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opennotspecifiedOct 2021View details →

Figure 2 in Terrestrial invertebrates surviving San Ambrosio island's ecological catastrophe reinforce biogeographic affinities between the Juan Fernández and Desventuradas Islands

Figure 2. Deforestation of the Thamnoseris lacerata forest. (a) Historical picture taken around 1980 showing the extent of the T. lacerata forest on San Ambrosio. Photo credit: "Isla San Ambrosio, 1980" In: Chile a color, Geografía. Colección Biblioteca Antártica, Vol. I. pag. 437. Direction and production: Isabel Margarita Aguirre and other authors. Editorial Antártica 1983, Santiago de Chile. (b) Picture taken in September 2018, showing the same approximate location of a deforested landscape on San Ambrosio. Photo credit: Lukas Mekis / Island Conservation.

Exceptionally high apparent adult survival in three tropical species of plovers in Madagascar

Adult survival is a key component of population dynamics and understanding variation in and the drivers of adult survival rates and longevity is critical for ecological and evolutionary studies, as well as for conservation biology and practice. Tropical species of landbirds are often selected to have higher adult survival due to high nest predation rates, but it is unclear if the same patterns occur in other avian lineages with different life history strategies. Here, we investigate adult survival of three sympatrically breeding species of shorebirds in south-west Madagascar: the endemic and endangered Madagascar Plover Charadrius thoracicus, and two more widely distributed African species: the White-fronted Plover C. marginatus and the Kittlitz's Plover C. pecuarius. Using mark-recapture data from 1843 individuals breeding at an intensely monitored saltmarsh over a 13-year period, we estimated annual rates of apparent survival (φ) corrected for encounter probability. Adult apparent survival rates were high for all three species (mean ± SE): Madagascar (φ = 0.899 ± 0.010) and White-fronted Plovers (φ = 0.923 ± 0.008). Kittlitz's Plovers showed a difference between the first (φ1 = 0.719 ± 0.026) and subsequent transitions (φ2+ = 0.892 ± 0.014), suggesting that transient breeders are common in this species. For birds first captured as adults, these survival estimates translate to life-expectancies of 9.72 (± 1.11) years in Kittlitz's plovers, 9.36 (± 0.98) years in Madagascar Plovers and 12.48 (± 1.32) in White-fronted Plovers. We hypothesise that long lifespan could be an adaptation arising from the unique climatic pressures on the island of Madagascar that would otherwise lead to reduced fitness. However, long lifespans may not sufficiently compensate for a reduction in breeding opportunities due to possible climatic disruption in the future. Consequently, at least two of these plover species seem vulnerable to ongoing habitat destruction and changing climate cycles.

Survival and density of New England cottontail and Eastern cottontail

Habitat quality regulates fitness and population density, making it a key driver of population size. Hence, increasing habitat quality is often a primary goal of species conservation. Yet assessments of fitness and density are difficult and costly to obtain. Therefore, species conservation often uses "best available science", extending inferences across taxa, space or time, and inferring habitat quality from studies of habitat selection. However, there are scenarios where habitat selection is not reflective of habitat quality, and this can lead to maladaptive management strategies. The New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis) is an imperiled shrubland obligate lagomorph whose successful recovery hinges on creation of suitable habitat. Recovery of this species is also negatively impacted by the non-native eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus), which can competitively exclude New England cottontails from preferred habitat. Herein we evaluate habitat quality for adult and juvenile New England and eastern cottontails using survival and density as indicators. Our findings did not support selection following an ideal free distribution by New England cottontails. Instead selected resources, which are a target of habitat management, were associated with low survival and density and pointed to a complex tradeoff between density, survival, habitat, and the presence of eastern cottontails. Further, movement distance was inversely correlated with survival in both species, suggesting that habitat fragmentation limits the ability of cottontails to freely distribute based on habitat quality. While habitat did not directly regulate survival of juvenile cottontails, tick burden had a strong negative impact on juvenile cottontails in poor body condition. Given the complex interactions among New England cottontails, eastern cottontails, and habitat, directly assessing and accounting for factors that limit New England cottontail habitat quality in management plans is vital to their recovery. Our study demonstrates an example of management for possible ecological trap conditions via the application of incomplete knowledge.

