Role of cancer stem cell ecosystem on breast cancer metastasis and related mouse models

Breast cancer metastasis is responsible for most breast cancer-related deaths and is influenced by many factors within the tumor ecosystem,including tumor cells and microenvironment.Breast cancer stem cells(BCSCs)constitute a small population of cancer cells with unique characteristics,including their capacity for self-renewal and differentiation.Studies have shown that BCSCs not only drive tumorigenesis but also play a crucial role in promoting metastasis in breast cancer.The tumor microenvironment(TME),composed of stromal cells,immune cells,blood vessel cells,fibroblasts,and microbes in proximity to cancer cells,is increasingly recognized for its crosstalk with BCSCs and role in BCSC survival,growth,and dissemination,thereby influencing metastatic ability.Hence,a thorough understanding of BCSCs and the TME is critical for unraveling the mechanisms underlying breast cancer metastasis.In this review,we summarize current knowledge on the roles of BCSCs and the TME in breast cancer metastasis,as well as the underlying regulatory mechanisms.Furthermore,we provide an overview of relevant mouse models used to study breast cancer metastasis,as well as treatment strategies and clinical trials addressing BCSC-TME interactions during metastasis.Overall,this study provides valuable insights for the development of effective therapeutic strategies to reduce breast cancer metastasis.

Implication of community-level ecophysiological parameterization to modelling ecosystem productivity:a case study across nine contrasting forest sites in eastern China

Parameterization is a critical step in modelling ecosystem dynamics.However,assigning parameter values can be a technical challenge for structurally complex natural plant communities;uncertainties in model simulations often arise from inappropriate model parameterization.Here we compared five methods for defining community-level specific leaf area(SLA)and leaf C:N across nine contrasting forest sites along the North-South Transect of Eastern China,including biomass-weighted average for the entire plant community(AP_BW)and four simplified selective sampling(biomass-weighted average over five dominant tree species[5DT_BW],basal area weighted average over five dominant tree species[5DT_AW],biomass-weighted average over all tree species[AT_BW]and basal area weighted average over all tree species[AT_AW]).We found that the default values for SLA and leaf C:N embedded in the Biome-BGC v4.2 were higher than the five computational methods produced across the nine sites,with deviations ranging from 28.0 to 73.3%.In addition,there were only slight deviations(<10%)between the whole plant community sampling(AP_BW)predicted NPP and the four simplified selective sampling methods,and no significant difference between the predictions of AT_BW and AP_BW except the Shennongjia site.The findings in this study highlights the critical importance of computational strategies for community-level parameterization in ecosystem process modelling,and will support the choice of parameterization methods.

Temporal variations of food web in a marine bay ecosystem based on LIM-MCMC model

Climate change has led to significant fluctuations in marine ecosystems,including alterations in the structure and function of food webs and ecosystem status.Coastal ecosystems are critical to the functioning of the earth’s lifesupporting systems.However,temporal variations in most of these ecosystems have remained unclear so far.In this study,we employed a linear inverse model with Markov Chain Monte Carlo(LIM-MCMC)combined with ecological network analysis to reveal the temporal variations of the food web in Haizhou Bay of China.Food webs were constructed based on diet composition data in this ecosystem during the year of 2011 and 2018.Results indicated that there were obvious temporal variations in the composition of food webs in autumn of 2011 and 2018.The number of prey and predators for most species in food web decreased in 2018 compared with 2011,especially for Trichiurus lepturus,zooplankton,Amblychaeturichthys hexanema,and Loligo sp.Ecological network analysis showed that the complexity of food web structure could be reflected by comprehensive analysis of compartmentalized indicators.Haizhou Bay ecosystem was more mature and stable in 2011,while the ecosystem’s self-sustainability and recovery from disturbances were accelerated from 2011 to 2018.These findings contribute to our understanding of the dynamics of marine ecosystems and highlight the importance of comprehensive analysis of marine food webs.This work provides a framework for assessing and comparing temporal variations in marine ecosystems,which provides essential information and scientific guidance for the Ecosystem-based Fisheries Management.

