PeerJ
type: channel
link: https://peerj.com/articles/
description: Articles published in PeerJ
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
publication name: PeerJ
issn: 2167-8359
items: Changes in sprint performance and sagittal plane kinematics after heavy resisted sprint training in professional soccer players
items: Climatic niche comparison between closely related trans-Palearctic species of the genus Orthocephalus (Insecta: Heteroptera: Miridae: Orthotylinae)
items: Canines and carnassials as indicators of sociality in durophagous hyaenids: analyzing the past to understand the present
items: Registered report: investigating a preference for certainty in conversation among autistic adults compared to dyslexic adults and the general population
items: Experiences of family caregivers of patients with terminal disease and the quality of end-of-life care received: a mixed methods study
items: Convict cichlid parents that stay with the same mate develop unique and consistent divisions of roles
items: Trends in summer presence of fin whales in the Western Mediterranean Sea Region: new insights from a long-term monitoring program
items: Portanini (Insecta: Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) from Peru: checklist with new records and descriptions of two new species
items: Driver versus navigator causation in biology: the case of insulin and fasting glucose
items: Exogenous melatonin improves salt stress adaptation of cotton seedlings by regulating active oxygen metabolism

Changes in sprint performance and sagittal plane kinematics after heavy resisted sprint training in professional soccer players
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Background Sprint performance is an essential skill to target within soccer, which can be likely achieved with a variety of methods, including different on-field training options. One such method could be heavy resisted sprint training. However, the effects of such overload on sprint performance and the related kinetic changes are unknown in a professional setting. Another unknown factor is whether violating kinematic specificity via heavy resistance will lead to changes in unloaded sprinting kinematics. We investigated whether heavy resisted sled training (HS) affects sprint performance, kinetics, sagittal plane kinematics, and spatiotemporal parameters in professional male soccer players. Methods After familiarization, a nine-week training protocol and a two-week taper was completed with sprint performance and force-velocity (FV) profiles compared before and after. Out of the two recruited homogenous soccer teams (N = 32, age: 24.1 ± 5.1 years: height: 180 ± 10 cm; body-mass: 76.7 ± 7.7 kg, 30-m split-time: 4.63 ± 0.13 s), one was used as a control group continuing training as normal with no systematic acceleration training (CON, N = 13), while the intervention team was matched into two HS subgroups based on their sprint performance. Subgroup one trained with a resistance that induced a 60% velocity decrement from maximal velocity (N = 10, HS60%) and subgroup two used a 50% velocity decrement resistance (N = 9, HS50%) based on individual load-velocity profiles. Results Both heavy resistance subgroups improved significantly all 10–30-m split times (p < 0.05, d = − 1.25; −0.62). Post-hoc analysis showed that HS50% improved significantly more compared to CON in 0–10-m split-time (d = 1.03) and peak power (d = 1.16). Initial maximal theoretical horizontal force capacity (F0) and sprint FV-sprint profile properties showed a significant moderate relationship with F0 adaptation potential (p < 0.05). No significant differences in sprinting kinematics or spatiotemporal var…
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Johan Lahti
creator: Toni Huuhka
creator: Valentin Romero
creator: Ian Bezodis
creator: Jean-Benoit Morin
creator: Keijo Häkkinen
subject: Anatomy and Physiology
subject: Kinesiology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.10507
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2020 Lahti et al.
abstract: Background Sprint performance is an essential skill to target within soccer, which can be likely achieved with a variety of methods, including different on-field training options. One such method could be heavy resisted sprint training. However, the effects of such overload on sprint performance and the related kinetic changes are unknown in a professional setting. Another unknown factor is whether violating kinematic specificity via heavy resistance will lead to changes in unloaded sprinting kinematics. We investigated whether heavy resisted sled training (HS) affects sprint performance, kinetics, sagittal plane kinematics, and spatiotemporal parameters in professional male soccer players. Methods After familiarization, a nine-week training protocol and a two-week taper was completed with sprint performance and force-velocity (FV) profiles compared before and after. Out of the two recruited homogenous soccer teams (N = 32, age: 24.1 ± 5.1 years: height: 180 ± 10 cm; body-mass: 76.7 ± 7.7 kg, 30-m split-time: 4.63 ± 0.13 s), one was used as a control group continuing training as normal with no systematic acceleration training (CON, N = 13), while the intervention team was matched into two HS subgroups based on their sprint performance. Subgroup one trained with a resistance that induced a 60% velocity decrement from maximal velocity (N = 10, HS60%) and subgroup two used a 50% velocity decrement resistance (N = 9, HS50%) based on individual load-velocity profiles. Results Both heavy resistance subgroups improved significantly all 10–30-m split times (p < 0.05, d = − 1.25; −0.62). Post-hoc analysis showed that HS50% improved significantly more compared to CON in 0–10-m split-time (d = 1.03) and peak power (d = 1.16). Initial maximal theoretical horizontal force capacity (F0) and sprint FV-sprint profile properties showed a significant moderate relationship with F0 adaptation potential (p < 0.05). No significant differences in sprinting kinematics or spatiotemporal var…
bibliographic citation: Lahti et al. (2020) Changes in sprint performance and sagittal plane kinematics after heavy resisted sprint training in professional soccer players. PeerJ 8:e10507 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.10507
date submitted: 2020-07-22
date accepted: 2020-11-16
issued: 2020-12-15
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Lahti
  given name: Johan
author list: Agent
  family name: Huuhka
  given name: Toni
author list: Agent
  family name: Romero
  given name: Valentin
author list: Agent
  family name: Bezodis
  given name: Ian
author list: Agent
  family name: Morin
  given name: Jean-Benoit
author list: Agent
  family name: Häkkinen
  given name: Keijo
doi: 10.7717/peerj.10507
volume: 8
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2020-12-15
copyright: ©2020 Lahti et al.