opennotspecifiedAug 2011View details →

Distribution. Balabac, Ramos, and Bugsuk Is, Palawan region, Phillipines. In the late 1990s, a small stock of eight Balabac Chevrotains escaped from their enclosures on Calauit Island, a small island off the coast of Busuanga Island, north of Palawan, where the species had been maintained and bred since 1982. These animals were reported to have increased to at least 21 free-living individuals by 2006. Apparently the species was also introduced to the larger island of Palawan. No recent records confirm that it is still extant there, although unconfirmed reports suggest that it may survive in southern Palawan. in Tragulidae

Distribution. Balabac, Ramos, and Bugsuk Is, Palawan region, Phillipines. In the late 1990s, a small stock of eight Balabac Chevrotains escaped from their enclosures on Calauit Island, a small island off the coast of Busuanga Island, north of Palawan, where the species had been maintained and bred since 1982. These animals were reported to have increased to at least 21 free-living individuals by 2006. Apparently the species was also introduced to the larger island of Palawan. No recent records confirm that it is still extant there, although unconfirmed reports suggest that it may survive in southern Palawan.

opennotspecifiedAug 2011View details →

Distribution. Sulawesi and adjacent Is (Buton, Kabaena, Muna, Peleng, Lembeh, and on some of the Togian Is); thought to be extinct on Selayar I. Pigs have been widely domesticated through the Indonesian archipelago and beyond. This primarily involved the Eurasian Wild Pig (S. scrofa), but also S. celebensis, the only other species of pig successfully domesticated. Mitochondrial DNA studies of the dispersion of these domesticated forms agree on three major dispersal events, two involving S. scrofa and one S. celebensis. Evidence supports an early human-mediated translocation of S. celebensis to Flores and Timor and two later, separate human-mediated dispersals of domestic pig through islands of SE Asia into Oceania. In addition to Flores and Timor, S. celebensis is also thought to occur in its domesticated form on Halmahera, Lendu, Roti, and Savur Is, and even on Simeulue and Nias Is to the W of Sumatra and far from its island of origin, Sulawesi. In the Moluccas, and possibly elsewhere in this region, introduced S. celebensis are thought to have hybridized with other introduced pigs of S. scrofa derivation, and apparent hybrids between these species are now reported to survive on a number of islands, including Salawatti, Great Kei, Dobu, Seram, Ambon, Bacan, Ternate, Morotai, and New Guinea. It is also reported that in the 19" century the sows of domestic pigs in Sulawesi frequently mated with wild animals, after which they returned to their villages. in Suidae

Distribution. Sulawesi and adjacent Is (Buton, Kabaena, Muna, Peleng, Lembeh, and on some of the Togian Is); thought to be extinct on Selayar I. Pigs have been widely domesticated through the Indonesian archipelago and beyond. This primarily involved the Eurasian Wild Pig (S. scrofa), but also S. celebensis, the only other species of pig successfully domesticated. Mitochondrial DNA studies of the dispersion of these domesticated forms agree on three major dispersal events, two involving S. scrofa and one S. celebensis. Evidence supports an early human-mediated translocation of S. celebensis to Flores and Timor and two later, separate human-mediated dispersals of domestic pig through islands of SE Asia into Oceania. In addition to Flores and Timor, S. celebensis is also thought to occur in its domesticated form on Halmahera, Lendu, Roti, and Savur Is, and even on Simeulue and Nias Is to the W of Sumatra and far from its island of origin, Sulawesi. In the Moluccas, and possibly elsewhere in this region, introduced S. celebensis are thought to have hybridized with other introduced pigs of S. scrofa derivation, and apparent hybrids between these species are now reported to survive on a number of islands, including Salawatti, Great Kei, Dobu, Seram, Ambon, Bacan, Ternate, Morotai, and New Guinea. It is also reported that in the 19" century the sows of domestic pigs in Sulawesi frequently mated with wild animals, after which they returned to their villages.