Evaluation of Human Impacts on Bartlett Pond Ecosystem, Laredo, Southern Texas, USA, through Empirical Modeling

The trace elements chemistry of Bartlett Pond, a small shallow wetland pond in Laredo, Southern Texas, was sampled to evaluate the dynamics of trace elements impacts on water quality and ecosystems ecology of the pond. Two types of fish (bass and tilapia) were also sampled to see the trace element accumulation in different parts of their body. The concentrations of trace elements in water samples were found in the following order: Fe &Gt;Sb > Pb > As &Gt;Co > Tl > Cr > Cd within Bartlett Pond. Overall, the water quality of the pond is unacceptable for drinking and any other purposes as trace element concentrations (e.g. As, Cd, Co, Cr, Pb, Fe, Sb and Tl) are exceedingly higher (several fold) than the WHO and US EPA guidelines. Predictive and correlation analysis shows that most trace elements exhibit a strong positive correlation among them indicating the same anthropogenic sources and biogeochemical processes regulate these trace elements within the pond. Distributions of the trace elements in water exhibit different shapes mostly as positively skewed distribution for As, Cd, Co, Cr, and Tl, symmetrical distribution for Fe and almost symmetrical distribution for Pb and Sb. Concentrations of As, Co and Tl accumulated much higher in different parts of the Bass than Tilapia fish. The concentrations of As, Tl, Co, and Sb appeared significantly higher in different parts of the body of both Bass and Tilapia than the maximum SRM certified values. Accumulation of these contaminants in fish tissues pose increased health risks to humans who consume these contaminated fish although fishing is prohibited. Anthropogenic activities in the region primarily degrade the whole pond ecosystem ecology of the Bartlett Pond and waters of this pond to be not recommended for any use. These findings may be useful for the scientific community and concerned authorities to improve understanding about these precious natural resources and conservation of the ecosystem ecology.

Dynamics of Land Use/Land Cover Considering Ecosystem Services for a Dense-Population Watershed Based on a Hybrid Dual-Subject Agent and Cellular Automaton Modeling Approach

Land use/land cover represents the interactive and comprehensive influences between human activities and natural conditions,leading to potential conflicts among natural and human-related issues as well as among stakeholders.This study introduced economic standards for farmers.A hybrid approach(CA-ABM)of cellular automaton(CA)and an agent-based model(ABM)was developed to effectively deal with social and land-use synergic issues to examine human–environment interactions and projections of land-use conversions for a humid basin in south China.Natural attributes and socioeconomic data were used to analyze land use/land cover and its drivers of change.The major modules of the CA-ABM are initialization,migration,assets,land suitability,and land-use change decisions.Empirical estimates of the factors influencing the urban land-use conversion probability were captured using parameters based on a spatial logistic regression(SLR)model.Simultaneously,multicriteria evaluation(MCE)and Markov models were introduced to obtain empirical estimates of the factors affecting the probability of ecological land conversion.An agent-based CA-SLR-MCE-Markov(ABCSMM)land-use conversion model was proposed to explore the impacts of policies on land-use conversion.This model can reproduce observed land-use patterns and provide links for forest transition and urban expansion to land-use decisions and ecosystem services.The results demonstrated land-use simulations under multi-policy scenarios,revealing the usefulness of the model for normative research on land-use management.

Ecosystem service multifunctionality of mixed conifer-broad-leaved forests under climate change and forest management based on matrix growth modelling