attribution name: Lahti et al.

Climatic niche comparison between closely related trans-Palearctic species of the genus Orthocephalus (Insecta: Heteroptera: Miridae: Orthotylinae)
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Previously climatic niche modelling had been studied for only a few trans-Palearctic species. It is unclear whether and to what extent those niches are different, and which climatic variables influence such a wide distribution. Here, environmental niche modelling is performed based on the Worldclim variables using Maxent for eight species of the genus Orthocephalus (Insecta: Heteroptera: Miridae: Orthotylinae). This group belongs to one of the largest insect families and it is distributed across Palearctic. Orthocephalus bivittatus, O. brevis, O. saltator and O. vittipennis are distributed across Europe and Asia; O. coriaceus, O. fulvipes, O. funestus, O. proserpinae have more limited distribution. Niche comparison using ENMTools was also undertaken to compare the niches of these species, and to test whether the niches of closely related species with trans-Palearctic distributions are more similar to each other, than to other congeners. It has been found that climatic niche models of all trans-Palearctic species under study are similar but are not identical to each other. This has been supported by niche geographic projections, climatic variables contributing to the models and variable ranges. Climatic niche models of all the trans-Palearctic Orthocephalus species are also very similar to two species having more restricted distribution (O. coriaceus, O. funestus). Results of this study suggest that trans-Palearctic distributions can have different geographic ranges and be shaped by different climatic factors.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Anna A. Namyatova
subject: Biogeography
subject: Ecology
subject: Entomology
subject: Zoology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.10517
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2020 Namyatova
abstract: Previously climatic niche modelling had been studied for only a few trans-Palearctic species. It is unclear whether and to what extent those niches are different, and which climatic variables influence such a wide distribution. Here, environmental niche modelling is performed based on the Worldclim variables using Maxent for eight species of the genus Orthocephalus (Insecta: Heteroptera: Miridae: Orthotylinae). This group belongs to one of the largest insect families and it is distributed across Palearctic. Orthocephalus bivittatus, O. brevis, O. saltator and O. vittipennis are distributed across Europe and Asia; O. coriaceus, O. fulvipes, O. funestus, O. proserpinae have more limited distribution. Niche comparison using ENMTools was also undertaken to compare the niches of these species, and to test whether the niches of closely related species with trans-Palearctic distributions are more similar to each other, than to other congeners. It has been found that climatic niche models of all trans-Palearctic species under study are similar but are not identical to each other. This has been supported by niche geographic projections, climatic variables contributing to the models and variable ranges. Climatic niche models of all the trans-Palearctic Orthocephalus species are also very similar to two species having more restricted distribution (O. coriaceus, O. funestus). Results of this study suggest that trans-Palearctic distributions can have different geographic ranges and be shaped by different climatic factors.
bibliographic citation: Namyatova (2020) Climatic niche comparison between closely related trans-Palearctic species of the genus Orthocephalus (Insecta: Heteroptera: Miridae: Orthotylinae). PeerJ 8:e10517 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.10517
date submitted: 2020-04-29
date accepted: 2020-11-17
issued: 2020-12-15
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Namyatova
  given name: Anna A.
