title: PeerJ description: Articles published in PeerJ link: https://peerj.com/articles/index.rss3?journal=peerj&page=731 creator: info@peerj.com PeerJ errorsTo: info@peerj.com PeerJ language: en title: Evaluating the reliability of media reports for gathering information about illegal wildlife trade seizures link: https://peerj.com/articles/13156 last-modified: 2022-04-05 description: Illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is threatening many species across the world. It is important to better understand the scale and characteristics of IWT to inform conservation priorities and actions. However, IWT usually takes place covertly, meaning that the data on species, trade routes and volumes is limited. This means that conservationists often have to rely on publicly available law enforcement reports of seizures as potential indicators of the magnitude and characteristics of IWT. Still, even these data may be difficult to access, leading conservationists to use media reports of seizures instead. This is the case in countries like Nepal, which have limited capacity in data keeping and reporting, and no centralized data management system. Yet reliance on media reports risks introducing further biases, which are rarely acknowledged or discussed. Here we characterize IWT in Nepal by comparing data from three sources of information on IWT between January 2005 and July 2017: seizure reports from three Nepali national daily newspapers, official seizure records for Kathmandu district, and data on additional enforcement efforts against IWT in Nepal. We found a strong positive correlation between the number of official and media-reported seizures over time, but media under-reported seizure numbers, with 78% of seizures going unreported. Seizures of charismatic, protected species were reported more often and seizure reports involving tigers were most likely to be reported (57%). Media reports appeared to be a good indicator of trends and the species being seized but not overall seizure number, with the media largely underestimating total seizure numbers. Therefore, media reports cannot be solely relied upon when it comes to informing conservation decision-making. We recommend that conservationists triangulate different data sources when using seizure data reported in the media to more rigorously characterise IWT. creator: Kumar Paudel creator: Amy Hinsley creator: Diogo Veríssimo creator: Ej Milner-Gulland uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13156 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2022 Paudel et al. title: Identification and charactering of APX genes provide new insights in abiotic stresses response in Brassica napus link: https://peerj.com/articles/13166 last-modified: 2022-04-05 description: Ascorbate peroxidase (APX) plays an important role in scavenging H2O2 and balancing ROS content in plant cells, which is of great significance for the growth and development of life and resistance to external stress. However, up to now, APXs in Brassica napus (B. napus) have not been systematically characterized. In this study, a total of 26 BnaAPX genes were identified, which were distributed on 13 chromosomes and divided into five phylogenetic branches. Gene structure analysis showed that they had a wide varied number of exons while BnaAPXs proteins contained more similar motifs in the same phylogenetic branches. qRT-PCR analysis of 26 BnaAPX gene expression patterns showed that three putative cytosol BnaAPX genes BnaAPX1, BnaAPX2, BnaAPX9, two putatice microsomal genes BnaAPX18 and BnaAPX25 were up-regulated rapidly and robustly under high salt, water shortage and high temperature stresses. In addition, the above three abiotic stresses led to a significant increase in APX activity. The results provide basic and comprehensive information for further functional characterization of APX gene family in B. napus. creator: Jiao Pan creator: Lei Zhang creator: Min Chen creator: Yuxuan Ruan creator: Peifang Li creator: Zhihui Guo creator: Boyu Liu creator: Ying Ruan creator: Mu Xiao creator: Yong Huang uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13166 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2022 Pan et al. title: A new juvenile Yamaceratops (Dinosauria, Ceratopsia) from the Javkhlant Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of Mongolia link: https://peerj.com/articles/13176 last-modified: 2022-04-05 description: Here we report a new articulated skeleton of Yamaceratops dorngobiensis (MPC-D 100/553) from the Khugenetjavkhlant locality at the Shine Us Khudag (Javkhlant Formation, ?Santonian-Campanian) of the eastern Gobi Desert, Mongolia, which represents the first substantially complete skeleton and the first juvenile individual of this taxon. The specimen includes a nearly complete cranium and large portions of the vertebral column and appendicular skeleton. Its skull is about 2/3 the size of the holotype specimen, based on mandibular length. Its juvenile ontogenetic stage is confirmed by multiple indicators of skeletal and morphological immaturity known in ceratopsians, such as the long-grained surface texture on the long bones, the