Climate change and forest management are recognized as pivotal factors influencing forest ecosystem services and thus multifunctionality.However,the magnitude and the relative importance of climate change and forest management effects on the multifunctionality remain unclear,especially for natural mixed forests.In this study,our objective is to address this gap by utilizing simulations of climate-sensitive transition matrix growth models based on national forest inventory plot data.We evaluated the effects of seven management scenarios(combinations of various cutting methods and intensities)on the future provision of ecosystem services and multifunctionality in mixed conifer-broad-leaved forests in northeastern China,under four climate scenarios(SSP1-2.6,SSP2-4.5,SSP5-8.5,and constant climate).Provisioning,regulating,cultural,and supporting services were described by timber production,carbon storage,carbon sequestration,tree species diversity,deadwood volume,and the number of large living trees.Our findings indicated that timber production was significantly influenced by management scenarios,while tree species diversity,deadwood volume,and large living trees were impacted by both climate and management separately.Carbon storage and sequestration were notably influenced by both management and the interaction of climate and management.These findings emphasized the profound impact of forest management on ecosystem services,outweighing that of climate scenarios alone.We found no single management scenario maximized all six ecosystem service indicators.The upper story thinning by 5%intensity with 5-year interval(UST5)management strategy emerged with the highest multifunctionality,surpassing the lowest values by more than 20%across all climate scenarios.In conclusion,our results underlined the potential of climate-sensitive transition matrix growth models as a decision support tool and provided recommendations for long-term strategies for multifunctional forest management under future climate change context.Ecosystem services and multifunctionality of forests could be enhanced by implementing appropriate management measures amidst a changing climate.

Study on Sex Ratio of Lampreys Based on Simulated Ecosystem-Food Web Model

Lampreys, as an important participant in the ecosystem, play an irreplaceable role in the stability of nature. A variety of models were used to simulate ecosystems and food webs, and the dynamic evolution of multiple populations was solved. The temporal changes of the biomass and the health of the ecosystem affected by the population of Lampreys in other ecological niches were solved. For problem 1, Firstly, a simple natural ecosystem is simulated based on the threshold model and BP neural network model. The dynamic change of the sex ratio of lampreys population and the fluctuation of ecosystem health value were found to generate time series maps. Lampreys overprey on low-niche animals, which damages the overall stability of the ecosystem. For problem 2, We used the Lotka-Volterra model to construct ecological competition between lampreys and primary consumers and predators. Then, the Lotka-Volterra equations were solved, and a control group without gender shift function was set up, which reflected the advantages and disadvantages of the sex-regulated characteristics of lampreys in the natural environment. For problem 3, The ecosystem model established in question 1 was further deepened, and the food web was simulated by the Beverton-Holt model and the Logistic time-dependent differential equations model. The parameters of the food web model were input into the neurons of the ecosystem model, and the two models were integrated to form an overall biosphere model. The output layer of the ecosystem neural network was input into the food web Beverton-Holt and Logistic differential equations, and finally, the three-dimensional analytical solution was obtained by numerical simulation. Then Euler method is used to obtain the exact value of the solution surface. The Random forest model was used to predict the future development of lampreys and other ecological niches. For problem 4, By investigating relevant literature, we normalized the populations of lampreys and a variety of fish as well as other ecological niche animals, plants and microorganisms in the same water area, set different impact weights of lampreys, constructed weight evaluation matrix, and obtained positive and negative ideal solution vectors and negative correlation proximity by using TOPSIS comprehensive evaluation method. It is concluded that many kinds of fish are greatly affected by the sex regulation of lampreys.

Trait-based representation of hydrological functional properties of plants in weather and ecosystem models

Land surface models and dynamic global vegetation models typically represent vegetation through coarse plant functional type groupings based on leaf form, phenology, and bioclimatic limits. Although these groupings were both feasible and functional for early model generations, in light of the pace at which our knowledge of functional ecology, ecosystem demographics, and vegetation-climate feedbacks has advanced and the ever growing demand for enhanced model performance, these groupings have become antiquated and are identified as a key source of model uncertainty. The newest wave of model development is centered on shifting the vegetation paradigm away from plant functional types(PFTs)and towards flexible trait-based representations. These models seek to improve errors in ecosystem fluxes that result from information loss due to over-aggregation of dissimilar species into the same functional class. We advocate the importance of the inclusion of plant hydraulic trait representation within the new paradigm through a framework of the whole-plant hydraulic strategy. Plant hydraulic strategy is known to play a critical role in the regulation of stomatal conductance and thus transpiration and latent heat flux. It is typical that coexisting plants employ opposing hydraulic strategies, and therefore have disparate patterns of water acquisition and use. Hydraulic traits are deterministic of drought resilience, response to disturbance, and other demographic processes. The addition of plant hydraulic properties in models may not only improve the simulation of carbon and water fluxes but also vegetation population distributions.