doi: 10.7717/peerj.10517
volume: 8
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2020-12-15
copyright: ©2020 Namyatova
attribution name: Namyatova

Canines and carnassials as indicators of sociality in durophagous hyaenids: analyzing the past to understand the present
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: We analyzed the lower and upper dentition of the family Hyaenidae along its evolutionary history from a multivariate point of view. A total of 13,103 individual measurements of the lengths and widths of canines and the main post-canine teeth (lower third and fourth premolar, lower first molar, and upper second, third, and fourth premolars) were collected for 39 extinct and extant species of this family. We analyzed these measurements using principal component analyses. The multivariate structure characterized the main groups of previously defined hyaenid ecomorphs. Strikingly, our analyses also detected differences between social hunting durophages (such as Crocuta crocuta) and solitary scavengers (such as Hyaena hyaena or Parahyaena brunnea). Concerning the hyaenid bauplan, social hunters have large carnassials and smaller canines, whereas solitary scavengers show the exact opposite morphological adaptations. Additionally, scavengers exhibited upper canines larger than lower ones, whereas hunters have upper and lower canines of similar size. It is hypothesized that sociality has led to an increase in carnassial length for hunting durophages via scramble competition at feeding. Such competition also penalizes adults from bringing food to cubs, which are consequently breastfed. On the other hand, it is also hypothesized that natural selection has led to solitary scavengers having large canines to transport carcasses to cubs. Our results indicate that these functional aspects are also better reflected by lower teeth than the upper dentition, which leads to a mosaic evolution.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Juan Antonio Pérez-Claros
creator: Carlos Coca-Ortega
subject: Ecology
subject: Evolutionary Studies
subject: Paleontology
subject: Zoology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.10541
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2020 Pérez-Claros et al.
abstract: We analyzed the lower and upper dentition of the family Hyaenidae along its evolutionary history from a multivariate point of view. A total of 13,103 individual measurements of the lengths and widths of canines and the main post-canine teeth (lower third and fourth premolar, lower first molar, and upper second, third, and fourth premolars) were collected for 39 extinct and extant species of this family. We analyzed these measurements using principal component analyses. The multivariate structure characterized the main groups of previously defined hyaenid ecomorphs. Strikingly, our analyses also detected differences between social hunting durophages (such as Crocuta crocuta) and solitary scavengers (such as Hyaena hyaena or Parahyaena brunnea). Concerning the hyaenid bauplan, social hunters have large carnassials and smaller canines, whereas solitary scavengers show the exact opposite morphological adaptations. Additionally, scavengers exhibited upper canines larger than lower ones, whereas hunters have upper and lower canines of similar size. It is hypothesized that sociality has led to an increase in carnassial length for hunting durophages via scramble competition at feeding. Such competition also penalizes adults from bringing food to cubs, which are consequently breastfed. On the other hand, it is also hypothesized that natural selection has led to solitary scavengers having large canines to transport carcasses to cubs. Our results indicate that these functional aspects are also better reflected by lower teeth than the upper dentition, which leads to a mosaic evolution.
bibliographic citation: Pérez-Claros et al. (2020) Canines and carnassials as indicators of sociality in durophagous hyaenids: analyzing the past to understand the present. PeerJ 8:e10541 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.10541
date submitted: 2020-08-03
date accepted: 2020-11-20
issued: 2020-12-15
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Pérez-Claros
  given name: Juan Antonio
author list: Agent
  family name: Coca-Ortega
  given name: Carlos
doi: 10.7717/peerj.10541
volume: 8
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2020-12-15
copyright: ©2020 Pérez-Claros et al.
attribution name: Pérez-Claros et al.

Registered report: investigating a preference for certainty in conversation among autistic adults compared to dyslexic adults and the general population
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Social communication difficulties are a diagnostic feature in autism. These difficulties are sometimes attributed, at least in part, to impaired ability in making inferences about what other people mean. In this registered report, we test a competing hypothesis that the communication profile of adults on the autism spectrum can be more strongly characterised by reduced confidence in making inferences in the face of uncertain information. We will test this hypothesis by comparing the performance of 100 autistic and 100 non-autistic adults on a test of implied meaning, using a test of grammaticality judgements as a control task. We hypothesise that autistic adults will report substantially lower confidence, allowing for differences in accuracy, than non-autistic adults on the test of implied meaning compared to the grammaticality test. In addition, we hypothesise that reduced confidence in drawing inferences will relate to the cognitive trait Intolerance of Uncertainty and self-reported social communication challenges. Finally, we will conduct exploratory analysis to assess the specificity of the communication profile of the autistic adults by comparing their performance to that of dyslexic adults, who might also be expected to experience challenges with language and communication.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Alexander C. Wilson
creator: Dorothy V.M. Bishop
subject: Neuroscience
subject: Cognitive Disorders
subject: Psychiatry and Psychology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.10398
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2020 Wilson and Bishop
abstract: Social communication difficulties are a diagnostic feature in autism. These difficulties are sometimes attributed, at least in part, to impaired ability in making inferences about what other people mean. In this registered report, we test a competing hypothesis that the communication profile of adults on the autism spectrum can be more strongly characterised by reduced confidence in making inferences in the face of uncertain information. We will test this hypothesis by comparing the performance of 100 autistic and 100 non-autistic adults on a test of implied meaning, using a test of grammaticality judgements as a control task. We hypothesise that autistic adults will report substantially lower confidence, allowing for differences in accuracy, than non-autistic adults on the test of implied meaning compared to the grammaticality test. In addition, we hypothesise that reduced confidence in drawing inferences will relate to the cognitive trait Intolerance of Uncertainty and self-reported social communication challenges. Finally, we will conduct exploratory analysis to assess the specificity of the communication profile of the autistic adults by comparing their performance to that of dyslexic adults, who might also be expected to experience challenges with language and communication.