Data from: Topography in tropical forests enhances growth and survival differences within and among species via water availability and biotic interactions

Topography is associated with variation in soil water, biogeochemical properties and climate, which drive diversity by filtering species and promoting niche differences. However, the potential for topography to promote fitness differences and diversity among tree species and populations remains poorly tested in tropical rainforests, especially at small spatial scales in everwet climates. We reciprocally transplanted tree seedlings between ridge and riparian sites and manipulated neighbour abundance and water availability to assess growth and survival differences both among species and between populations within species in response to changes in biotic interactions and soil water gradients associated with topographic heterogeneity. Seedling growth rates were higher on the ridge, but probability of survival was lower on the ridge than the riparian site. Topography also altered growth and survival responses to water availability such that seedlings in the inundated soils in the riparian site had the lowest growth and survival but increased rapidly with moderate soil drying. By contrast, growth and survival on the ridge were generally unresponsive to drying, although severe drought on the ridge reinforced differences among species in growth rates and probability of survival. The patterns of growth and survival within species did not provide evidence of local adaptation between seedlings from lowland and upslope origins. However, within species, topographic seed-origin determined the response of seedling growth and survival to increasing neighbour abundance, indicative of divergent selective pressures between individuals growing in different topographic environments. Combined, these results suggest that topographic heterogeneity promotes tropical forest diversity both at the species level via environmental filtering due to water availability and at the population level via functional responses to the density of neighbouring vegetation.

opencc-by-4.0Nov 2021View details →

Effectiveness of Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (CoronaVac) on Survival at Intensive Care Unit: A Cross-sectional Study

Background: This study compared the course of COVID-19 in vaccinated and unvaccinated patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) and evaluated the effect of vaccination with CoronaVac on admission to ICU. Methods: Patients admitted to ICU due to COVID-19 between 1 April 2021 and 15 May 2021 were enrolled to the study. Clinical, laboratory, radiological parameters, hospital and intensive care unit mortality were compared between vaccinated patients and eligible but unvaccinated patients. Patients over 65 years old were the target population of the study due to the national vaccination schedule. Results: Data from 90 patients were evaluated. Of these, 36 (40.0%) were vaccinated. All patients had the CoronaVac vaccine. Lactate dehydrogenase and ferritin levels were higher in unvaccinated group than vaccinated group (p=0.021 and 0.008, respectively). SpO2 from the first arterial blood gas at ICU was 83.71±19.50 % in vaccinated, 92.36±6.59 % in unvaccinated patients (p=0.003). Length of ICU and hospital stay were not different (p=0.204, 0.092, respectively).  ICU and hospital mortality were similar between groups (p=0.11 and 0.70, respectively). Conclusions: CoronaVac vaccine had no effect on survival from COVID-19. CoronaVac’s protective effect, especially on new genetic variants, should be investigated further.

Data from: Season rather than habitat affects lynx survival and risk of mortality in the human-dominated landscape of southern Sweden

Landscapes are mosaics of habitat associated with different risks and resources, including human activities, which can affect individual survival in wildlife. Different relationships between habitat characteristics and human-caused and natural mortality can result in attractive sinks. We used individual-based data from 97 Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) monitored for 160 exposure years to link adult survival and the risk of mortality to home range habitat characteristics in the human-dominated landscape of southern Sweden. Human-caused mortality dominated mortality causes (24 out of 37 deaths). We did not detect any strong effects of habitat characteristics explaining the variation in mortality risk in lynx. Although the density of roe deer affects several aspects of lynx ecology, we could not detect any effects of roe deer density on lynx survival, probably because roe deer density was sufficiently high in our study area. Instead, there was a high seasonal variation in mortality lynx. Mortality was highest during the hunting season for lynx (February 16 – March 31), as well as during autumn and winter, probably because lynx poaching occurred opportunistically during the hunting season for moose and roe deer. We did not find any indication that human activity created attractive sinks for lynx, since there was no contrasting pattern between human-caused and natural mortality in terms of habitat characteristics. One explanation for the limited influence of the home range characteristics may be that lynx in our study died from multiple causes (natural causes 35%, legal hunting 27 %, poaching 22 % and vehicle collisions 16 %). Therefore, it is less likely that one or a few habitat characteristics could explain the risk of mortality at the home range scale. There is strong evidence that lynx can coexist with humans in multi-use and human-dominated landscapes, even without large protected areas, if the management regimes are favourable.

