Description: ABSTRACT The zebra mussel ( Dreissena polymorpha ) and quagga mussel ( Dreissena rostriformis bugensis ) are two closely related invasive species. They usually occupy different habitats (e.g. shallow versus deep water) at a local scale, while occurring in the same broad regions at a large scale. The present study assesses the extent to which the habitat partitioning observed at local scales extends to niche partitioning at the global scale. Species distribution models (SDMs, using MaxEnt) were used to model the potential distributions of both species based on a set of environmental and dispersal related predictors. According to environmental SDMs calibrated with bioclimatic, geographic and geological factors, only 75% of the predicted quagga mussel distribution overlaps with the distribution of zebra mussel, demonstrating that the niches of the two species are moderately different at a global scale. Quagga mussels were found to occur at higher average temperature and lower average precipitation, leading to the prediction that their niche includes Mediterranean and arid regions such as California and southern Spain, two areas currently unaffected by zebra mussel. A second set of SDMs illustrated a notable influence of dispersal-related factors (e.g. human population density, closeness to commercial ports and reservoirs), on quagga mussel distribution. These models suggest that the distribution of quagga mussel is more constrained by dispersal-related factors than is the distribution of zebra mussel. Evidence suggests that economic and environmental impacts can differ between the two species; joint accurate predictions may therefore prove important for targeting precautionary management plans at the right species. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Description: Protected areas (PAs) are intended to provide native biodiversity and habitats with a refuge against the impacts of global change, particularly acting as natural filters against biological invasions. In practice, however, it is unknown how effective PAs will be in shielding native species from invasions under projected climate change. Here, we investigate the current and future potential distributions of 100 of the most invasive terrestrial, freshwater, and marine species in Europe. We use this information to evaluate the combined threat posed by climate change and invasions to existing PAs and the most susceptible species they shelter. We found that only a quarter of Europe's marine and terrestrial areas protected over the last 100 years have been colonized by any of the invaders investigated, despite offering climatically suitable conditions for invasion. In addition, hotspots of invasive species and the most susceptible native species to their establishment do not match at large continental scales. Furthermore, the predicted richness of invaders is 11%–18% significantly lower inside PAs than outside them. Invasive species are rare in long-established national parks and nature reserves, which are actively protected and often located in remote and pristine regions with very low human density. In contrast, the richness of invasive species is high in the more recently designated Natura 2000 sites, which are subject to high human accessibility. This situation may change in the future, since our models anticipate important shifts in species ranges toward the north and east of Europe at unprecedented rates of 14–55 km/decade, depending on taxonomic group and scenario. This may seriously compromise the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services. This study is the first comprehensive assessment of the resistance that PAs provide against biological invasions and climate change on a continental scale and illustrates their strategic value in safeguarding native biodiversity. Protected areas are championed as refugia for native biodiversity and habitats, but we do not know how effective they are in shielding native taxa from biological invasions under projected climate change. Here, we found that only a quarter of Europe's marine and terrestrial areas protected over the last 100 years have been colonized by 100 of the worst terrestrial, freshwater, and marine invaders, with long-established areas showing the lowest richness of invaders (A). This situation may change in the future, as models anticipate a shift in species distribution toward the north and east of Europe in response to climate change (B).

Description: Transcriptome Analysis in Spleen Reveals Differential Regulation of Response to Newcastle Disease Virus in Two Chicken Lines Transcriptome Analysis in Spleen Reveals Differential Regulation of Response to Newcastle Disease Virus in Two Chicken Lines, Published online: 19 January 2018; doi:10.1038/s41598-018-19754-8 Transcriptome Analysis in Spleen Reveals Differential Regulation of Response to Newcastle Disease Virus in Two Chicken Lines

Description: Water temperature is known to influence individual animal metabolism, development, and reproduction. However, in situ studies aiming to demonstrate the link between water temperature and community structure in complex ecosystems such as large river floodplains are still rare. In particular, we have little indication about how an increase in temperature affects the density of native and invasive species within a community. Large river floodplains cover a varied range of environmental conditions, are rich in species, and therefore potentially useful ecosystems to study the effect of water temperature at the community level. Moreover, as freshwater communities are increasingly impacted by global warming and biological invasions, an improved understanding of the possible interaction between these drivers would be beneficial. First, we studied during two years the thermal heterogeneity of 36 sites in a large river (Rhone) floodplain. Second, we compared the thermal regimes of sites having different levels of hydrological connectivity with the main river channel. Third, we studied the combined and separated effects of the thermal regime and the hydrological connectivity on the presence and densities of native and non-native species of macroinvertebrates. The studied large river floodplain covered a wide range of thermal regimes, with some sites displaying a yearlong constant temperature of about 10°C, whereas others experienced thermal amplitude of over 25°C. The thermal regime was independent of the level of hydrological connectivity of the sites. The increase in hydrological connectivity had a significant and positive effect on the richness of non-native species within sites. The thermal regime had a positive influence on the density of non-native species but no effect on the total density of native taxa within communities. This study showed that large river floodplains possess a wide range of thermal conditions and that the increase in water temperature can have a positive influence on the presence of non-native populations of macroinvertebrates. This study provides a first set of empirical results to establish models predicting the effect of increasing temperatures on the establishment of non-native and native species in a complex ecosystem and underline the problem of biological invasions under climate change.