Search results for "Future studies"
showing 10 items of 115 documents
A roadmap for understanding the evolutionary significance of structural genomic variation
2020
Author's accepted manuscript Structural genomic variants (SVs) take diverse forms and are ubiquitous drivers of ecological and evolutionary processes. Most studies of SVs focus on the adaptive significance of gene duplications and large inversions. Future studies should catalog SVs of all types and sizes and systematically test their evolutionary implications. We propose a roadmap and definitions for the study of SVs in ecological and evolutionary genomics. Best practices for SV detection are needed to facilitate comparisons across studies. Integrating population genomic, theoretical, and experimental approaches to SVs will more comprehensively characterize genomic variation, uncover the ad…
Thermal variability during ectotherm egg incubation: A synthesis and framework.
2020
Natural populations of ectothermic oviparous vertebrates typically experience thermal variability in their incubation environment. Yet an overwhelming number of laboratory studies incubate animals under constant thermal conditions that cannot capture natural thermal variability. Here, we systematically searched for studies that incubated eggs of ectothermic vertebrates, including both fishes and herpetofauna, under thermally variable regimes. We ultimately developed a compendium of 66 studies that used thermally variable conditions for egg incubation. In this review, we qualitatively discuss key findings from literature in the compendium, including the phenotypic effects resulting from diff…
Fundamental questions and applications of sclerochronology: Community-defined research priorities
2020
WOS:000582677500029; International audience; Horizon scanning is an increasingly common strategy to identify key research needs and frame future agendas in science. Here, we present the results of the first such exercise for the field of sclerochronology, thereby providing an overview of persistent and emergent research questions that should be addressed by future studies. Through online correspondence following the 5th International Sclerochronology Conference in 2019, participants submitted and rated questions that addressed either knowledge gaps or promising applications of sclerochronology. An initial list of 130 questions was compiled based on contributions of conference attendees and …
Host manipulation in the face of environmental changes: Ecological consequences
2015
Several parasite species, particularly those having complex life-cycles, are known to induce phenotypic alterations in their hosts. Most often, such alterations appear to increase the fitness of the parasites at the expense of that of their hosts, a phenomenon known as “host manipulation”. Host manipulation can have important consequences, ranging from host population dynamics to ecosystem engineering. So far, the importance of environmental changes for host manipulation has received little attention. However, because manipulative parasites are embedded in complex systems, with many interacting components, changes in the environment are likely to affect those systems in various ways. Here, …
Dental wear proxy correlation in a long-term feeding experiment on sheep ( Ovis aries )
2021
Dietary reconstruction in vertebrates often relies on dental wear-based proxies. Although these proxies are widely applied, the contributions of physical and mechanical processes leading to meso- and microwear are still unclear. We tested their correlation using sheep ( Ovis aries , n = 39) fed diets of varying abrasiveness for 17 months as a model. Volumetric crown tissue loss, mesowear change and dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA) were all applied to the same teeth. We hereby correlate: (i) 46 DMTA parameters with each other, for the maxillary molars (M1, M2, M3), and the second mandibular molar (m2); (ii) 10 mesowear variables to each other and to DMTA for M1, M2, M3 and m2; and (…
Weak effects of geolocators on small birds: A meta-analysis controlled for phylogeny and publication bias
2020
Abstract Currently, the deployment of tracking devices is one of the most frequently used approaches to study movement ecology of birds. Recent miniaturization of light‐level geolocators enabled studying small bird species whose migratory patterns were widely unknown. However, geolocators may reduce vital rates in tagged birds and may bias obtained movement data. There is a need for a thorough assessment of the potential tag effects on small birds, as previous meta‐analyses did not evaluate unpublished data and impact of multiple life‐history traits, focused mainly on large species and the number of published studies tagging small birds has increased substantially. We quantitatively reviewe…
Esophageal Atresia with or without Tracheoesophageal Fistula (EA/TEF): Association of Different EA/TEF Subtypes with Specific Co-occurring Congenital…
2017
Background Esophageal atresia with or without tracheoesophageal fistula (EA/TEF) represents the most common developmental malformation of the upper digestive tract. It is classified into six subtypes according to the classification of Vogt, depending on anatomical variation of this malformation. Around 50% of the patients with EA/TEF present additional anomalies, which often influence, next to the EA/TEF subtype, the overall prognosis of EA/TEF newborns. Here, we investigated the association of the different EA/TEF subtypes with co-occurring congenital anomalies in EA/TEF patients and demonstrate their implications for postnatal diagnostic workup. Materials and Methods We investigated 333 …
Peculiarities of studying the effects of pathogen reduction technologies on platelets.
2016
The transfusion of platelet concentrates (PCs) is mainly used for treatment of thrombocytopenic, trauma or surgery patients. The integrity and safety of these platelet preparations, however, is compromised by the presence of pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria and parasites. The transfer of allogeneic donor leukocytes contaminating PCs can also potentially cause adverse reactions in recipients. These considerations prompted the development and implementation of pathogen reduction technologies (PRT), which are based on chemically induced cross-linking and inactivation of nucleic acids. While the incumbent PRT may provide some protection against transfusion-transmitted infections, they are i…
Diversity of extracellular vesicles from different developmental stages of Fasciola hepatica
2020
The secretion of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in Fasciola hepatica adult worms was described by our group in 2012. Since then, EVs have been found in other helminths, thus providing a new paradigm for the complete understanding of host-parasite communication. However, information was lacking regarding the possible existence and role of EVs from other developmental stages of the parasite. In this study, we confirm the secretion of EVs by F. hepatica eggs and juvenile forms. EVs were isolated by size exclusion chromatography and characterised by nanoparticle tracking analysis and electron microscopy. We observed a large diversity in the morphologies of these EVs, suggesting specific functions…
Detection of Missing Proteins Using the PRIDE Database as a Source of Mass Spectrometry Evidence
2016
The current catalogue of the human proteome is not yet complete, as experimental proteomics evidence is still elusive for a group of proteins known as the missing proteins. The Human Proteome Project (HPP) has been successfully using technology and bioinformatic resources to improve the characterization of such challenging proteins. In this manuscript, we propose a pipeline starting with the mining of the PRIDE database to select a group of data sets potentially enriched in missing proteins that are subsequently analyzed for protein identification with a method based on the statistical analysis of proteotypic peptides. Spermatozoa and the HEK293 cell line were found to be a promising source…