bibliographic citation: Wilson et al. (2020) Registered report: investigating a preference for certainty in conversation among autistic adults compared to dyslexic adults and the general population. PeerJ 8:e10398 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.10398
date submitted: 2020-08-25
date accepted: 2020-10-29
issued: 2020-12-14
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Wilson
  given name: Alexander C.
author list: Agent
  family name: Bishop
  given name: Dorothy V.M.
doi: 10.7717/peerj.10398
volume: 8
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2020-12-14
copyright: © 2020 Wilson and Bishop
attribution name: Wilson and Bishop

Experiences of family caregivers of patients with terminal disease and the quality of end-of-life care received: a mixed methods study
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: The aim of this study was to analyze the perceptions and experiences of relatives of patients dying from a terminal disease with regard to the care they received during the dying process, considering the oncological or non-oncological nature of the terminal disease, and the place where care was provided (at home, emergency department, hospital room, or palliative care unit). For this purpose, we conducted a mixed-methods observational study in which two studies were triangulated, one qualitative using semi-structured interviews (n = 30) and the other quantitative, using questionnaires (n = 129). The results showed that the perception of relatives on the quality of care was highly positive in the quantitative evaluation but more critical and negative in the qualitative interview. Experience of the support received and palliative measures was more positive for patients attended in hospital in the case of oncological patients but more positive for those attended at home in the case of non-oncological patients.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Celia Martí-García
creator: Manuel Fernández-Alcántara
creator: Patricia Suárez López
creator: Carolina Romero Ruiz
creator: Rocío Muñoz Martín
creator: Mᵃ Paz Garcia-Caro
subject: Geriatrics
subject: Nursing
subject: Oncology
subject: Psychiatry and Psychology
subject: Palliative Care
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.10516
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2020 Martí-García et al.
abstract: The aim of this study was to analyze the perceptions and experiences of relatives of patients dying from a terminal disease with regard to the care they received during the dying process, considering the oncological or non-oncological nature of the terminal disease, and the place where care was provided (at home, emergency department, hospital room, or palliative care unit). For this purpose, we conducted a mixed-methods observational study in which two studies were triangulated, one qualitative using semi-structured interviews (n = 30) and the other quantitative, using questionnaires (n = 129). The results showed that the perception of relatives on the quality of care was highly positive in the quantitative evaluation but more critical and negative in the qualitative interview. Experience of the support received and palliative measures was more positive for patients attended in hospital in the case of oncological patients but more positive for those attended at home in the case of non-oncological patients.
bibliographic citation: Martí-García et al. (2020) Experiences of family caregivers of patients with terminal disease and the quality of end-of-life care received: a mixed methods study. PeerJ 8:e10516 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.10516
date submitted: 2020-06-15
date accepted: 2020-11-17
issued: 2020-12-14
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Martí-García
  given name: Celia
author list: Agent
  family name: Fernández-Alcántara
  given name: Manuel
author list: Agent
  family name: Suárez López
  given name: Patricia
author list: Agent
  family name: Romero Ruiz
  given name: Carolina
author list: Agent
  family name: Muñoz Martín
  given name: Rocío
author list: Agent
  family name: Garcia-Caro
  given name: Mᵃ Paz
doi: 10.7717/peerj.10516
volume: 8
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2020-12-14
copyright: ©2020 Martí-García et al.
attribution name: Martí-García et al.