Establishment and Analysis on Material Flow Model in Argo-animal Husbandry Ecosystem

This paper analyzed the material flow situation in argo-animal husbandry ecosystem by compartment model. This model was an important mean for investigating the whole structural characteristics in ecosystem. Based on this analysis, characteristics of material cycle and integrity in the system were mastered. As an example of natural conditions in Yonghe Village, Shuangcheng Township, Shuangeheng Municipal, Heilongjang Province, the system of linear differential equations in system was established by extracting each compartment and investigating material flow and stability of this model was proved by Lyapunov linear theory. The result showed that this system could not be interfered by initial value in the state of present, input and output.

A spatial-explicit dynamic vegetation model that couples carbon,water,and nitrogen processes for arid and semiarid ecosystems

Arid and semiarid ecosystems, or dryland, are important to global biogeochemical cycles. Dryland＇s community structure and vegetation dynamics as well as biogeochemical cycles are sensitive to changes in climate and atmospheric composition. Vegetation dynamic models has been applied in global change studies, but the com- plex interactions among the carbon （C）, water, and nitrogen （N） cycles have not been adequately addressed in the current models. In this study, a process-based vegetation dynamic model was developed to study the responses of dryland ecosystems to environmental changes, emphasizing on the interactions among the C, water, and N proc- esses. To address the interactions between the C and water processes, it not only considers the effects of annual precipitation on vegetation distribution and soil moisture on organic matter （SOM） decomposition, but also explicitly models root competition for water and the water compensation processes. To address the interactions between C and N processes, it models the soil inorganic mater processes, such as N mineralization/immobilization, denitrifica- tion/nitrification, and N leaching, as well as the root competition for soil N. The model was parameterized for major plant functional types and evaluated against field observations.

Quantitative model of trophic interactions in Beibu Gulf ecosystem in the northern South China Sea

A mass-balanced model was constructed to determine the flow-energy in a community of fishes and invertebrates in the Beibu Gulf, northern South China Sea using Ecopath and Ecosim software. Input parameters were taken from the literature, except for the biomass of fish groups which was obtained from trawl surveys during October 1997 to May 1999 in the study area. The model consisted of 16 functional groups （boxes）, including one marine mammal and seabirds, each representing organisms with a similar role in the food web, and only covered the main trophic flow in the Beibu Gulf ecosystem. The results showed that the food web of Beibu Gulf was dominated by the detrital path and benthic invertebrates played a significant role in transferring energy from the detritus to higher trophic levels; phytoplankton was a primary producer and most utilized as a food source. Fractional trophic levels ranged from 1.0 to 4.08 with marine mammals occupying the highest trophic level. Using network analysis, the system network was mapped into a linear food chain and six discrete trophic levels were found with a mean transfer efficiency of 16.7% from the detritus, 16.2% from the primary producer within the ecosystem. The biomass density of the commercially utilized species estimated by the model is 8.46 t/km^2, only O. 48% of the net primary production.

Analysis of Ecosystem Degradation Factors in Yuanmou Arid-Hot Valleys Based on Interpretative Structural Model

For ecological restoration and reconstruction of the degraded area, it is an important premise to correctly understand the degradation factors of the ecosystem in the arid-hot valleys. The factors including vegetation degradation, land degradation, arid climate, policy failure, forest fire, rapid population growth, excessive deforestation, overgrazing, steep slope reclamation, economic poverty, engineering construction, lithology, slope, low cultural level, geological hazards, biological disaster, soil properties etc, were selected to study the Yuanmou arid-hot valleys. Based on the interpretative structural model （ISM）, it has found out that the degradation factors of the Yuanmou arid-hot valleys were not at the same level but in a multilevel hierarchical system with internal relations, which pointed out that the degradation mode of the arid-hot valleys was ＂straight （appearance）-penetrating-background＂. Such researches have important directive significance for the restoration and reconstruction of the arid-hot valleys ecosystem.