opencc-by-4.0Dec 2021View details →

GNOSIS: an R Shiny app supporting cancer genomics survival analysis with cBioPortal

GNOSIS Instructional videos.

opencc-by-4.0Dec 2020View details →

Ecological interactions in breast cancer: Cell facilitation promotes growth and survival under drug pressure

Spheroids of different composition (100% sensitive, 50% sensitive – 50% resistant, 100% resistant) were initiated from Venus-labeled CAMA-1 and mCherry-labeled CAMA-1_ribociclib_resistant cells and were subjected to 1 uM ribociclib treatment. After 11 days, speroids were harvested, washed and cell suspensions were viably frozen for single cell RNA-seq analysis.

opencc-by-4.0Dec 2021View details →

K-Nearest-Neighbor algorithm to predict the survival time and classification of various stages of Oral Cancer: A machine learning approach

This project predicts the survival time of a cancer patient in terms of the number of days and also classifies the dataset into various stages of cancer This is executed on the SPYDER platform using Python 3.7 on Anaconda Navigator. The dataset includes the oral cancer patient's record of 4 countries

opencc-zeroJan 2022View details →

Risky movements? Natal dispersal does not decrease survival of a large herbivore

Natal dispersal is assumed to be a particularly risky movement behavior as individuals transfer, often long distances, from birth site to site of potential first reproduction. Though, because this behavior persists in populations, it is assumed that dispersal increases the fitness of individuals despite the potential for increased risk of mortality. The extent of dispersal risk, however, has rarely been tested, especially for large mammals. Therefore, we aimed to test the relationship between dispersal and survival for both males and females in a large herbivore. Using a radio-transmittered sample of 398 juvenile male and 277 juvenile female white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), we compared survival rates of dispersers and non-dispersers. We predicted that dispersing deer would experience greater overall mortality than philopatric deer due to direct transfer-related risks (e.g., vehicular collision), indirect immigration-related mortality attributable to colonization of unfamiliar habitat, and increased over-winter mortality associated with energetic costs of movement and unfamiliarity with recently colonized habitat. For both male and female yearlings, survival rates of dispersers (male = 49.9%, female = 64.0%) did not differ from non-dispersers (male = 51.6%, female = 70.7%). Only two individuals (both female) were killed by vehicular collision during transfer, and over-winter survival patterns were similar between the two groups. Although dispersal movement likely incurs energetic costs on dispersers, these costs do not necessarily translate to decreased survival. In many species, including white-tailed deer, dispersal is likely condition-dependent, such that larger and healthier individuals are more likely to disperse; therefore, costs associated with dispersal are more likely to be borne successfully by those individuals that do disperse. Whether low-risk dispersal of large mammals is the rule or the exception will require additional research. Further, future research is needed to evaluate non-survival fitness-related costs and benefits of dispersal (e.g., increased reproductive opportunities for dispersers).

opencc-zeroJan 2022View details →

Tropical forest restoration in the Eastern Himalaya: Evaluating early survival and growth of native tree species