Convict cichlid parents that stay with the same mate develop unique and consistent divisions of roles
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Previous studies, largely on avian species, have suggested that pairs that are permanently monogamous and have biparental care develop a coordination over time that enhances offspring survival. If this is the case, we predicted that a parent involved in biparental care would develop a pattern of biparental care specific to a particular mate and remain consistent in that pattern over time but would lose this pattern if it were to change mates. We tested this prediction with the convict cichlid fish (Amatitlania nigrofasciata) which has biparental care that is both complex and flexible. In this species, each parent can perform all parental roles but typically shows a division of labor in which males typically defend against offspring predators while the female typically provides direct care to the offspring. At various times, the parents briefly switch roles. Our experiments revealed that pairs that remained together for two consecutive broods were more consistent in their parental behaviors, including time they spent near the intruder and in the nest compared to pairs that were comprised of individuals that had previously mated with other partners. Also individuals that remained with the same partner were also more consistent as a parental unit, maintaining their sex-specific roles of males defending aggressively against an intruder and females spending more time directly caring for young. While our experiment clearly support our prediction that individuals do develop unique coordination with specific individuals, convict cichlids in nature appear to be largely serially monogamous in which they mate only once before changing partners. Thus, it is likely this coordination may be available in many species that have biparental care but become adaptive when repeated matings become common.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Jennifer L. Snekser
creator: Murray Itzkowitz
subject: Animal Behavior
subject: Aquaculture, Fisheries and Fish Science
subject: Ecology
subject: Zoology
subject: Freshwater Biology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.10534
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2020 Snekser and Itzkowitz
abstract: Previous studies, largely on avian species, have suggested that pairs that are permanently monogamous and have biparental care develop a coordination over time that enhances offspring survival. If this is the case, we predicted that a parent involved in biparental care would develop a pattern of biparental care specific to a particular mate and remain consistent in that pattern over time but would lose this pattern if it were to change mates. We tested this prediction with the convict cichlid fish (Amatitlania nigrofasciata) which has biparental care that is both complex and flexible. In this species, each parent can perform all parental roles but typically shows a division of labor in which males typically defend against offspring predators while the female typically provides direct care to the offspring. At various times, the parents briefly switch roles. Our experiments revealed that pairs that remained together for two consecutive broods were more consistent in their parental behaviors, including time they spent near the intruder and in the nest compared to pairs that were comprised of individuals that had previously mated with other partners. Also individuals that remained with the same partner were also more consistent as a parental unit, maintaining their sex-specific roles of males defending aggressively against an intruder and females spending more time directly caring for young. While our experiment clearly support our prediction that individuals do develop unique coordination with specific individuals, convict cichlids in nature appear to be largely serially monogamous in which they mate only once before changing partners. Thus, it is likely this coordination may be available in many species that have biparental care but become adaptive when repeated matings become common.
bibliographic citation: Snekser et al. (2020) Convict cichlid parents that stay with the same mate develop unique and consistent divisions of roles. PeerJ 8:e10534 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.10534
date submitted: 2020-07-28
date accepted: 2020-11-19
issued: 2020-12-14
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Snekser
  given name: Jennifer L.
author list: Agent
  family name: Itzkowitz
  given name: Murray
doi: 10.7717/peerj.10534
volume: 8
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2020-12-14
copyright: ©2020 Snekser and Itzkowitz
attribution name: Snekser and Itzkowitz

Trends in summer presence of fin whales in the Western Mediterranean Sea Region: new insights from a long-term monitoring program
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Background The Mediterranean subpopulation of fin whale Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758) has recently been listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List of threatened species. The species is also listed as species in need of strict protection under the Habitat Directive and is one of the indicators for the assessment of Good Environmental Status under the MSFD. Reference values on population abundance and trends are needed in order to set the threshold values and to assess the conservation status of the population. Methods Yearly summer monitoring using ferries as platform of opportunity was performed since 2008 within the framework of the FLT Med Network. Data were collected along several fixed transects crossing the Western Mediterranean basin and the Adriatic and Ionian region. Species presence, expressed by density recorded along the sampled transects, was inspected for assessing interannual variability together with group size. Generalized Additive Models were used to describe density trends over a 11 years’ period (2008–2018). A spatial multi-scale approach was used to highlight intra-basin differences in species presence and distribution during the years. Results Summer presence of fin whales in the western Mediterranean area showed a strong interannual variability, characterized by the alternance of rich and poor years. Small and large groups of fin whales were sighted only during rich years, confirming the favorable feeding condition influencing species presence. Trends highlighted by the GAM can be summarized as positive from 2008 to 2013, and slightly negative from 2014 to 2018. The sub-areas analysis showed a similar pattern, but with a more stable trend during the second period in the Pelagos Sanctuary sub-area, and a negative one in the other two sub-areas. Our findings further confirm the need for an integrated approach foreseeing both, large scale surveys and yearly monitoring at different spatial scales to correct and interpret the basin wide abun…
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Paola Tepsich
creator: Ilaria Schettino
creator: Fabrizio Atzori
creator: Marta Azzolin
creator: Ilaria Campana
creator: Lara Carosso
creator: Simone Cominelli
creator: Roberto Crosti
creator: Léa David
creator: Nathalie Di-Méglio
creator: Francesca Frau
creator: Martina Gregorietti
creator: Veronica Mazzucato
creator: Clara Monaco
creator: Aurelie Moulins
creator: Miriam Paraboschi
creator: Giuliana Pellegrino
creator: Massimiliano Rosso
creator: Marine Roul
creator: Sébastien Saintignan
creator: Antonella Arcangeli
subject: Biogeography
subject: Conservation Biology
subject: Ecology
subject: Marine Biology
subject: Zoology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.10544
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2020 Tepsich et al.