An interactive simulation model of urban ecosystem and its implementation

An interactive simulation model is established based on the methodology of 'sensitivity model' (SM) during the cooperative research process between the founders of SM and the authors. And the conceptual framework of SM is developed into the interactively qualitative and quantitative simulation model presented in this paper, which makes it possible to break down a complex urban ecosystem into simple and visual quantitative or qualitative relationships between the factors. By studying the dynamic responses of the system to the changes of the inputs and parameters of the model, future trends in urban development can be predicted and strategies formulated. The whole process is realized on micro-computer in the course of man-computer interaction. Its potential use is shown in a case of Tianjin City.

Simplified Dynamic Models of Grass Field Ecosystem

Some simplified dynamic models of grass field ecosystem are developed and investigated. The maximum simplified one consists of two variables, living grass biomass and soil wetness. The analyses of such models show that there exists only desert regime without grasses if the precipitation p is less than a critical value pc; the grass biomass continuously depends on p if the interaction between grass biomass and the soil wetness is weak, but the strong interaction results in the bifurcation of grass biomass in the vicinity of pc: the grass biomass is rich as p > pc, but it becomes desertification as p<pc. Periodic solutions also exist in the model, if the seasonal cycle of model's parameters is introduced. An improved model consists of three variables, i.e. the living grass biomass x, the nonliving grass biomass accumulated on the ground surface y and the soil wetness z. The behaviours of such three variables model are more complicated. The initial values of y and z play a very important role.

Application of site-specific biomass models to quantify spatial distribution of stocks and historical emissions from deforestation in a tropical forest ecosystem

Allometric equations developed for the Lama forest, located in southern Benin, West Africa, were applied to estimate carbon stocks of three vegetation types：undisturbed forest, degraded forest, and fallow. Carbon stock of the undisturbed forest was 2.7 times higher than that in the degraded forest and 3.4 times higher than that in fallow. The structure of the forest suggests that the individual species were generally concentrated in lower diameter classes. Carbon stock was positively correlated to basal area and negatively related to tree density, suggesting that trees in higher diameter classes contributed significantly to the total carbon stock. The study demonstrated that large trees constitute an important component to include in the sampling approach to achieve accurate carbon quantification in forestry. Historical emissions from deforestation that converted more than 30% of the Lama forest into cropland between the years 1946 and 1987 amounted to 260,563.17 tons of carbon per year（t CO2/year） for the biomass pool only. The study explained the application of biomass models and ground truth data to estimate reference carbon stock of forests.

A coupled ice-ocean ecosystem model for 1-D and 3-D applications in the Bering and Chukchi Seas

Primary production in the Bering and Chukchi Seas is strongly influenced by the annual cycle of sea ice. Here pelagic and sea ice algal ecosystems coexist and interact with each other. Ecosystem modeling of sea ice associated phytoplankton blooms has been understudied compared to open water ecosystem model applications. This study introduces a general coupled ice-ocean ecosystem model with equations and parameters for 1-D and 3-D applications that is based on 1-D coupled ice-ocean ecosystem model development in the landfast ice in the Chukchi Sea and marginal ice zone of Bering Sea. The biological model includes both pelagic and sea ice algal habitats with 10 compartments： three phytoplankton （pelagic diatom, flagellates and ice algae： D, F, and Ai） , three zooplankton （copepods, large zooplankton, and microzooplankton ： ZS, ZL, ZP） , three nutrients （ nitrate ＋ nitrite, ammonium, silicon ： NO3 , NH4, Si） and detritus （Det）. The coupling of the biological models with physical ocean models is straightforward with just the addition of the advection and diffusion terms to the ecosystem model. The coupling with a multi-category sea ice model requires the same calculation of the sea ice ecosystem model in each ice thickness category and the redistribution between categories caused by both dynamic and thermodynamic forcing as in the physical model. Phytoplankton and ice algal self-shading effect is the sole feedback from the ecosystem model to the physical model.

