Biodiversity hotspots have been used extensively in setting conservation priorities for reef ecosystems. A recent Nature publication claims to have uncovered new hotspots based on global comparisons of functional diversity. Simulation models show that the purported novel evenness pattern is a mathematical inevitability of differences in species richness, as well as an artefact of differences in detectability between vastly different marine ecosystems. Constraints on evenness, along with disparity among communities in possible functional traits, cast doubt on the utility of global functional diversity comparisons for management of marine systems.
We report a teenager with childhood onset focal seizures associated with the chapeau de gendarme sign or ictal pouting of anterior insular lobe origin. The chapeau de gendarme sign has been associated with frontal lobe seizures in patients with focal epilepsy. However, in this case, stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG) localized seizures to the anterior insular cortex prior to her typical clinical manifestations. Surgical resection of the insular and frontal-lobe network resulted in seizure freedom. We propose that the anterior insular cortex should be a site of investigation during pre-surgical phase 2 evaluation in patients exhibiting the chapeau de gendarme sign during focal seizures.
The critical swimming performance (Ucrit) of fish has typically been measured on individuals given a step-based test that ends in fatigue. Many of the fish given this test naturally travel in schools; a concern is that the Ucrit test underestimates the natural performance of schooling fish, as there are hydrodynamic benefits to schooling. We addressed whether Ucrit was improved by schooling by giving zebrafish (Danio rerio) Ucrit tests individually or in groups of three, five, or ten. We found that fish swam faster in schools and that schools grew more cohesive as flow speed increased. The increased Ucrit owed to a greater number of fish swimming longer at lower speeds. In support of this, fish with the greatest Ucrit tended to have lower lactate and greater expression of citrate synthase. Our results indicate that Ucrit may increase when fish are tested in groups and that this may relate to energy savings, as well as differences in individual physiology.
Biodiversity hotspots have been used extensively in setting conservation priorities for reef ecosystems. A recent Nature publication claims to have uncovered new hotspots based on global comparisons of functional diversity. Simulation models show that the purported novel evenness pattern is a mathematical inevitability of differences in species richness, as well as an artefact of differences in detectability between vastly different marine ecosystems. Constraints on evenness, along with disparity among communities in possible functional traits, cast doubt on the utility of global functional diversity comparisons for management of marine systems.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.