Physical mechanism of the rapid increase in intense and long-lived extreme heatwaves in the Northern Hemisphere since 1980

Since 1980,both the intensity and duration of summer heatwaves in the middle and high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere have significantly increased,leading this region to become a critical area for a significant increase in the frequency of intense and long-lived extreme heatwaves.We found that stronger and more persistent high-pressure systems and lower soil moisture before the events were the main drivers of intense and long-lived extreme heatwaves in western Europe and the middle and high latitudes of North America.However,in eastern Europe and Siberia,lower cloud cover before events is also a main driver of this type of extreme heatwave,in addition to the above drivers.These factors are coupled with each other and can change heatwave intensity and duration by influencing surface radiation processes during events.Using the self-organizing map classification method,we found that 6 weather patterns with increased frequency,intensity,and duration were the main dynamic reasons leading to the increase in intense and long-lived extreme heatwaves after 1980.In addition,the decrease in summer average soil moisture in most areas of the mid-high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere and the decrease in average cloud cover in eastern Europe and Siberia are found to be the main thermodynamic reasons leading to the increase in these extreme heatwaves.

The genetic basis of the leafy seadragon's unique camouflage morphology and avenues for its efficient conservation derived from habitat modeling

The leafy seadragon certainly is among evolution’s most“beautiful and wonderful”species aptly named for its extraordinary camouflage mimicking its coastal seaweed habitat.However,limited information is known about the genetic basis of its phenotypes and conspicuous camouflage.Here,we revealed genomic signatures of rapid evolution and positive selection in core genes related to its camouflage,which allowed us to predict population dynamics for this species.Comparative genomic analysis revealed that seadragons have the smallest olfactory repertoires among all ray-finned fishes,suggesting adaptations to the highly specialized habitat.Other positively selected and rapidly evolving genes that serve in bone development and coloration are highly expressed in the leaf-like appendages,supporting a recent adaptive shift in camouflage appendage formation.Knock-out of bmp6 results in dysplastic intermuscular bones with a significantly reduced number in zebrafish,implying its important function in bone formation.Global climate change-induced loss of seagrass beds now severely threatens the continued existence of this enigmatic species.The leafy seadragon has a historically small population size likely due to its specific habitat requirements that further exacerbate its vulnerability to climate change.Therefore,taking climate change-induced range shifts into account while developing future protection strategies.

Incorporating physiological knowledge into correlative species distribution models minimizes bias introduced by the choice of calibration area

Correlative species distribution models(SDMs)are important tools to estimate species’geographic distribution across space and time,but their reliability heavily relies on the availability and quality of occurrence data.Estimations can be biased when occurrences do not fully represent the environmental requirement of a species.We tested to what extent species’physiological knowledge might influence SDM estimations.Focusing on the Japanese sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus within the coastal ocean of East Asia,we compiled a comprehensive dataset of occurrence records.We then explored the importance of incorporating physiological knowledge into SDMs by calibrating two types of correlative SDMs:a naïve model that solely depends on environmental correlates,and a physiologically informed model that further incorporates physiological information as priors.We further tested the models’sensitivity to calibration area choices by fitting them with different buffered areas around known presences.Compared with naïve models,the physiologically informed models successfully captured the negative influence of high temperature on A.japonicus and were less sensitive to the choice of calibration area.The naïve models resulted in more optimistic prediction of the changes of potential distributions under climate change(i.e.,larger range expansion and less contraction)than the physiologically informed models.Our findings highlight benefits from incorporating physiological information into correlative SDMs,namely mitigating the uncertainties associated with the choice of calibration area.Given these promising features,we encourage future SDM studies to consider species physi-ological information where available.