Czechia

Functional trade-offs impose important constraints on the biomechanics of musculo-skeletal systems. In songbirds, for example, a force-velocity trade-off has been described in singing, showing that hard-biting birds sing at lower syllable rates. However, we do not yet know whether and how this also affects their feeding kinematics. Many songbirds are granivorous, i.e., rely on seeds as their major food source. Thus, we analysed seed processing in two granivorous species, canaries (bite force ≈3 N) and Java finches (bite force ≈10 N), using X-ray Reconstruction of Moving Morphology (XROMM). We show that canaries move their beaks at a ≈23% higher angular velocity and at a ≈31% higher frequency compared to Java finches. Furthermore, canaries use a wider range of motion in both the upper and lower beak during seed processing. Last, we show that these differences in beak biomechanics are also associated with differences in seed processing strategies in the tested species: Java finches crack the seeds more easily than canaries, but they often crush the inner kernel and consequently drop parts of it. Canaries, however, are able to remove the shell without crushing the seed and swallow the kernel in whole. This suggests that a force-accuracy trade-off might be at play in the beak&#39;s fine motor control. Our results indicate that a combination of trade-offs (force-velocity, force-frequency, and force-accuracy) has an impact on the feeding biomechanics of granivorous songbirds and hence may play an important role in the adaptation to specific seed types.

SEB Conference Prague 2024

Biting fast or biting hard? Comparative XROMM analysis reveals functional trade-offs in beak movements of feeding songbirds.

beak

xromm

bird

trade-off

feeding

Functional trade-offs impose important constraints on the biomechanics of musculo-skeletal systems. In songbirds, for example, a force-velocity trade-off has been described in singing, showing that hard-biting birds sing at lower syllable rates. However, we do not yet know whether and how this also affects their feeding kinematics. Many songbirds are granivorous, i.e., rely on seeds as their major food source. Thus, we analysed seed processing in two granivorous species, canaries (bite force ≈3 N) and Java finches (bite force ≈10 N), using X-ray Reconstruction of Moving Morphology (XROMM). We show that canaries move their beaks at a ≈23% higher angular velocity and at a ≈31% higher frequency compared to Java finches. Furthermore, canaries use a wider range of motion in both the upper and lower beak during seed processing. Last, we show that these differences in beak biomechanics are also associated with differences in seed processing strategies in the tested species: Java finches crack the seeds more easily than canaries, but they often crush the inner kernel and consequently drop parts of it. Canaries, however, are able to remove the shell without crushing the seed and swallow the kernel in whole. This suggests that a force-accuracy trade-off might be at play in the beak's fine motor control. Our results indicate that a combination of trade-offs (force-velocity, force-frequency, and force-accuracy) has an impact on the feeding biomechanics of granivorous songbirds and hence may play an important role in the adaptation to specific seed types.

technical paper

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SEB’s Annual Conference is celebrated for creating the perfect composition of research, new discoveries and collaborative connections. Be creative and innovative by exchanging ideas and knowledge with masters of biology from all over the world.

The arrival of next-generation nucleotide sequencing techniques more than a decade ago promised transformative change in comparative physiology by providing unprecedented insights into animal function. Sequenced, and well-annotated genomes have enabled physiologists to identify candidate genes and proteins involved in physiological adaptations through genome-wide associated studies, targeted and non-targeted transcriptomics, proteomics, and other ‘omics’ approaches. I will share how our work utilizing the genome of the extremely anoxia-tolerant Western painted turtle has elucidated the mechanisms underlying the adaptations of heart and brain to cold temperatures and anoxia and the interactive effects of development. I will also share some of the shortcomings of these approaches that we have discovered, and how their insight into the physiological function of turtles has been limited.

How 'omics' does and does not help us understand the mechanisms of anoxia tolerance in turtles

The impacts of warming and hypoxia on aerobic metabolism and respiratory capacity are thought to mediate the susceptibility of marine organisms to these stressors and broadly shape marine biogeographic distributions. However, how evolutionary adaptation and physiological trade-offs affect these traits under multiple stressor conditions remains unclear. Using intertidal sculpins (Actinopterygii: Cottidae), we studied how adaptation to the temperature- and oxygen-variable intertidal has shaped the temperature sensitivity of hypoxic respiratory capacity. Based on the acute temperature sensitivity of the critical oxygen tension for standard metabolic rate (Pcrit), we found that tidepool-specializing species maintain greater capacity for oxygen uptake (i.e., lower Pcrit) in warm, hypoxic water compared to subtidal species. To determine whether improved respiratory capacity in hot, hypoxic water comes with an osmoregulatory performance penalty, we measured diffusive water flux (DWF), an index of water permeability and a key component of osmoregulation, in the tidepool-specialist Oligocottus maculosus. We found that O. maculosus suppressed DWF in hypoxia but this suppression was lost during combined exposure to hypoxia and high temperature. Together these results suggest increased hypoxic respiratory capacity improves metabolic performance under combined warming and hypoxia, but physiological trade-offs between respiration and osmoregulation could reduce the marginal value of increased respiratory capacity under complex variation in temperature and oxygen conditions.