smooth external surface on the postorbital, open neurocentral sutures of all caudal vertebrae, a large orbit relative to the postorbital and jugal, the low angle of the lacrimal ventral ramus relative to the maxillary teeth row, narrow frontal, and straight ventral edge of the dentary. Osteohistological analysis of MPC-D 100/553 recovered three lines of arrested growth, implying around 3 years of age when it died, and verified this specimen’s immature ontogenetic stage. The specimen adds a new autapomorphy of Yamaceratops, the anteroventral margin of the fungiform dorsal end of the lacrimal being excluded from the antorbital fossa. Furthermore, it shows a unique combination of diagnostic features of some other basal neoceratopsians: the ventrally hooked rostral bone as in Aquilops americanus and very tall middle caudal neural spines about or more than four times as high as the centrum as in Koreaceratops hwaseongensis, Montanoceratops cerorhynchus, and Protoceratops andrewsi. The jugal with the subtemporal ramus deeper than the suborbital ramus as in the holotype specimen is also shared with A. americanus, Liaoceratops yanzigouensis, and juvenile P. andrewsi. Adding 38 new scorings into the recent comprehensive data matrix of basal Neoceratopsia and taking into account the ontogenetically variable characters recovered Y. dorngobiensis as the sister taxon to Euceratopsia (Leptoceratopsidae plus Coronosauria). A second phylogenetic analysis with another matrix for Ceratopsia also supported this position. The new phylogenetic position of Y. dorngobiensis is important in ceratopsian evolution, as this taxon represents one of the basalmost neoceratopsians with a broad, thin frill and hyper-elongated middle caudal neural spines while still being bipedal. creator: Minyoung Son creator: Yuong-Nam Lee creator: Badamkhatan Zorigt creator: Yoshitsugu Kobayashi creator: Jin-Young Park creator: Sungjin Lee creator: Su-Hwan Kim creator: Kang Young Lee uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13176 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2022 Son et al. title: Validation of a dual-task exercise program to improve balance and gait speed in older people (DualPro): a Delphi study link: https://peerj.com/articles/13204 last-modified: 2022-04-05 description: BackgroundMost physical exercise programs for older people work the physical component in isolation, excluding cognitive aspects. Previous studies reported that both components (physical and cognitive) are necessary for correct functioning of older people in the society.PurposeTo create and validate a dual-task exercise program (DualPro) to improve balance and gait speed in older people.MethodsExpert consensus or the Delphi Method was used for validation. A group of 17 experts in neurorehabilitation and geriatrics was recruited to assess the proposed exercise program. They were selected taking into account their experience in clinical practice as well as their knowledge of the subject through the use of the expert competence coefficient (K). Online questionnaires were sent with a total of 11 exercises, which had to be rated using a “Likert” scale from 1 to 7.ResultsTwo rounds were conducted to achieve 100% consensus in all exercises. The interquartile range of each exercise in both rounds was stable. During the second round, the relative interquartile range was less than 15% in all the questions, thus demonstrating consensus among the experts.ConclusionExperts in neurorehabilitation and geriatrics have concluded the validity of the progressive and systematized program of dual-task exercises focused on improving balance and gait speed for older people. This exercise program can help in the homogenization of the use of dual-task exercises in future studies and in professional practice. creator: Luz Adriana Varela-Vásquez creator: Montserrat Girabent-Farrés creator: Almudena Medina-Rincón creator: Sandra Rierola-Fochs creator: Javier Jerez-Roig creator: Eduard Minobes-Molina uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13204 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2022 Varela-Vásquez et al. title: Influence of biological maturation status on selected anthropometric and physical fitness variables in adolescent male volleyball players link: https://peerj.com/articles/13216 last-modified: 2022-04-05 description: BackgroundThe identification of sport talent among adolescent athletes is a topic that in recent years has been a major focus of interest for both the scientific community and sport managers. Both anthropometry and physical performance through fitness tests have demonstrated to be key elements. Biological maturation, due to its influence on anthropometric variables and physical fitness, has also been studied in relation to sport talent identification.ObjectiveTo analyse differences according to biological maturation status in anthropometric characteristics and performance in physical fitness tests, and to determine which variables predict better performance in physical fitness tests in adolescent volleyball players.MethodsA cross-sectional design was followed to collect the data. A total of 48 male