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Accurate knowledge of geographic ranges of species is essential for effective conservation management. Species with large distributions and good connectivity are presumed to be resilient to adverse localized/regional conditions, whereas those with small ranges and, thus, smaller population sizes are more likely to be vulnerable. The rich benthic assemblages across the Southern Ocean are generally considered “Antarctic” with some input from South America contributing to diversity on the sub-Antarctic island shelves. However, molecular work over the past two decades is challenging the paradigm of a general Antarctic benthic fauna, with evidence mounting for assemblages being regionally unique in terms of genetic diversity, regardless of formal taxonomic species composition. The widely distributed brittle star, Amphiura belgicae, is one element of the Southern Ocean benthic assemblage that has a complex historical taxonomic background hinting that it may in reality be a complex of species, each with small geographic range and little connectivity. Our study identified deep genetic divisions between geographically isolated populations, particularly between those on the Patagonian shelf and elsewhere. Indeed, populations on the Patagonian shelf were more closely related to the sympatric sister species A. eugeniae than to any other Southern Ocean population. We compare our data with a study of Ophiuroglypha lymani from similar collections, highlighting that both show highly regionalized populations, particularly on Island shelves, and both share the curious phenomenon of a presumed outgroup species being an element of the ingroup. We suggest that the isolated populations of both these species are following distinct evolutionary and ecological trajectories and that both should be treated as species complexes.

The Southern Ocean benthos is remarkably rich and diverse, and managed under a complexity of treaties and conventions, further complicated by geopolitical boundaries. Traditionally, conservation management is largely informed by species lists augmented, when data are available, by known vulnerability of the taxa. Species presence absence database resources are valuable tools with proven and positive management outcomes, however, in a vast, difficult to access and thus understudied region such as the Southern Ocean, there are large gaps in knowledge regarding the ecology, ecophysiology, life history and even species identity. Conservation biogeography identifies regions of conservation concern, rather than a species-by-species approach, but also relies on the availability of high-quality presence data from species lists and thus both approaches are undermined when species lists are inaccurate or species in general are poorly described. In addition, the data provide a snapshot of the current species diversity and have inadequate power to identify the processes underlying the patterns uncovered. Identifying historical processes common to shaping diversity (species or genetic) can be generalized across assemblages and regions, providing a more robust basis for conservation policy and decisions. In this study, largely based on consideration of Southern Ocean ophiuroids, we discuss the challenges inherent in using species lists, the power and limitations of genetic analyses, and revisit previous suggestions of building a spatial model of diversity that includes underlying evolutionary relationships transcending the simple species diversity approach, and that is applicable to assemblages, rather than just to individual taxa.

Drilling for the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) Early Jurassic Earth System and Timescale project (JET) was undertaken between October 2020 and January 2021. The drill site is situated in a small-scale synformal basin of the latest Triassic to Early Jurassic age that formed above the major Permian–Triassic half-graben system of the Cheshire Basin. The borehole is located to recover an expanded and complete succession to complement the legacy core from the Llanbedr (Mochras Farm) borehole drilled through 1967–1969 on the edge of the Cardigan Bay Basin, North Wales. The overall aim of the project is to construct an astronomically calibrated integrated timescale for the Early Jurassic and to provide insights into the operation of the Early Jurassic Earth system. Core of Quaternary age cover and Early Jurassic mudstone was obtained from two shallow partially cored geotechnical holes (Prees 2A to 32.2 m below surface (m b.s.) and Prees 2B to 37.0 m b.s.) together with Early Jurassic and Late Triassic mudstone from the principal hole, Prees 2C, which was cored from 32.92 to 651.32 m (corrected core depth scale). Core recovery was 99.7 % for Prees 2C. The ages of the recovered stratigraphy range from the Late Triassic (probably Rhaetian) to the Early Jurassic, Early Pliensbachian (Ibex Ammonoid Chronozone). All ammonoid chronozones have been identified for the drilled Early Jurassic strata. The full lithological succession comprises the Branscombe Mudstone and Blue Anchor formations of the Mercia Mudstone Group, the Westbury and Lilstock formations of the Penarth Group, and the Redcar Mudstone Formation of the Lias Group. A distinct interval of siltstone is recognized within the Late Sinemurian of the Redcar Mudstone Formation, and the name “Prees Siltstone Member” is proposed. Depositional environments range from playa lake in the Late Triassic to distal offshore marine in the Early Jurassic. Initial datasets compiled from the core include radiography, natural gamma ray, density, magnetic susceptibility, and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). A full suite of downhole logs was also run. Intervals of organic carbon enrichment occur in the Rhaetian (Late Triassic) Westbury Formation and in the earliest Hettangian and earliest Pliensbachian strata of the Redcar Mudstone Formation, where up to 4 % total organic carbon (TOC) is recorded. Other parts of the succession are generally organic-lean, containing less than 1 % TOC. Carbon-isotope values from bulk organic matter have also been determined, initially at a resolution of ∼ 1 m, and these provide the basis for detailed correlation between the Prees 2 succession and adjacent boreholes and Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) outcrops. Multiple complementary studies are currently underway and preliminary results promise an astronomically calibrated biostratigraphy, magnetostratigraphy, and chemostratigraphy for the combined Prees and Mochras successions as well as insights into the dynamics of background processes and major palaeo-environmental changes.