abstract: Background The Mediterranean subpopulation of fin whale Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758) has recently been listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List of threatened species. The species is also listed as species in need of strict protection under the Habitat Directive and is one of the indicators for the assessment of Good Environmental Status under the MSFD. Reference values on population abundance and trends are needed in order to set the threshold values and to assess the conservation status of the population. Methods Yearly summer monitoring using ferries as platform of opportunity was performed since 2008 within the framework of the FLT Med Network. Data were collected along several fixed transects crossing the Western Mediterranean basin and the Adriatic and Ionian region. Species presence, expressed by density recorded along the sampled transects, was inspected for assessing interannual variability together with group size. Generalized Additive Models were used to describe density trends over a 11 years’ period (2008–2018). A spatial multi-scale approach was used to highlight intra-basin differences in species presence and distribution during the years. Results Summer presence of fin whales in the western Mediterranean area showed a strong interannual variability, characterized by the alternance of rich and poor years. Small and large groups of fin whales were sighted only during rich years, confirming the favorable feeding condition influencing species presence. Trends highlighted by the GAM can be summarized as positive from 2008 to 2013, and slightly negative from 2014 to 2018. The sub-areas analysis showed a similar pattern, but with a more stable trend during the second period in the Pelagos Sanctuary sub-area, and a negative one in the other two sub-areas. Our findings further confirm the need for an integrated approach foreseeing both, large scale surveys and yearly monitoring at different spatial scales to correct and interpret the basin wide abun…
bibliographic citation: Tepsich et al. (2020) Trends in summer presence of fin whales in the Western Mediterranean Sea Region: new insights from a long-term monitoring program. PeerJ 8:e10544 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.10544
date submitted: 2020-04-21
date accepted: 2020-11-20
issued: 2020-12-14
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Tepsich
  given name: Paola
author list: Agent
  family name: Schettino
  given name: Ilaria
author list: Agent
  family name: Atzori
  given name: Fabrizio
author list: Agent
  family name: Azzolin
  given name: Marta
author list: Agent
  family name: Campana
  given name: Ilaria
author list: Agent
  family name: Carosso
  given name: Lara
author list: Agent
  family name: Cominelli
  given name: Simone
author list: Agent
  family name: Crosti
  given name: Roberto
author list: Agent
  family name: David
  given name: Léa
author list: Agent
  family name: Di-Méglio
  given name: Nathalie
author list: Agent
  family name: Frau
  given name: Francesca
author list: Agent
  family name: Gregorietti
  given name: Martina
author list: Agent
  family name: Mazzucato
  given name: Veronica
author list: Agent
  family name: Monaco
  given name: Clara
author list: Agent
  family name: Moulins
  given name: Aurelie
author list: Agent
  family name: Paraboschi
  given name: Miriam
author list: Agent
  family name: Pellegrino
  given name: Giuliana
author list: Agent
  family name: Rosso
  given name: Massimiliano
author list: Agent
  family name: Roul
  given name: Marine
author list: Agent
  family name: Saintignan
  given name: Sébastien
author list: Agent
  family name: Arcangeli
  given name: Antonella
doi: 10.7717/peerj.10544
volume: 8
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2020-12-14
copyright: ©2020 Tepsich et al.
attribution name: Tepsich et al.

Portanini (Insecta: Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) from Peru: checklist with new records and descriptions of two new species
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Portanini Linnavuori, 1959 is a small tribe of neotropical leafhoppers that includes two genera: Portanus Ball, 1932 and Metacephalus DeLong & Martinson, 1973. Herein, a checklist of portanines from Peru is given, including several new species records for the country, elevating the known diversity from nine to 22 species. In addition, four species have their department ranges expanded in Peru. Two new portanine species are also described: Metacephalus mamaquilla sp. nov. and Portanus tambopata sp. nov. both from Tambopata National Reserve, Madre de Dios, Peru and we make available habitus photos of other Portanini species from this reserve.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Jádila Santos Prando
creator: Clayton Corrêa Gonçalves
creator: Daniela Maeda Takiya
subject: Biodiversity
subject: Entomology
subject: Taxonomy
subject: Zoology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.10222
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2020 Santos Prando et al.
abstract: Portanini Linnavuori, 1959 is a small tribe of neotropical leafhoppers that includes two genera: Portanus Ball, 1932 and Metacephalus DeLong & Martinson, 1973. Herein, a checklist of portanines from Peru is given, including several new species records for the country, elevating the known diversity from nine to 22 species. In addition, four species have their department ranges expanded in Peru. Two new portanine species are also described: Metacephalus mamaquilla sp. nov. and Portanus tambopata sp. nov. both from Tambopata National Reserve, Madre de Dios, Peru and we make available habitus photos of other Portanini species from this reserve.