sub-elite volleyball players (14.17 ± 0.73 years) completed a socio-demographic and sports ad hoc questionnaire. Anthropometric variables were measured following the guidelines of the International Society for the Advancement in Kinanthropometry (ISAK) including four basic measurements (body mass, height, sitting height and arm span); eight skinfolds (triceps, biceps, subscapular, iliac crest, supraspinale, abdominal, thigh and calf); four girths (arm relaxed, flexed and tensed arm, middle thigh and calf); five breadths (biacromial, biileocrestal, humerus, femur and bi-styloid); three lengths (acromiale-radiale, radiale-stylion and stylion-medio dactilion); and a height (ilioespinale). Physical fitness was assessed, including the sit-and-reach, back scratch, long jump, medicine ball throw, counter movement jump (CMJ), 20 meters sprint, and agility tests. Furthermore, maturity offset and age at peak height velocity (APHV) was calculated.ResultsSignificant differences were found in the body mass (Mean Difference, MD = 20.86–30.75), height (MD = 11.72–19.09), sitting height (MD = 4.27–10.27), arm span (MD = 12.91–20.78), body mass index (MD = 3.72–5.63), upper limb length (MD = 7.76), corrected muscle girths (MD = 2.06–9.31), ∑6 and 8 skinfolds (MD = 3.67–50.21) fat mass and percentage (MD = 0.30–11.58), muscle (MD = 4.13–10.64) and bone mass (MD = 1.61–3.54) (p < 0.001–0.030), showing higher values the early maturers. In the physical fitness tests, significant differences were observed in the medicine ball throw (MD = 1.26–2.80) and in CMJ power (MD = 156.71–379.85) (p < 0.001). Regression models identified fat mass percentage predicted worse physical test performance (p < 0.001), while age, maturation offset, muscle and bone variables were predictors of better physical performance (p < 0.001).ConclusionsSignificant differences based upon the stages of biological maturation were found in the anthropometric and physical condition variables in favor of the players whose maturation process was more advanced, with the variables related to fat and adipose, muscle and bone development conditioning their performance in the physical condition tests. creator: Mario Albaladejo-Saura creator: Raquel Vaquero-Cristóbal creator: Juan A. García-Roca creator: Francisco Esparza-Ros uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13216 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2022 Albaladejo-Saura et al. title: Identification and analysis of sucrose synthase gene family associated with polysaccharide biosynthesis in Dendrobium catenatum by transcriptomic analysis link: https://peerj.com/articles/13222 last-modified: 2022-04-05 description: BackgroundDendrobium catenatum is a valuable traditional medicinal herb with high commercial value. D. catenatum stems contain abundant polysaccharides which are one of the main bioactive components. However, although some genes related to the synthesis of the polysaccharides have been reported, more key genes need to be further elucidated.ResultsIn this study, the contents of polysaccharides and mannose in D. catenatum stems at four developmental stages were compared, and the stems’ transcriptomes were analyzed to explore the synthesis mechanism of the polysaccharides. Many genes involved in starch and sucrose metabolisms were identified by KEGG pathway analysis. Further analysis found that sucrose synthase (SUS; EC 2.4.1.13) gene maybe participated in the polysaccharide synthesis. Hence, we further investigated the genomic characteristics and evolution relationships of the SUS family in plants. The result suggested that the SUS gene of D. catenatum (DcSUS) had undergone the expansion characterized by tandem duplication which might be related to the enrichment of the polysaccharides in D. catenatum stems. Moreover, expression analyses of the DcSUS displayed significant divergent patterns in different tissues and could be divided into two main groups in the stems with four developmental stages.ConclusionIn general, our results revealed that DcSUS is likely involved in the metabolic process of the stem polysaccharides, providing crucial clues for exploiting the key genes associated with the polysaccharide synthesis. creator: Min Jiang creator: Shangyun Li creator: Changling Zhao creator: Mingfu Zhao creator: Shaozhong Xu creator: Guosong Wen uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13222 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2022 Jiang et al. title: Geochemical characteristics of strontium isotopes in a coastal watershed: implications for anthropogenic influenced chemical weathering and export flux link: https://peerj.com/articles/13223 last-modified: 2022-04-05 description: Coastal watershed are essential in transporting dissolved loads from terrestrial biogeochemical process of surface environment to the adjacent oceans. The solute chemistry of coastal river water contains significant information about environmental processes under the impact of both natural lithology and anthropogenic pressure. In this study, strontium (Sr) isotopes and water chemistry data of the Jiulongjiang (JLJ) river water were analyzed in detail to