Asian tropical forests have among the highest rates of forest loss in the world. Ecological restoration is a vital step for biodiversity maintenance and climate change mitigation. For restoration practice, evaluation of species performance at early stages is crucial to avoid failure of the efforts and for screening species suitable to a region. Though the long-term performance of restoration plantings has been well-documented, few studies have evaluated the performance during the establishment of the planted saplings, especially in South and Southeast Asia. Restoration efforts in Northeast India, a region experiencing high forest loss, is limited by the lack of species-specific data on survival and growth. We compared inter-specific variation in seasonal survival and growth rates (diameter and height) for multiple native rainforest species from this region. We planted 3022 saplings of 50 species at a degraded open forest site. After 18 months, sapling survival varied between 9.1–94.3% for 32 species, and only six species showed "excellent" survival after 18 months. Eight out of 17 species that were tested for seasonal variation in survival showed significant differences in survival between seasons. While the diameter growth rate varied for species between seasons, the height growth rate was different between both species and season, but the interaction term between species and season was not significant. Certain animal-dispersed, medium to large-seeded primary forest species performed well and are vital for future restoration efforts in this region.

opencc-zeroFeb 2022View details →

Tree_seedling_survival_growth_leaf_traits_in_disturbed_conditions

1. Restoration of tropical montane cloud forest landscapes is urgently required. Assisting the regeneration of endangered and shade tolerant tree species is essential for both the recovery of this vulnerable group and of ecological processes. However, there is limited species-specific information regarding tree performance under different disturbance conditions with which to implement effective interventions. 2. We assessed the performance of shade tolerant tree seedlings in restoration plantings under different disturbance settings and determined whether leaf mass area (LMA) and leaf dry mass content (LDMC) – functional traits typically associated with resource capture or stress tolerance – could serve as predictors of survival and growth among species. Since conservative leaf morphological traits can maximize survival, we expected species with higher LMA and LDMC to present higher survival. For a set of eight native cloud forest species, a total of 2202 seedlings were planted in four pastures, five secondary forests and three forests subjected to traditional selective logging, in tropical montane cloud forest landscapes in Eastern Mexico. 3. Seedling survival was high after three years: 62% in pastures, 80% in secondary forests and 88% in logged forests. Growth rates were lowest in pastures, followed by secondary forests and highest in logged forests. LMA was a strong predictor of seedling survival in all of the environments; tree species with higher LMA presented greater survival. LDMC was related to seedling survival in the three environments, although to a lesser extent than LMA. In the pastures, higher LMA and LDMC were linked to lower growth. <a name="_heading=h.30j0zll"></a>4. Synthesis and applications. This study support the potential of shade tolerant tree species in restoration efforts to assist the recovery of this important functional group and to accelerate succession across altered environments. Our results support the notion that conservative leaf functional traits are linked to a higher probability of survival, not only in the shaded understorey, but also under high solar radiation in transformed habitats. Leaf Mass Area (LMA) in particular is a reliable predictor of seedling survival for shade tolerant species. Species selection based on LMA could thus improve restoration initiative outcomes: tree species with high LMA present higher survival probability and can be introduced into pastures, secondary forests and selectively logged forests.

opencc-zeroMar 2022View details →

Coping with seasonality: dynamics of adult body mass and survival in an alpine hibernator

Alpine mammals are highly vulnerable to current and projected climate change because they are confined to a certain elevation range. Physiological and behavioural adaptations in burrowing species, such as finding shelter in burrows when the summer conditions are unfavorable and hibernating in winter during the stressful period of resource shortage, could partly buffer the negative impacts of these forecasted changes. We studied the links between environmental factors and annual variations in adult mass and survival over 14 years in hoary marmots. We hypothesized that annual variation in seasonal environmental factors determines individual mass and survival through direct effects on food quality and availability, expecting greater survival when marmots reach higher mass before hibernation. We found that harsh winters decreased mass at emergence from hibernation by 47% compared with mild winters. Nonetheless, adult marmots had a greater mass gain in summers following harsh winters and reached a similar mass at the end of the summer compared with summers following mild winters. This result suggests individuals can adopt a resource allocation strategy that allows maximizing summer mass gain to survive hibernation. Earlier springs also increased summer mass gain by 15 g/day, and tended to increase apparent adult survival by 23%, compared with late springs. While these findings suggest a warming climate could have positive effects on summer mass gain and survival, survival also tended to decrease by 24% in summers with more precipitation. This result suggests the forecasted changes in precipitation extremes could also trigger considerable negative effects on the demography of burrowing species in the long term. Our study shows that, although burrowing and hibernating behaviours could buffer responses to environmental changes, these behaviours are not an indefectible shield against climate change.