Discussion of skill improvement in marine ecosystem dynamic models based on parameter optimization and skill assessment

Marine ecosystem dynamic models(MEDMs) are important tools for the simulation and prediction of marine ecosystems. This article summarizes the methods and strategies used for the improvement and assessment of MEDM skill, and it attempts to establish a technical framework to inspire further ideas concerning MEDM skill improvement. The skill of MEDMs can be improved by parameter optimization(PO), which is an important step in model calibration. An effi cient approach to solve the problem of PO constrained by MEDMs is the global treatment of both sensitivity analysis and PO. Model validation is an essential step following PO, which validates the effi ciency of model calibration by analyzing and estimating the goodness-of-fi t of the optimized model. Additionally, by focusing on the degree of impact of various factors on model skill, model uncertainty analysis can supply model users with a quantitative assessment of model confi dence. Research on MEDMs is ongoing; however, improvement in model skill still lacks global treatments and its assessment is not integrated. Thus, the predictive performance of MEDMs is not strong and model uncertainties lack quantitative descriptions, limiting their application. Therefore, a large number of case studies concerning model skill should be performed to promote the development of a scientifi c and normative technical framework for the improvement of MEDM skill.

A theoretical model for assessing the sustainability of ecosystem services

The Value of the World＇s Ecosystem Services and Natural Capital by Costanza in 1997 is generally regarded as a monumem for the research of valuing ecosystem services. However, the classification of ecosystem services, the method of various services summation and the purpose for static global value had be confronted by many criticisms. Based on the summary of these criticisms, suggestions, related function assessment and further study direction, the sustainability of ecosystem Services is presented. The two basic indicators in ecology, productivity and biodiversity, respectively charactering the ability of producing and self-organizing, not only represent the internal function of ecosystem, but also are proportioned to its external function of supporting and providing for human life. On presenting the general.form of ecosystem services assessment, this paper improves the mathematical formula by giving a function adjusting coefficient composea of productivity and biodiversity. Theoretically, the integration of the two indicators reflects the changes of ecosystem services at spatial and temporal scales, can physically assess the sustainability of ecosystem services, and build a firm scientific fundament of value assessment for ecosystem services. Objectively, its application should be strictly tested in next step.

Quantifying the impacts of fire aerosols on global terrestrial ecosystem productivity with the fully-coupled Earth system model CESM

Fire is a global phenomenon and a major source of aerosols from the terrestrial biosphere to the atmosphere.Most previous studies quantified the effect of fire aerosols on climate and atmospheric circulation,or on the regional and site-scale terrestrial ecosystem productivity.So far,only one work has quantified their global impacts on terrestrial ecosystem productivity based on offline simulations,which,however,did not consider the impacts of aerosol–cloud interactions and aerosol–climate feedbacks.This study quantitatively assesses the influence of fire aerosols on the global annual gross primary productivity(GPP)of terrestrial ecosystems using simulations with the fully coupled global Earth system model CESM1.2.Results show that fire aerosols generally decrease GPP in vegetated areas,with a global total of−1.6 Pg C yr^−1,mainly because fire aerosols cool and dry the land surface and weaken the direct photosynthetically active radiation(PAR).The exception to this is the Amazon region,which is mainly due to a fire-aerosol-induced wetter land surface and increased diffuse PAR.This study emphasizes the importance of the influence of fire aerosols on climate in quantifying global-scale fire aerosols’impacts on terrestrial ecosystem productivity.

Modification of Costanza's model of valuing ecosystem services and its application in China

In the past,evaluations of ecosystem functions were mostly based on Costanza's model,whereas the spatial,quality and temporal characteristics of regional ecosystems were not considered in the model.Focusing on these issues,coefficients of regional difference,spatial heterogeneity and willingness-to-pay(WTP)were established to modify Costanza's model,and a new comprehensive valuation model of ecosystem functions is proposed.The analytical results indicate that the comprehensive model could evaluate regional ecosystem functions in China accurately and provide more helpful information for decision-making.The empirical study on Zhangbei County in Hebei Province shows that the intensive human activities could limit the provision of ecosystem functions while the planned ecological programs might promote the restoration of ecosystem functions.