Integrative aspects of respiratory and metabolic performance in fish under dynamic temperature and oxygen conditions: insights from intertidal fishes

Climate change and eutrophication increase the frequency and duration of heat waves (HWs) along with diurnal oxygen and pH fluctuations (FH) in coastal ecosystems. Mussels (Mytilus edulis) are marine ecosystem engineers commonly exposed to temperature, pH and oxygen fluctuations and an excellent model species for investigating the cumulative effects of these stressors on survival and physiological performance of keystone benthic organisms. Here, we evaluated whether a 3-week exposure to FH would alter mussels’ responses to a HW scenario. 
We examined the physiological responses including respiration (RR), clearance (CR) and nitrogen excretion (ER) rates, and byssus production, as well as biochemical indicators of energy status and oxidative stress in the gills of mussels exposed to well-oxygenated or FH conditions before and after 24h, 1 and 2 weeks of HW (1826°C). 
ER and RR increased transiently during the HW, and FH exposure prevented the return to baseline (ER) or slight decrease (RR) observed after 2w HW in normoxia. A parallel increase of the protein concentrations between 24h and 1w HW indicate that protein turnover is linked to the thermal acclimation. Decrease in the lipid peroxidation levels was found after 1w HW, indicating adjustments of redox balance after prolonged warming, although FH altered the antioxidant upregulation pattern. Mussels CR decreased, but cellular energy status remained stable during HW.
These results highlight that FH acclimation affects the physiological responses of M. edulis to HW and could reduce mussels’ resilience to the intense scenarios predicted for future Baltic Sea coasts.

Does fluctuating hypoxia and hypercapnia interact with the response of the bivalve Mytilus edulis to a heat wave scenario ?

Productive marine coastal ecosystems such as coral reefs, seagrass meadows, kelp forests and mangroves are characterised by circadian fluctuations of oxygen controlled by temperature and the cycle of photosynthesis and respiration of the primary producers. Marine species living in such productive coastal habitats have therefore evolved in highly dynamic diel and seasonally fluctuating environments. Consequently, studies strictly based on rigorous laboratory conditions may not capture, or test, the real effect of environmental fluctuations on the thermal tolerance of marine species, which is directly linked with environmental oxygen availability. In this study we selected three areas, across a large latitudinal scale, with different levels of temperature and oxygen fluctuations and predictability. By incorporating lab experiments with ecologically relevant oxygen levels recorded from the field, we hypothesized that the degree of the diel environmental fluctuations in the coastal areas can explain the thermal response of marine species. To test this hypothesis, we measured the thermal tolerance of 17 marine ectotherm animal species from the three different locations, from tropical to warm and cold temperate environment. Our results showed that higher predictability of oxygen and temperature fluctuation increases the magnitude of species’ thermal tolerance compared to those in less predictable environments. We advocate that ecologically relevant environmental oxygen fluctuation needs to be considered when measuring and forecasting the response of marine animals to global warming and it provides a new background to assess aquatic communities’ thermal tolerance.

Accounting for ecologically relevant oxygen fluctuation explains thermal tolerance plasticity in marine species

Mechanisms of climate warming impacts on fish

Plant formin proteins belong to a large family of eukaryotic cytoskeleton regulators. The role of formin in cellular processes and actin regulation has been studied in the Arabidopsis root. The plamsmodesmata localised formins has shown influence on the symplastic transport by affecting the callose and actin. An extensive comparison among mutants and effects of cytoskeletal drugs on symplastic transport have been performed using DRONPa technique. Formins also studied to affect the lateral root formation.

Characterizing the role of plant class I formins in symplastic transport

Developing an inclusive, diverse, and cutting-edge curriculum is high on the priority list for universities. However, to undertake this it requires time and energy, something that as educators we are often lacking - regardless of our drive. Working in partnership with students provides unique opportunities to enable content development. Through student-staff partnerships, students are often best placed to provide insights into their own learning, by having autonomy over content through ownership of novel ideas and approaches that are relevant to today’s needs. This partnership also provides a platform for students to build confidence in their abilities and the education system that they are a part of to provide a more inclusive environment. Staff on a learning and teaching track gain valuable opportunities for scholarship from these partnerships and it can also spread the time constraints.
As with any opportunity we need to balance the scales. It takes time to find students that are able to balance this extra workload with their studies and have the maturity to see beyond their own needs. After leading on student-staff partnerships, I am aware of the differing outcomes which can arise, and these are often down to the individual team, where resources are limited and tightly time-bound. When it works it provides an insightful curriculum. When it doesn’t then the shift of workflow falls to us. I will provide some insights into student-staff partnerships and highlight the benefits and areas to be wary of before jumping in. 


