Considerations when using the activPAL monitor in field-based research with adult populations

Research indicates that high levels of sedentary behavior(sitting or lying with low energy expenditure) are adversely associated with health. A key factor in improving our understanding of the impact of sedentary behavior(and patterns of sedentary time accumulation) on health is the use of objective measurement tools that collect date and time-stamped activity information. One such tool is the activP AL monitor. This thigh-worn device uses accelerometer-derived information about thigh position to determine the start and end of each period spent sitting/lying, standing, and stepping, as well as stepping speed, step counts, and postural transitions. The activP AL is increasingly being used within field-based research for its ability to measure sitting/lying via posture. We summarise key issues to consider when using the activP AL in physical activity and sedentary behavior field-based research with adult populations. It is intended that the findings and discussion points be informative for researchers who are currently using activP AL monitors or are intending to use them. Pre-data collection decisions, monitor preparation and distribution, data collection considerations, and manual and automated data processing possibilities are presented using examples from current literature and experiences from 2 research groups from the UK and Australia.

Breeding phase and outcome determine space use in European rollers Coracias garrulus prior to migration

The breeding period is a demanding and time-constrained phase for migratory bird species.Breeding outcome and duration can interact with the extent and duration of post-breeding movements,resulting in individual differences in space use ultimately influencing later stages of the annual cycle.We present space-use and home range estimates during the breeding season for 21 European rollers Coracias garrulus tracked between 2018 and 2022,in Italy and Croatia.Using high-resolution spatial GPS data coupled with regular nest-box monitoring,we analyzed dif-ferences in space use during the incubation/nestling period versus post-breeding period prior to migration,accounting for the breeding outcome(successful vs.failure).We found that adult movements were strongly reduced during the first phase,whereas increased in the post-breeding phase,especially for failed breeders.Successful breeders remained in the surroundings of the nest site,whereas unsuccessful ones tended to abandon the nest and visit distant areas(up to 500 km)for long periods(60.5±6.2 days).Breeding outcome did not influence the departure date of autumn migration,suggesting that failed breeders used this period for exploratory movements but not for advancing the onset of migra-tion.Such exploratory movements may be functional to prospect and inform settlement decisions in failed breeders in search of new breeding opportunities and may be particularly important in migratory species,which generally have a limited period to gather information prior to autumn migration.The study demonstrates the need to investigate seasonal movements in different populations and the potential importance of pros-pectingpost-breeding movements for long-distance migratory species.

Achieving broad-spectrum resistance against rice bacterial blight through targeted promoter editing and pathogen population monitoring

Plant diseases severely reduce crop yields and threaten global food security.Broad-spectrum resistance(BSR)is a desirable trait because it confers resistance against more than one pathogen species or the majority of races/strains of the same pathogen.To control plant diseases,breeders have selected BSR to reduce disease occurrence and prolong the life-span of newly released cultivars in the last several decades(Mundt,Phytopathology 108(7):792–802,2018).Although effective,breeding of BSR cultivars in crop plants is still time-consuming and technically challenging.Recently,new gene-editing technologies such as CRISPR/Cas9 have dramatically accelerated the process of plant breeding and provided an approach for rapidly creating new varieties with BSR and other beneficial traits(Borrelli et al.,Front Plant Sci 9:1245,2018).In addition,close surveillance of pathogen populations in the field can provide useful information for the deployment of appropriate resistance genes in the target regions.In this mini-review,we focus on the significance and application of the exciting results from two recent companion papers published in Nature Biotechnology that provide new strategies to develop crop plants with BSR against pathogens through targeted promoter editing of susceptibility genes in plants as well as pathogen population monitoring.

Testing a passive tracking index for monitoring the endangered Ethiopian wolf

The endangered Ethiopian wolf is considered the rarest canid in Africa.The species faces many threats and is particularly vulnerable to diseases such as rabies.A simple,low-technology means to monitor populations would greatly facilitate conservation efforts,through early detection of population changes and behavior,and signaling a need for intervention.We tested a passive tracking index methodology,which has been a valuable tool for indexing canids and other species around the world.The method uses counts of track intrusions into plots placed in the animals’routes of travel as the basis for calculating an index.Unlike for other species,for which the placement of tracking plots on dirt roads has been extremely successful,we found in our first trial that this approach did not adequately intersect the wolves’activity patterns.The low vegetation associated with Afro-alpine habitats offered little benefit for the wolves to travel roads.However,in our second trial among molerat colonies,a focus of wolf foraging activity,we found plot placement on molerat mounds was efficient for collecting Ethiopian wolf plot intrusions for index calculations.This plot placement method coupled with the passive tracking index calculations might offer resource managers a cost efficient tool that requires minimal equipment to monitor Ethiopian wolf populations on the Sanetti Plateau and other Afro-alpine habitats.Plot placement on roads in other Ethiopian wolf habitats where cross-country travel is more difficult might still be a viable means to collect track data,but would require further testing.

Hematological parameters of a Neotropical wild frog population,with a phylogenetic perspective on blood cell composition in Anura

Hematological parameters can provide key information to an animal health status.However,this information is usually hard to obtain.Here,we described the hematological parameters of Leptodactylus podicipinus in the Brazilian Pantanal.We measured red blood cell morphometrics,erythrogram,and leukogram.We also tested for phylogenetic signal in the erythrogram and leukogram of 48 frog species from 15 families,testing if body size explains their variation.Lymphocytes were the most abundant leukocytes(>60%)in L.podicipinus,followed by neutrophils(∼10%).Given that L.podicipinus is an abundant and widely distributed species in central Brazil,knowing its hematological pattern can help establish a baseline and improve its use as a bioindicator of environmental degradation.Mean corpuscular hemoglobin and value contributed more to the phylomorphospace of erythrogram,in which Leptodactylus spp.and Hypsiboas raniceps had lower values of these variables,whereas Bufotes viridis and Hyla arborea had high values.The phylogenetic signal was spread throughout the dimensions of the leukogram phylomorphospace.The variables that most contributed to it were total leukocytes counts,lymphocytes,and neutrophils.We also found a moderate phylogenetic signal for both the erythrogram and leukogram.Accordingly,body size accounted for a low proportion of variation in both the leukogram(4.7%)and erythrogram(0.57%).By applying phylogenetic comparative methods to hematological parameters,our results add a new perspective on the evolution of blood cell physiology in frogs.