trace the contribution of bedrock weathering, and quantify Sr flux to the East China Sea (ECS). The dissolved Sr contents ranged 0.07–0.90 μmol L−1 and greatly fluctuated where tributaries encountered, and 87Sr/86Sr values relatively fluctuated between 0.7140 and 0.7514. Silicate weathering was identified to be the predominant contribution of riverine dissolved loads. Strontium flux to the ocean in dry season was estimated to be 689.2 tons per year, implying an essential influence on oceanic strontium evolution. In accordance with forward model, the silicate weathering rate and CO2 consumption rate were 55.7 tons km−2 per year and 16.9 × 105 mol km−2 per year, respectively, slightly higher than world average. Considering anthropogenic impacts alongside the river, the integrated effect of lower runoff and longer retention time of river water in dry season may aggravate weathering processes. Although CO2 sink by silicate weathering in JLJ seems less than the sink in world’s central reservoirs, it should still be taken into consideration for coastal carbon budget. These findings highlight the use of geochemical characteristics of strontium and its isotopes in identifying weathering process and output flux to the ocean, which provides basic data for sustainable coastal water resource management. creator: Shitong Zhang creator: Guilin Han creator: Jie Zeng uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13223 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2022 Zhang et al. title: Vertical distribution of soil seed bank and the ecological importance of deeply buried seeds in alkaline grasslands link: https://peerj.com/articles/13226 last-modified: 2022-04-05 description: BackgroundSoil seed banks play a central role in vegetation dynamics and may be an important source of ecological restoration. However, the vast majority of seed bank studies examined only the uppermost soil layers (0–10 cm); hence, our knowledge on the depth distribution of seed bank and the ecological significance of deeply buried seeds is limited. The aim of our study was to examine the fine-scale vertical distribution of soil seed bank to a depth of 80 cm, which is one of the largest studied depth gradients so far. Our model systems were alkaline grasslands in East-Hungary, characterised by harsh environmental conditions, due to Solonetz soil reference group with Vertic horizon. We asked the following questions: (1) How do the seedling density and species richness of soil seed bank change along a vertical gradient and to what depth can germinable seeds be detected? (2) What is the relationship between the depth distribution of the germinable seeds and the species traits?MethodsIn each of the five study sites, four soil cores (4 cm diameter) of 80 cm depth were collected with an auger for soil seed bank analysis. Each sample was divided into sixteen 5-cm segments by depth (320 segments in total). Samples were concentrated by washing over sieves and then germinated in an unheated greenhouse. Soil penetration resistance was measured in situ next to each core location (0–80 cm depth, 1-cm resolution). We tested the number and species richness of seedlings observed in the soil segments (N = 320), using negative binomial generalized linear regression models, in which sampling layer and penetration resistance were the predictor variables. We ran the models for morphological groups (graminoids/forbs), ecological groups (grassland species/weeds) and life-form categories (short-lived/perennial). We also tested whether seed shape index, seed mass, water requirement or salt tolerance of the species influence the vertical distribution of their seed bank.ResultsGerminable seed density and species richness in the seed bank decreased with increasing soil depth and penetration resistance. However, we detected nine germinable seeds of six species even in the deepest soil layer. Forbs, grassland species and short-lived species occurred in large abundance in deep layers, from where graminoids, weeds and perennial species were missing. Round-shaped seeds were more abundant in deeper soil layers compared to elongated ones, but seed mass and ecological indicator values did not influence the vertical seed bank distribution. Our research draws attention to the potential ecological importance of the deeply buried seeds that may be a source of recovery after severe disturbance. As Vertisols cover 335 million hectares worldwide, these findings can be relevant for many regions and ecosystems globally. We highlight the need for similar studies in other soil and habitat types to test whether the presence of deep buried seeds is specific to soils with Vertic characteristics. creator: Ágnes Tóth creator: Balázs Deák creator: Katalin Tóth creator: Réka Kiss creator: Katalin Lukács creator: Zoltán Rádai creator: Laura Godó creator: Sándor Borza creator: András Kelemen creator: Tamás Miglécz creator: Zoltán Bátori creator: Tibor József Novák creator: Orsolya Valkó uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13226 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2022 Tóth et al. title: Sequentiality of beetle communities in the