Mycothalli, symbioses between liverworts and soil fungi, have not previously been recorded in the Arctic. Here, 13 species of leafy liverwort from west Spitsbergen in the High Arctic are examined for the symbiosis using epifluorescence microscopy and sequencing of fungal ribosomal (r)RNA genes amplified from plant tissues. Microscopy showed that intracellular hyphal coils, key indicators of the symbiosis, were frequent (>40% stem length colonized) in nine species of liverwort in the families Anastrophyllaceae, Lophoziaceae, Cephaloziellaceae, Cephaloziaceae and Scapaniaceae, with hyphae occurring frequently (>40% cells occupied) in the rhizoids of 10 species in the same families. Dark septate hyphae, apparently formed by ascomycetes, were frequent on the stems of members of the Anastrophyllaceae, Cephaloziellaceae and Cephaloziaceae, and typically those growing on acidic mine tailings. Sequencing of fungal rRNA genes showed the presence of nine distinct groups (based on a 3% cut-off for ITS sequence divergence) of the basidiomycete Serendipita in the Anastrophyllaceae and Lophoziaceae, with ordinations and correlative analyses showing the presence of the genus to be positively associated with the frequency of hyphal coils, the occurrence of which was positively associated with edaphic factors (soil δ15N value and concentrations of moisture, nitrogen, carbon and organic matter). We propose that the frequency of mycothalli in leafy liverworts on west Spitsbergen, which is an order of magnitude higher than at lower latitudes, may arise from benefits conferred by mycobionts on their hosts in the harsh environment of the High Arctic.

The climate of maritime Antarctica has altered since the 1950s. However, the effects of increased temperature, precipitation and organic carbon and nitrogen availability on the fungal communities inhabiting the barren and oligotrophic fellfield soils that are widespread across the region are poorly understood. Here, we test how warming with open top chambers (OTCs), irrigation and the organic substrates glucose, glycine and tryptone soy broth (TSB) influence a fungal community inhabiting an oligotrophic maritime Antarctic fellfield soil. In contrast with studies in vegetated soils at lower latitudes, OTCs increased fungal community alpha diversity (Simpson’s index and evenness) by 102–142% in unamended soil after 5 years. Conversely, OTCs had few effects on diversity in substrate-amended soils, with their only main effects, in glycine-amended soils, being attributable to an abundance of Pseudogymnoascus. The substrates reduced alpha and beta diversity metrics by 18–63%, altered community composition and elevated soil fungal DNA concentrations by 1–2 orders of magnitude after 5 years. In glycine-amended soil, OTCs decreased DNA concentrations by 57% and increased the relative abundance of the yeast Vishniacozyma by 45-fold. The relative abundance of the yeast Gelidatrema declined by 78% in chambered soil and increased by 1.9-fold in irrigated soil. Fungal DNA concentrations were also halved by irrigation in TSB-amended soils. In support of regional- and continental-scale studies across climatic gradients, the observations indicate that soil fungal alpha diversity in maritime Antarctica will increase as the region warms, but suggest that the accumulation of organic carbon and nitrogen compounds in fellfield soils arising from expanding plant populations are likely, in time, to attenuate the positive effects of warming on diversity.