bibliographic citation: Santos Prando et al. (2020) Portanini (Insecta: Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) from Peru: checklist with new records and descriptions of two new species. PeerJ 8:e10222 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.10222
date submitted: 2020-07-29
date accepted: 2020-09-29
issued: 2020-12-11
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Santos Prando
  given name: Jádila
author list: Agent
  family name: Corrêa Gonçalves
  given name: Clayton
author list: Agent
  family name: Maeda Takiya
  given name: Daniela
doi: 10.7717/peerj.10222
volume: 8
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2020-12-11
copyright: © 2020 Santos Prando et al.
attribution name: Santos Prando et al.

Driver versus navigator causation in biology: the case of insulin and fasting glucose
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Background In biomedicine, inferring causal relation from experimental intervention or perturbation is believed to be a more reliable approach than inferring causation from cross-sectional correlation. However, we point out here that even in interventional inference there are logical traps. In homeostatic systems, causality in a steady state can be qualitatively different from that in a perturbed state. On a broader scale there is a need to differentiate driver causality from navigator causality. A driver is essential for reaching a destination but may not have any role in deciding the destination. A navigator on the other hand has a role in deciding the destination and the path but may not be able to drive the system to the destination. The failure to differentiate between types of causalities is likely to have resulted into many misinterpretations in physiology and biomedicine. Methods We illustrate this by critically re-examining a specific case of the causal role of insulin in glucose homeostasis using five different approaches (1) Systematic review of tissue specific insulin receptor knock-outs, (2) Systematic review of insulin suppression and insulin enhancement experiments, (3) Differentiating steady state and post-meal state glucose levels in streptozotocin treated rats in primary experiments, (4) Mathematical and theoretical considerations and (5) Glucose-insulin relationship in human epidemiological data. Results All the approaches converge on the inference that although insulin action hastens the return to a steady state after a glucose load, there is no evidence that insulin action determines the steady state level of glucose. Insulin, unlike the popular belief in medicine, appears to be a driver but not a navigator for steady state glucose level. It is quite likely therefore that the current line of clinical action in the field of type 2 diabetes has limited success largely because it is based on a misinterpretation of glucose-insulin relationship. The …
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Manawa Diwekar-Joshi
creator: Milind Watve
subject: Biochemistry
subject: Mathematical Biology
subject: Diabetes and Endocrinology
subject: Statistics
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.10396
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2020 Diwekar-Joshi and Watve
abstract: Background In biomedicine, inferring causal relation from experimental intervention or perturbation is believed to be a more reliable approach than inferring causation from cross-sectional correlation. However, we point out here that even in interventional inference there are logical traps. In homeostatic systems, causality in a steady state can be qualitatively different from that in a perturbed state. On a broader scale there is a need to differentiate driver causality from navigator causality. A driver is essential for reaching a destination but may not have any role in deciding the destination. A navigator on the other hand has a role in deciding the destination and the path but may not be able to drive the system to the destination. The failure to differentiate between types of causalities is likely to have resulted into many misinterpretations in physiology and biomedicine. Methods We illustrate this by critically re-examining a specific case of the causal role of insulin in glucose homeostasis using five different approaches (1) Systematic review of tissue specific insulin receptor knock-outs, (2) Systematic review of insulin suppression and insulin enhancement experiments, (3) Differentiating steady state and post-meal state glucose levels in streptozotocin treated rats in primary experiments, (4) Mathematical and theoretical considerations and (5) Glucose-insulin relationship in human epidemiological data. Results All the approaches converge on the inference that although insulin action hastens the return to a steady state after a glucose load, there is no evidence that insulin action determines the steady state level of glucose. Insulin, unlike the popular belief in medicine, appears to be a driver but not a navigator for steady state glucose level. It is quite likely therefore that the current line of clinical action in the field of type 2 diabetes has limited success largely because it is based on a misinterpretation of glucose-insulin relationship. The …
bibliographic citation: Diwekar-Joshi et al. (2020) Driver versus navigator causation in biology: the case of insulin and fasting glucose. PeerJ 8:e10396 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.10396
date submitted: 2020-08-10
date accepted: 2020-10-29
issued: 2020-12-11
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Diwekar-Joshi
  given name: Manawa
author list: Agent
  family name: Watve
  given name: Milind
doi: 10.7717/peerj.10396
volume: 8
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2020-12-11
copyright: © 2020 Diwekar-Joshi and Watve
attribution name: Diwekar-Joshi and Watve