opencc-zeroMar 2022View details →

Supplementary material 1 from: Di Lorenzo T, Di Marzio W, Piccini L, Messana G, Sáenz M, Galassi D (2018) Survival, metabolic rates and locomotory activities of a groundwater-obligate copepod species under long-term exposures to tetrachloroethylene. ARPHA Conference Abstracts 1: e29966. https://doi.org/10.3897/aca.1.e29966

Survival, metabolic rates and locomotory activities of a groundwater-obligate copepod species under long-term exposures to tetrachloroethylene

opencc-zeroMar 2022View details →

Turgor loss point predicts survival responses to experimental and natural drought in tropical tree seedlings

Identifying key traits that can serve as proxies for species drought resistance is crucial for predicting and mitigating effects of climate change in diverse plant communities. Turgor loss point (πtlp) is a recently emerged trait that has been linked to species distributions across gradients of water availability. However, a direct relationship between πtlp and species ability to survive drought has yet to be established for woody species. Using a manipulative field experiment to quantify species drought resistance (i.e. their survival response to drought), combined with measurements of πtlp for 16 tree species, we show a negative relationship between πtlp and seedling drought resistance. Using long-term forest plot data, we also show that πtlp predicts seedling survival responses to a severe El Niño-related drought, although additional factors are clearly also important. Our study demonstrates that species with lower πtlp exhibit higher survival under both experimental and natural drought. These results provide a missing cornerstone in the assessment of the traits underlying drought resistance in woody species and strengthen πtlp as a proxy for evaluating which species will lose or win under projections of exacerbating drought regimes.

opencc-zeroApr 2022View details →

Wind dispersal and 1-year survival of Vataireopsis iglesiasii (Fabaceae) seedlings in a Neotropical lowland rain forest

Populations of many tropical tree species are regulated by negative distance- and density-dependent processes (NDD), yet most studies on the effects of conspecific seedling and adult neighbours on seedling survival have focused on animal-dispersed species. Species with seeds dispersed by wind may not be moved as far on average as seeds dispersed by animals, but some seeds may be dispersed a lot further, suggesting that knowledge of dispersal mechanism may help in our understanding of NDD. In this study, we took advantage of a high-fecundity reproductive event that occurred for an individual isolated canopy tree of Vataireopsis iglesiasii in a tropical lowland rain forest site in Amazonian Ecuador to document seed dispersal and seedling survival to 1-year post-dispersal. Most seeds did not disperse far: 86% of germinated seedlings were found within 100 m. Mortality was high: only 49 of the 1732 monitored seedlings survived one year and only five survived a further four years. We found a significant negative effect of conspecific seedling density (but no effect of distance from the parent tree) on 1-year survival. Rare long-distance dispersal events may increase the probability of a seed reaching specific habitats, such as high-light patches, and surviving beyond one year, thereby shifting the population recruitment curve outwards away from adult trees and maintaining diversity in species-rich forests.

opencc-zeroApr 2022View details →

Data from: Cascading effects of pre-adult survival on sexual selection

Sexual selection influences broad-scale patterns of biodiversity. While a large body of research has investigated the effect of mate competition on sexual selection, less work has examined how pre-adult life history influences sexual selection. We used a mathematical framework to explore the influence of pre-adult survival on sexual selection. Our model suggests that pre-adult male mortality will affect the strength of sexual selection when a fixed number of adult males have an advantageous mate-acquisition trait. When a fixed number of males have an advantageous mate-acquisition trait, sexual selection is expected to increase when pre-adult mortality is relatively low. In contrast, if a fixed proportion (rather than number) of adult males have a mate-acquisition trait, pre-adult male mortality is not expected to affect the strength of sexual selection. Further, if the advantageous mating trait affects pre-adult survival, natural and sexual selection can interact to influence the overall selection on the mating trait. Given that pre-adult mortality is often shaped by natural selection, our results highlight conditions under which natural selection can have cascading effects on sexual selection.