longitudinal gradient of a lowland river in the context of the river continuum concept link: https://peerj.com/articles/13232 last-modified: 2022-04-05 description: The main goal of the study was to recognize the mechanisms underlying assemblage structuring of aquatic beetle fauna inhabiting a medium-sized, lowland river exposed to anthropogenic pressures. An attempt was made to identify the impact of numerous abiotic factors on how beetle communities are formed, with particular emphasis on geomorphological and landscape-related factors, which tend to be omitted from many studies of aquatic organisms. Our intention was to refer the results of our study to the general assumptions of the River Continuum Concept. Field studies were conducted in 2010, at 13 sites located along the Krąpiel River (north-western Poland). In total, 3,269 beetles were captured, representing 120 species and five ecological groups: crenophiles, rheophiles, rheobionts, stagnobionts a and stagnobionts b, which differ in environmental preferences. The core of the identified fauna was composed of stagnobionts, while rheophiles and rheobionts accounted for only 20% of the entire collected material. The formation of beetle assemblages was affected both by local factors, with an impact on aquatic environments, and by geomorphological factors, influencing a larger catchment. This was reflected in the high degree of conformity between dendrograms presenting similarities in the fauna at the studied sites, including the clustering of sites based on the abiotic factors that differentiated these sites. The presence of buffer zones, surfaces of patches denoted as “marshes” (marshland surface), “shrubs” (shrub surface), and “forests” (forest surface), and the distance to those patches seem to be the most important landscape factors affecting beetle communities. Of the factors influencing the aquatic environment, the following exerted the strongest effect: insolation, vegetation cover, presence of organic matter and BOD5, and anthropogenic pressure. The changes in assemblages of beetles determined in our study in the particular sections of the river course were a consequence of the effects of both internal factors and external ones, originating from the entire river’s catchment, which is in accord with the basic assumptions of the RCC. creator: Joanna Pakulnicka creator: Paweł Buczyński creator: Edyta Buczyńska creator: Edyta Stępień creator: Agnieszka Szlauer-Łukaszewska creator: Robert Stryjecki creator: Aleksandra Bańkowska creator: Vladimir Pešić creator: Ewa Filip creator: Andrzej Zawal uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13232 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2022 Pakulnicka et al. title: Comparison of gut microbiome in the Chinese mud snail (Cipangopaludina chinensis) and the invasive golden apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata) link: https://peerj.com/articles/13245 last-modified: 2022-04-05 description: BackgroundGut microbiota play a critical role in nutrition absorption and environmental adaptation and can affect the biological characteristics of host animals. The invasive golden apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata) and native Chinese mud snail (Cipangopaludina chinensis) are two sympatric freshwater snails with similar ecological niche in southern China. However, gut microbiota comparison of interspecies remains unclear. Comparing the difference of gut microbiota between the invasive snail P. canaliculata and native snail C. chinensis could provide new insight into the invasion mechanism of P.canaliculata at the microbial level.MethodsGut samples from 20 golden apple snails and 20 Chinese mud snails from wild freshwater habitats were collected and isolated. The 16S rRNA gene V3–V4 region of the gut microbiota was analyzed using high throughput Illumina sequencing.ResultsThe gut microbiota dominantly composed of Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes and Epsilonbacteraeota at phylum level in golden apple snail. Only Proteobacteria was the dominant phylum in Chinese mud snail. Alpha diversity analysis (Shannon and Simpson indices) showed there were no significant differences in gut microbial diversity, but relative abundances of the two groups differed significantly (P < 0.05). Beta diversity analysis (Bray Curtis and weighted UniFrac distance) showed marked differences in the gut microbiota structure (P < 0.05). Unique or high abundance microbial taxa were more abundant in the invasive snail compared to the native form. Functional prediction analysis indicated that the relative abundances of functions differed significantly regarding cofactor prosthetic group electron carrier and vitamin biosynthesis, amino acid biosynthesis, and nucleoside and nucleotide biosynthesis (P < 0.05). These results suggest an enhanced potential to adapt to new habitats in the invasive snail. creator: Zihao Zhou creator: Hongying Wu creator: Dinghong Li creator: Wenlong Zeng creator: Jinlong Huang creator: Zhengjun Wu uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13245 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2022 Zhou et al.