Exogenous melatonin improves salt stress adaptation of cotton seedlings by regulating active oxygen metabolism
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Melatonin is a small-molecule indole hormone that plays an important role in participating in biotic and abiotic stress resistance. Melatonin has been confirmed to promote the normal development of plants under adversity stress by mediating physiological regulation mechanisms. However, the mechanisms by which exogenous melatonin mediates salt tolerance via regulation of antioxidant activity and osmosis in cotton seedlings remain largely unknown. In this study, the regulatory effects of melatonin on reactive oxygen species (ROS), the antioxidant system, and osmotic modulators of cotton seedlings were determined under 0–500 µM melatonin treatments with salt stress induced by 150 mM NaCl treatment. Cotton seedlings under salt stress exhibited an inhibition of growth, excessive hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), superoxide anion (O2−), and malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulations in leaves, increased activity levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and elevated ascorbic acid (AsA) and glutathione (GSH) content in leaves. However, the content of osmotic regulators (i.e., soluble sugars and proteins) in leaves was reduced under salt stress. This indicates high levels of ROS were produced, and the cell membrane was damaged. Additionally, osmotic regulatory substance content was reduced, resulting in osmotic stress, which seriously affected cotton seedling growth under salt stress. However, exogenous melatonin at different concentrations reduced the contents of H2O2, O2−, and MDA in cotton leaves, increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes and the content of reductive substances (i.e., AsA and GSH), and promoted the accumulation of osmotic regulatory substances in leaves under salt stress. These results suggest that melatonin can inhibit ROS production in cotton seedlings, improve the activity of the antioxidant enzyme system, raise the content of osmotic regulation substances, reduce the level of membrane lipid peroxidat…
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Dan Jiang
creator: Bin Lu
creator: Liantao Liu
creator: Wenjing Duan
creator: Li Chen
creator: Jin Li
creator: Ke Zhang
creator: Hongchun Sun
creator: Yongjiang Zhang
creator: Hezhong Dong
creator: Cundong Li
creator: Zhiying Bai
subject: Agricultural Science
subject: Biochemistry
subject: Plant Science
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.10486
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2020 Jiang et al.
abstract: Melatonin is a small-molecule indole hormone that plays an important role in participating in biotic and abiotic stress resistance. Melatonin has been confirmed to promote the normal development of plants under adversity stress by mediating physiological regulation mechanisms. However, the mechanisms by which exogenous melatonin mediates salt tolerance via regulation of antioxidant activity and osmosis in cotton seedlings remain largely unknown. In this study, the regulatory effects of melatonin on reactive oxygen species (ROS), the antioxidant system, and osmotic modulators of cotton seedlings were determined under 0–500 µM melatonin treatments with salt stress induced by 150 mM NaCl treatment. Cotton seedlings under salt stress exhibited an inhibition of growth, excessive hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), superoxide anion (O2−), and malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulations in leaves, increased activity levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and elevated ascorbic acid (AsA) and glutathione (GSH) content in leaves. However, the content of osmotic regulators (i.e., soluble sugars and proteins) in leaves was reduced under salt stress. This indicates high levels of ROS were produced, and the cell membrane was damaged. Additionally, osmotic regulatory substance content was reduced, resulting in osmotic stress, which seriously affected cotton seedling growth under salt stress. However, exogenous melatonin at different concentrations reduced the contents of H2O2, O2−, and MDA in cotton leaves, increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes and the content of reductive substances (i.e., AsA and GSH), and promoted the accumulation of osmotic regulatory substances in leaves under salt stress. These results suggest that melatonin can inhibit ROS production in cotton seedlings, improve the activity of the antioxidant enzyme system, raise the content of osmotic regulation substances, reduce the level of membrane lipid peroxidat…
bibliographic citation: Jiang et al. (2020) Exogenous melatonin improves salt stress adaptation of cotton seedlings by regulating active oxygen metabolism. PeerJ 8:e10486 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.10486
date submitted: 2020-07-13
date accepted: 2020-11-12
issued: 2020-12-11
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Jiang
  given name: Dan
author list: Agent
  family name: Lu
  given name: Bin
author list: Agent
  family name: Liu
  given name: Liantao
author list: Agent
  family name: Duan
  given name: Wenjing
author list: Agent
  family name: Chen
  given name: Li
author list: Agent
  family name: Li
  given name: Jin
author list: Agent
  family name: Zhang
  given name: Ke
author list: Agent
  family name: Sun
  given name: Hongchun
author list: Agent
  family name: Zhang
  given name: Yongjiang
author list: Agent
  family name: Dong
  given name: Hezhong
author list: Agent
  family name: Li
  given name: Cundong
author list: Agent
  family name: Bai
  given name: Zhiying
doi: 10.7717/peerj.10486
volume: 8
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2020-12-11
copyright: ©2020 Jiang et al.
attribution name: Jiang et al.

PeerJ
type: Periodical
uri: PeerJ
issn: 2167-8359