PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Risk of extinction cascades from freshwater mussels to a bitterling fish

Decline of unionid mussels heightens hybridisation of native and introduced bitterling fish

Risk of extinction cascades from freshwater mussels to a bitterling fish
2021-01-04
(Press-News.org) Bitterling fishes (Subfamily: Acheilognathinae) spawn in the gills of living freshwater mussels obligately depending on the mussels for reproduction. On the Matsuyama Plain, Japan, populations of unionid mussels--Pronodularia japanensis, Nodularia douglasiae, and Sinanodonta lauta--have decreased rapidly over the past 30 years. Simultaneously, the population of a native bitterling fish, Tanakia lanceolata, which depends on the three unionids as a breeding substrate, has decreased. Furthermore, a congeneric bitterling, Tanakia limbata, has been artificially introduced, and hybridisation and genetic introgression occur between them. Here, we surveyed the reproduction and occurrence of hybridisation between native and invasive species of bitterling fishes. We collected mussels in which these bitterlings lay their eggs, kept them separately in aquaria, collected eggs and larvae ejected from the mussels, and genotyped them using six microsatellite markers and mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences. The introduced T. limbata was more abundant, had a longer breeding period, and produced more juveniles than the native T. lanceolata. Hybrids between the two species occurred frequently, and in total 101 of the 837 juveniles genotyped were hybrids. The density of P. japanensis was low, at most 0.42 individuals/m2. Nodularia douglasiae and S. lauta have nearly or totally disappeared from these sites. Hybrid clutches of the Tanakia species occurred more frequently where the local density of P. japanensis was low. The mussels were apparently overused and used simultaneously by three species of bitterlings. The decline of freshwater unionid populations has heightened hybridisation of native and invasive bitterling fishes by increasing the competition for a breeding substrate. We showed that a rapid decline of host mussel species and an introduction of an invasive congener have interacted to cause a rapid decline of native bitterling fish. The degradation of habitat and the introduction of invasive species interact to cause a cascade of extinctions in the native species. In our study, obligate parasite species are threatened because the host species are disappearing, resulting in a serious threat of coextinction.

INFORMATION:


[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Risk of extinction cascades from freshwater mussels to a bitterling fish

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

A polarization-driven guide to making high-performance, versatile solar cells

2021-01-04
Improving solar cell design is integral for improving energy consumption. Scientists have lately focused on making solar cells more efficient, flexible, and portable to enable their integration into everyday applications. Consequently, novel lightweight and flexible thin film solar cells have been developed. It is, however, not easy to combine efficiency with flexibility. For a material (usually a semiconductor) to be efficient, it must have a small "band gap"--the energy required to excite charge carriers for electrical conduction--and should absorb and convert a large portion of the sunlight into electricity. Till date, no such efficient absorber suitable for thin film solar cells has been developed. Typically, charge carriers in a semiconductor are ...

Alpha-ray missile therapy: tumor cells attacked from intracellular region

Alpha-ray missile therapy: tumor cells attacked from intracellular region
2021-01-04
Osaka, Japan - A cancer-specific L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1) is highly expressed in cancer tissues. Inhibiting the function of LAT1 has been known to have anti-tumor effects, but there has been limited progress in the development of radionuclide therapy agents targeting LAT1. Now, a multidisciplinary research team at Osaka University has established a targeted alpha-therapy with a novel drug targeting LAT1. The researchers first produced the alpha-ray emitter 211Astatine, no easy task given that Astatine (At) is the rarest naturally occurring element on Earth. Targeted alpha-therapy selectively delivers α-emitters to tumors; the advantage over conventional β-therapy is that alpha ...

Convex to concave: More metasurface moiré results in wide-range lens

Convex to concave: More metasurface moiré results in wide-range lens
2021-01-04
The odd, wavy pattern that results from viewing certain phone or computer screens through polarized glasses has led researchers to take a step toward thinner, lighter-weight lenses. Called moiré, the pattern is made by laying one material with opaque and translucent parts at an angle over another material of similar contrast. A team of researchers from Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, TUAT, in Japan have demonstrated that moiré metalenses--tiny, patterned lenses composed of artificial "meta" atoms--can tune focal length along a wider range than previously seen. They published their results on November ...

Parents' finances differently affected by having a child diagnosed with cancer

Parents finances differently affected by having a child diagnosed with cancer
2021-01-04
Mothers and fathers of children diagnosed with cancer are affected financially in different ways. While mothers' incomes fall in the short term and then rise, the adverse financial repercussions on fathers occur later. Researchers at Uppsala University have investigated the socioeconomic impact on parents of having a child diagnosed with cancer. The study is published in the International Journal of Cancer. Previous research has shown that when a child falls ill with cancer, the parents are affected financially as well as psychologically. The available literature shows that mothers are more affected than ...

Innovative battery chemistry revolutionizes zinc-air battery

Innovative battery chemistry revolutionizes zinc-air battery
2021-01-04
High-performance, eco-friendly, safe and at the same time cost-effective: the zinc-air battery is an attractive energy storage technology of the future. Until now, the conventional zinc-air battery has struggled with a high chemical instability, parasitic reactions which rooted in the usage of alkaline electrolytes lead to electrochemical irreversibility. Based on an innovative, non-alkaline, aqueous electrolyte, an international research team led by scientist Dr. Wei Sun of MEET Battery Research Center at the University of Muenster has developed a new battery chemistry for the zinc-air battery which overcomes the previous technical obstacles. The scientific team has published the detailed results of their research project, involving ...

