: https://asf.alaska.edu/data-sets/derived-data-sets/seaice-measures/sea-ice-measures-data-products/

opencc-zeroMar 2024View details →

Data from: Foraging-induced craniofacial plasticity is associated with an early, robust, and dynamic transcriptional response

Phenotypic plasticity is the ability of a single genotype to vary its phenotype in response to the environment. Plasticity of the skeletal system in response to mechanical input is widely studied, but the timing of its transcriptional regulation is not well-understood. Here we used the cichlid feeding apparatus to examine the transcriptional dynamics of skeletal plasticity over time. Using three closely related species that vary in their ability to remodel bone and a panel of 11 genes, including well studied skeletal differentiation markers and newly characterized environmentally sensitive genes, we examined plasticity at 1, 2, 4 and 8 weeks following the onset of alternate foraging challenges. We found that the plastic species exhibited environment-specific bursts in gene expression at 1 week, followed by a sharp decline in levels, while the species with more limited plasticity exhibited consistently low levels of gene expression. This trend held across nearly all genes, suggesting that it is a hallmark of the larger plasticity regulatory network. We conclude that plasticity of the cichlid feeding apparatus is not the result of slowly accumulating gene expression difference over time, but rather is stimulated by early bursts of environment-specific gene expression followed by a return to homeostatic levels.