Abstract The health of the world's oceans is intrinsically linked to the biodiversity of the ecosystems they sustain. The importance of protecting and maintaining ocean biodiversity has been affirmed through the setting of the UN Sustainable Development Goal 14 to conserve and sustainably use the ocean for society's continuing needs. The decade beginning 2021–2030 has additionally been declared as the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. This program aims to maximize the benefits of ocean science to the management, conservation, and sustainable development of the marine environment by facilitating communication and cooperation at the science–policy interface. A central principle of the program is the conservation of species and ecosystem components of biodiversity. However, a significant omission from the draft version of the Decade of Ocean Science Implementation Plan is the acknowledgment of the importance of monitoring and maintaining genetic biodiversity within species. In this paper, we emphasize the importance of genetic diversity to adaptive capacity, evolutionary potential, community function, and resilience within populations, as well as highlighting some of the major threats to genetic diversity in the marine environment from direct human impacts and the effects of global climate change. We then highlight the significance of ocean genetic diversity to a diverse range of socioeconomic factors in the marine environment, including marine industries, welfare and leisure pursuits, coastal communities, and wider society. Genetic biodiversity in the ocean, and its monitoring and maintenance, is then discussed with respect to its integral role in the successful realization of the 2030 vision for the Decade of Ocean Science. Finally, we suggest how ocean genetic diversity might be better integrated into biodiversity management practices through the continued interaction between environmental managers and scientists, as well as through key leverage points in industry requirements for Blue Capital financing and social responsibility.

An almost complete ichthyosaur skeleton 10 m long was discovered in January 2021 at the Rutland Water Nature Reserve in the county of Rutland, UK. This was excavated by a small team of palaeontologists in the summer of the same year. Nicknamed 'The Rutland Sea Dragon', this almost fully articulated skeleton is an example of the large-bodied Early Jurassic ichthyosaur Temnodontosaurus. The specimen was analysed in situ , recorded (including a 3D scan using photogrammetry), excavated and removed from the site in a series of large plaster field jackets to preserve taphonomic information. Significantly, the specimen is the largest ichthyosaur skeleton to have been found in the UK and it may be the first recorded example of Temnodontosaurus trigonodon to be found in the country, extending its known geographic range significantly. It also represents the most complete skeleton of a large prehistoric reptile to have been found in the UK. We provide an account of the discovery and describe the methods used for excavating, recording and lifting the large skeleton which will aid palaeontologists facing similar challenges when collecting extensive remains of large and fragile fossil vertebrates. We also discuss the preliminary research findings and the global impact this discovery has had through public engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent attempts to explore marine microbial diversity and the global marine microbiome have indicated a large proportion of previously unknown diversity. However, sequencing alone does not tell the whole story, as it relies heavily upon information that is already contained within sequence databases. In addition, microorganisms have been shown to present small-to-large scale biogeographical patterns worldwide, potentially making regional combinations of selection pressures unique. Here, we focus on the extremophile community in the boundary region located between the Polar Front and the Southern Antarctic Circumpolar Current in the Southern Ocean, to explore the potential of metagenomic approaches as a tool for bioprospecting in the search for novel functional activity based on targeted sampling efforts. We assessed the microbial composition and diversity from a region north of the current limit for winter sea ice, north of the Southern Antarctic Circumpolar Front (SACCF) but south of the Polar Front. Although, most of the more frequently encountered sequences were derived from common marine microorganisms, within these dominant groups, we found a proportion of genes related to secondary metabolism of potential interest in bioprospecting. Extremophiles were rare by comparison but belonged to a range of genera. Hence, they represented interesting targets from which to identify rare or novel functions. Ultimately, future shifts in environmental conditions favoring more cosmopolitan groups could have an unpredictable effect on microbial diversity and function in the Southern Ocean, perhaps excluding the rarer extremophiles.