Tracking COVID-19 in transmission in Chicago schools: Public health officials take data-driven approach to reopening city public schools

2021-01-04
December 31, 2020 - Data on COVID-19 transmission among Chicago youth - particularly in the city's extensive network of Catholic schools - supports a strategy for gradual reopening of the city's public school system, according to a report in the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer. "Data from the nation's largest Catholic school system reveals that implementation of layered mitigation efforts can support the goal of reopening in-person education in a safe but not zero-risk environment," write Marielle Fricchione, MD, and colleagues of the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH). Based ...

OSU studies find Oregon's Medicaid expansion improved prenatal care access, birth outcomes

2021-01-04
CORVALLIS, Ore. -- A pair of recent studies from Oregon State University found that Oregon's Medicaid expansion in 2014 has led to increased prenatal care among low-income women, as well as improved health outcomes for newborn babies. In the three years after the expansion, one study found that Oregon saw an almost 2 percentage point increase in first trimester prenatal care utilization, relative to 18% of the pre-expansion population who lacked any access to prenatal care in the earlier stages of pregnancy. In the same period, the second study found, Medicaid expansion was associated with a 29% reduction in low birthweight among babies born to women on Medicaid, ...

Charging ahead for electric vehicles

2021-01-04
By applying statistical geometry to analyzing urban road networks, KAUST researchers have advanced understanding of how wireless charging roads might influence driver behavior and city planning in a future where electric vehicles (EVs) dominate the car market. "Our work is motivated by the global trend of moving towards green transportation and EVs," says postdoc Mustafa Kishk. "Efficient dynamic charging systems, such as wireless power transfer systems installed under roads, are being developed by researchers and technology companies around the world as a way to charge EVs while driving without the need ...

Frequent travel could make you 7% happier

2021-01-04
VANCOUVER, Wash. --People dreaming of travel post-COVID-19 now have some scientific data to support their wanderlust. A new study in the journal of Tourism Analysis shows frequent travelers are happier with their lives than people who don't travel at all. Chun-Chu (Bamboo) Chen, an assistant professor in the School of Hospitality Business Management at Washington State University, conducted a survey to find out why some individuals travel more frequently than others and whether or not travel and tourism experiences have a prolonged effect on happiness and wellness. The results of his analysis show individuals who pay more attention to tourism-related information and frequently discuss their travel plans ...

Results of comprehensive SARS-CoV-2 animal model study published in Nature Microbiology

2021-01-04
San Antonio, Texas (January 4, 2020) - Scientists at Texas Biomedical Research Institute (Texas Biomed) and Southwest National Primate Research Center (SNPRC) published their findings regarding a comprehensive animal model study of SARS-CoV-2 in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Microbiology. These findings were originally posted online in BioRxiv in June of 2020. The study evaluated three nonhuman primate (NHP) species (Indian rhesus macaques, African baboons and new-world origin common marmosets) and young and old animals, to determine susceptibility to the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the development of COVID-19 disease. Over the course of the study, the macaque and baboon ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Are lifetimes of big appliances really shrinking?

Pink skies

Monkeys are world’s best yodellers - new research

Key differences between visual- and memory-led Alzheimer’s discovered

% weight loss targets in obesity management – is this the wrong objective?

An app can change how you see yourself at work

NYC speed cameras take six months to change driver behavior, effects vary by neighborhood, new study reveals

New research shows that propaganda is on the rise in China

Even the richest Americans face shorter lifespans than their European counterparts, study finds

Novel genes linked to rare childhood diarrhea

New computer model reveals how Bronze Age Scandinavians could have crossed the sea

Novel point-of-care technology delivers accurate HIV results in minutes

Researchers reveal key brain differences to explain why Ritalin helps improve focus in some more than others

Study finds nearly five-fold increase in hospitalizations for common cause of stroke

Study reveals how alcohol abuse damages cognition

Medicinal cannabis is linked to long-term benefits in health-related quality of life

Microplastics detected in cat placentas and fetuses during early pregnancy

Ancient amphibians as big as alligators died in mass mortality event in Triassic Wyoming

Scientists uncover the first clear evidence of air sacs in the fossilized bones of alvarezsaurian dinosaurs: the "hollow bones" which help modern day birds to fly

Alcohol makes male flies sexy

TB patients globally often incur "catastrophic costs" of up to $11,329 USD, despite many countries offering free treatment, with predominant drivers of cost being hospitalization and loss of income

Study links teen girls’ screen time to sleep disruptions and depression

Scientists unveil starfish-inspired wearable tech for heart monitoring

Footprints reveal prehistoric Scottish lagoons were stomping grounds for giant Jurassic dinosaurs

AI effectively predicts dementia risk in American Indian/Alaska Native elders

First guideline on newborn screening for cystic fibrosis calls for changes in practice to improve outcomes

Existing international law can help secure peace and security in outer space, study shows

Pinning down the process of West Nile virus transmission

UTA-backed research tackles health challenges across ages

In pancreatic cancer, a race against time

[Press-News.org] Risk of extinction cascades from freshwater mussels to a bitterling fish
Decline of unionid mussels heightens hybridisation of native and introduced bitterling fish