Student-Staff Partnerships the way forward for an inclusive curriculum-Some insights before jumping in

"Green Intelligence: Harnessing Machine Learning and Data Topology for Plant Science" explores the transformative potential of integrating machine learning and data topology in plant science research. Focusing on the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, this presentation delves into advanced computer vision tasks such as image segmentation, object detection, image prediction, and evaluation. By employing these cutting-edge technologies, we aim to discover intricate patterns within botanical data, facilitating a deeper understanding of plant growth, development, and behavior. Our findings highlight the efficacy of these methodologies in enhancing the precision and efficiency of plant research, paving the way for innovative applications in agriculture and biotechnology.

The Digital Greenhouse: Harnessing AI for Advanced Plant Growth Monitoring and Prediction

Autochthonous ecotypes are plant genetic resources characterized by high genetic variability, tolerance to environmental stress conditions, the presence of specialized metabolites (terpenoids, flavonoids, and alkaloids), and health-promoting compounds. However, autochthonous ecotypes are gravely threatened by extinction, mainly because of their replacement by commercial varieties. To preserve autochthonous ecotypes and their diversity, as well as to make them an ideal alternative for commercial varieties, it is very important to identify their unique characteristics. The present study aimed to provide a global view of the metabolite diversity of three autochthonous lentil ecotypes from different villages of the Molise region (Italy): Capracotta, CA; Rionero Sannitico, RS; and Agnone, A; and one ecotype from the Umbria region (Italy): Castelluccio di Norcia, CS. Untargeted metabolomics, performed by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), allowed the detection of 663 differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs), which were assigned to 13 metabolic categories using MS libraries (e.g., the GNPS Public Spectral Library) and a molecular network approach. Major classes included flavonoids (90–13.6%), amino acids and derivatives (70–10.5%), and cinnamic acids (55–8.3%). According to the PCA and PLS-DA score plots, the metabolite compositions of autochthonous ecotypes differed significantly from each other. These results have been confirmed by heatmap, allowing the selection of ecotype-specific metabolic features. The enrichment analysis is in progress to assess the presence of enriched metabolic categories for each ecotype, and the antibacterial, antiproliferative, and antioxidative activity of lentil extracts was also evaluated according to the differential metabolic profiles characterizing each ecotype.

METABOLOMIC CHARACTERIZATION OF AUTOCHTHONOUS LENTIL ECOTYPES

A growing number of studies have employed genomic analysis with next-generation sequencing technologies to differentiate genome-wide variations between treatment and control samples. However, instances in which biological samples contain genetic sequences from multiple organisms, such as those from plant grafting experiments or to distinguish pathogen gene expression within a host, pose challenges related to correct mapping across multiple reference genomes. Mapping algorithms are designed to find the most suitable alignment in the provided reference. Therefore, when multiple references are involved, the independent mapping approach of the same sample on separated genomes is not an efficient solution to correctly map RNA reads to the genome of origin. Here, we introduce a pipeline integrated into a Bioconductor/R package, mobileRNA, which performs simultaneous alignment of mRNA or small RNA sequencing reads using two independent reference genomes. Using real and simulated datasets, we show that mobileRNA can place reads to their genomic origin more accurately than previous approaches. The results demonstrated that the mobileRNA method retrieved results with less data noise; however, the similarity of the two genomes used as references plays the main role in the expected confidence in the discrimination of the placed reads across the two genomes. Downstream, our studies are utilising mobileRNA to investigate the changes in crop productivity between eggplant and tomato heterografts by integrating phenotypic, physiologic, and genomic data. Here we observed that a rootstock can affect the scion’s physiology and horticultural traits, and we have identified potential mobile RNAs associated with the observed alteration.

Biting fast or biting hard? Comparative XROMM analysis reveals functional trade-offs in beak movements of feeding songbirds.

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How 'omics' does and does not help us understand the mechanisms of anoxia tolerance in turtles

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Biting fast or biting hard? Comparative XROMM analysis reveals functional trade-offs in beak movements of feeding songbirds.

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Next from SEB Conference Prague 2024

How 'omics' does and does not help us understand the mechanisms of anoxia tolerance in turtles

Stay up to date with the latest Underline news!

PRESENTATIONS

CONFERENCES

COMPANY

RESOURCES

Downloads