Apicomplexan parasites are responsible for a myriad of diseases in humans and livestock; yet despite intensive effort, development of effective sub-unit vaccines remains a long-term goal. Antigenic complexity and our inability to identify protective antigens from the pool that induce response are serious challenges in the development of new vaccines. Using a combination of parasite genetics and selective barriers with population-based genetic fingerprinting, we have identified that immunity against the most important apicomplexan parasite of livestock (Eimeria spp.) was targeted against a few discrete regions of the genome. Herein we report the identification of six genomic regions and, within two of those loci, the identification of true protective antigens that confer immunity as sub-unit vaccines. The first of these is an Eimeria maxima homologue of apical membrane antigen-1 (AMA-1) and the second is a previously uncharacterised gene that we have termed 'immune mapped protein-1' (IMP-1). Significantly, homologues of the AMA-1 antigen are protective with a range of apicomplexan parasites including Plasmodium spp., which suggest that there may be some characteristic(s) of protective antigens shared across this diverse group of parasites. Interestingly, homologues of the IMP-1 antigen, which is protective against E. maxima infection, can be identified in Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum. Overall, this study documents the discovery of novel protective antigens using a population-based genetic mapping approach allied with a protection-based screen of candidate genes. The identification of AMA-1 and IMP-1 represents a substantial step towards development of an effective anti-eimerian sub-unit vaccine and raises the possibility of identification of novel antigens for other apicomplexan parasites. Moreover, validation of the parasite genetics approach to identify effective antigens supports its adoption in other parasite systems where legitimate protective antigen identification is difficult.

La nota no presenta resumen.

The Lough Foyle Basin is a half-graben that straddles the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and contains sediments that range in age from Lower Carboniferous to Holocene. The basin's post-rift succession is represented by sediments of the Penarth Group and Lias Group. The lithostratigraphy and biostratigraphy of that interval are revised using new borehole material and existing outcrop. Palaeontological data provide a chronostratigraphic framework and aid palaeoenvironmental interpretations. Foraminifera, ostracods, palynomorphs indicate a nearshore, marginal marine depositional setting throughout much of the Rhaetian with a more marine, shelf and nearshore depositional setting for the Lias Group. The Penarth Group succession is similar to that elsewhere in Northern Ireland but the Lias Group (Waterloo Mudstone Formation) differs in that five distinct members can be recognised (Clooney Mudstone, Drummans Siltstone, Gortmore Mudstone, Tircreven Sandstone and Ballyleighery Mudstone), four of which are newly described. The deltaic and shelf sandstones of the Tircreven Sandstone Member are the only such examples preserved in the Jurassic strata of Northern Ireland and are some of the oldest in the Jurassic of the UK and Ireland, providing evidence of the proximity of the nearby Irish Landmass and representing a useful comparison for Early Jurassic sandstone reservoirs in offshore basins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thickest section of Early Jurassic strata known from onshore Ireland (total Jurassic thickness 566 m) is reported from the Ballinlea-1 well (Rathlin Basin) situated on the north coast of Northern Ireland. A biostratigraphical and palaeoenvironmental assessment is presented for this section largely based on calcareous benthic microfossils (foraminifera and ostracods). The Early Jurassic Waterloo Mudstone Formation (Lias Group) of Northern Ireland has previously received little micropalaeontological attention, therefore this work provides an opportunity to enhance palaeogeographic and palaeoenvironmental understanding for the Early Jurassic of the province, and this paper illustrates the key microfossil taxa of this age from Ireland for the first time. The records, based on ditch-cuttings samples, demonstrate a stratigraphical range from Hettangian to Early Pliensbachian, consistent with other wells and boreholes in this basin. The assemblage compositions are comparable to those elsewhere in the European boreal Atlantic realm. Hettangian to earliest Sinemurian microfossil assemblages are generally of low diversity and are numerically dominated by metacopid ostracods with occasional influxes of foraminifera. Gradually, foraminiferal abundance (often dominated by species of the Lagenida) come to exceed those of the ostracods in the Early Sinemurian reaching their greatest diversity in the Late Sinemurian. The sediments are considered to represent an inner to mid-shelf environment throughout while the record thickness for this region indicates ongoing syn-sedimentary fault movement along the basin margins within this period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The latest Triassic to earliest Jurassic transition has been widely studied due the occurrence of a major global extinction associated with a global hyperthermal event in this interval. Furthermore, a number of distinct geochemical events in the global carbon cycle can be recognised in the stable-isotope record across this boundary interval at many localities. Two fully-cored boreholes from East Antrim in Northern Ireland (Carnduff-1 and Carnduff-2) have penetrated sediments of latest Triassic to Early Jurassic age (Rhaetian to Early Sinemurian). Ammonites, foraminifera, ostracods and palynomorphs provide a robust chronology as well as insights to palaeoenvironmental conditions during this period. The sedimentary and palynological evidence support a largely marginal-marine setting for the sediments of the Triassic Penarth Group while a range of palaeontological evidence shows that the Early Jurassic Waterloo Mudstone Formation represents shallow-marine, shelf conditions that represent generally well-oxygenated bottom waters, with little evidence for dysoxia. Detailed ammonite biostratigraphy (ammonites first occur about 7.5 m up from the base of the Lias Group) indicates that the cores represent largely continuous sedimentation through the Hettangian and earliest Sinemurian (to Turneri Chronozone, Birchi Subchronozone). Stable-isotope analysis of both carbonate and organic carbon show a distinct carbon isotope excursion (CIE) in both fractions through the Cotham and Langport members (Lilstock Formation, Penarth Group, latest Triassic) which are considered to correlate with the distinctive 'Initial' CIE witnessed in SW England and probably the GSSP and other sites across the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The uppermost Triassic to Lower Jurassic interval has not been extensively studied across the island of Ireland. This paper seeks to redress that situation and presents a synthesis of records of the uppermost Triassic and Lower Jurassic from both onshore and offshore basins as well as describing the sedimentological characteristics of the main lithostratigraphical units encountered. Existing data have been supplemented with a re-examination and logging of some outcrops and the integration of data from recent hydrocarbon exploration wells and boreholes. The Late Triassic Penarth Group and Early Jurassic Lias Group can be recognised across the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. In some onshore basins, almost 600 m of strata are recorded, however in offshore basins thicknesses in excess of two kilometres for the Lower Jurassic have now been recognised, although little detailed information is currently available. The transition from the Triassic to the Jurassic was a period of marked global sea-level rise and climatic change (warming) and this is reflected in the lithostratigraphical record of these sediments in the basins of Northern Ireland and offshore basins of the Republic of Ireland. In general, the sediments of this interval are thicker than those in Great Britain and have potential for detailed study of climatic and sea-level fluctuation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background All crustaceans periodically moult to renew their exoskeleton. In krill this involves partial digestion and resorption of the old exoskeleton and synthesis of new cuticle. Molecular events that underlie the moult cycle are poorly understood in calcifying crustaceans and even less so in non-calcifying organisms such as krill. To address this we constructed an Antarctic krill cDNA microarray in order to generate gene expression profiles across the moult cycle and identify possible activation pathways. Results A total of 26 different cuticle genes were identified that showed differential gene expression across the moult cycle. Almost all cuticle genes were up regulated during premoult and down regulated during late intermoult. There were a number of transcripts with significant sequence homology to genes potentially involved in the synthesis, breakdown and resorption of chitin. During early premoult glutamine synthetase, a gene involved in generating an amino acid used in the synthesis of glucosamine, a constituent of chitin, was up regulated more than twofold. Mannosyltransferase 1, a member of the glycosyltransferase family of enzymes that includes chitin synthase was also up regulated during early premoult. Transcripts homologous to a β-N-acetylglucosaminidase (β-NAGase) precursor were expressed at a higher level during late intermoult (prior to apolysis) than during premoult. This observation coincided with the up regulation during late intermoult, of a coatomer subunit epsilon involved in the production of vesicles that maybe used to transport the β-NAGase precursors into the exuvial cleft. Trypsin, known to activate the β-NAGase precursor, was up regulated more than fourfold during premoult. The up regulation of a predicted oligopeptide transporter during premoult may allow the transport of chitin breakdown products across the newly synthesised epi- and exocuticle layers. Conclusion We have identified many genes differentially expressed across the moult cycle of krill that correspond with known phenotypic structural changes. This study has provided a better understanding of the processes involved in krill moulting and how they may be controlled at the gene expression level.