Mexico ranks third globally in seabird diversity and second in the number of endemic species that breed within its territory, yet 16% of seabird species in the country are categorized as threatened on the IUCN Red List, including the Critically Endangered Townsend’s shearwater Puffinus auricularis. Nearly 20 years ago, the breeding population of Townsend’s shearwater, which is endemic to the Revillagigedo Archipelago of Mexico, was inferred to comprise < 100 breeding pairs. Since then, conservation initiatives have been implemented in the archipelago. We assessed the current status of Townsend’s shearwater by mapping the distribution of breeding colonies, estimating breeding population size, evaluating reproductive success, describing ongoing threats and modelling population trends under three conservation scenarios. During 2016–2024, we conducted field surveys on the islands of Socorro and Clarión using acoustic monitoring techniques in historical nesting areas. We estimated that the breeding population on Socorro comprises < 200 pairs and documented the return of a small breeding population to Clarión after a 30-year absence. However, reproductive failure persists because of the effects of native predators such as land crabs, snakes and ravens. The population has exhibited a slow decline driven by interactions between native and invasive species. Without ongoing restoration efforts and management actions, including the removal of feral cats, the population could face extinction.

In plant genetic resources research, coancestry-based parameters are widely used to assess the amount of diversity retained in germplasm samples, breeding populations and conservation collections. Among them, the variance effective number and status number are often treated as different measures. However, the analysis presented herein shows that they are algebraically equivalent when expressed under the same coancestry framework. Using standard definitions of average coancestry among individuals, average inbreeding, and group coancestry including self-coancestry, both parameters are derived to show that they reduce to the same expression. A numerical example confirms the identity. This result clarifies that the distinction is unnecessary. It also supports a more consistent interpretation of coancestry-based diversity measures in plant genetic resources.

Accurate harvest time prediction is a challenge for developing sustainable fruit production, especially for both dessert and plantain banana varieties. The proposed approach to predict the optimum harvest date was based on estimating appropriate parameter values, namely the threshold temperature and the corresponding degree-day sum, for a given cultivar and targeted market. When the threshold temperature was estimated from a sufficiently wide and contrasted dataset, as illustrated for the variety 938, the model achieves high predictive accuracy. The thermal time sum model can accurately predict the flowering-to-fruit-ripening phase of five dessert banana varieties moderately to strongly resistant to black leaf streak and fusarium wilt TR4 diseases and for the first time of one of plantain banana variety, cv. French Clair, with values of RMSE, MAPE, and R² ranging, respectively, from 3.8 to 8, from 3% to 6.8%, and from 0.51 to 0.85 on the validation datasets. This study proposes a simple and reliable temperature-based method to optimally forecast banana harvest date according to the targeted market. The calculated thermal time sum from the variety-dependent threshold temperature accurately predicted the fruit storability and the fruit size. Moreover, an adapted statistical method was proposed in the case of inability of recording data on the flowering-to-fruit-ripening phase, based on the occurrence of fruit splitting obtained under contrasting temperatures in different geographical areas. Threshold temperature values for each variety were discussed, and it was determined that this is a purely statistical parameter for prediction, without direct biological meaning.

Research on parasite-induced regulation has identified the conditions under which parasites can destabilise host population dynamics: high levels of aggregation, delayed density-dependence, and moderate negative effects on fitness (reproduction, survival). Gastrointestinal helminths with direct life cycles and a single definitive host provide ideal systems to test these predictions. In this study, we first determined which helminths infect common voles (Microtus arvalis) in NW Spain, where populations are cyclic. We showed that the helminth community is dominated by Syphacia sp., a gut-restricted, directly transmitted nematode.

We then examined how the prevalence and abundance of Syphacia sp. varied with host sex, season, and population cycle phase (increase, peak, or crash), and tested if vole condition (relative body mass and organ hypertrophy) and female fecundity (litter size) correlated with the prevalence of Syphacia sp. Infections were highly aggregated in Syphacia sp. and parasite abundance peaked during the crash phase of the vole cycle. We found that vole condition did not vary with the prevalence of Syphacia sp., but vole litter size showed a season-dependent association, with infected females producing smaller litters in spring and summer.

These findings suggest that even low-pathogenic, directly transmitted parasites could exert reproductive effects, potentially shaping host population dynamics in combination with ecological and demographic factors. Experimental approaches are required to clarify causality and potential regulatory feedback.

A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted, and published estimates determined the pooled prevalence of gastrointestinal nematode parasites affecting free-ranging chickens in Africa. Peer-reviewed articles published between 1993 and 2024 were systematically searched and screened. Prevalence estimates based on 76 eligible articles showed that of the 74,789 free-ranging chickens screened, 13,625 were infected with gastrointestinal nematodes with an overall pooled prevalence of 15% (95% CI: 13–18%). Twenty-seven nematode species were recorded, of which Ascaridia galli and Heterakis gallinarum were the commonly reported species. Southern Africa recorded the highest pooled prevalence (22%; 95% CI: 13–33%), and western Africa had the lowest (5%; 95% CI: 0–2%) despite recording the highest nematode species diversity. Tetrameridae had the highest family-level pooled prevalence of 46% (95% CI: 28–64%), and Spiruridae had the lowest 1% (95% CI: 0–3%). Most studies were conducted between the period 2014 and 2024; however, the highest pooled prevalence was observed between 1993 and 2002 (17%; 95% CI: 11–24%). The necropsy technique recorded the highest pooled prevalence (17%; 95% CI: 14–20%) compared to coproscopy (10%; 95% CI: 7–14%). The quality effects model revealed a high heterogeneity and publication bias among studies due to the diagnostic method used (P <0.05). This systematic review provided insightful information on the occurrence and potential burden of gastrointestinal nematode species of free-ranging chickens in Africa, highlighting the need for enhanced biosecurity and further research to safeguard their health, production, and food security of rural economies.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a population-scale condition with life-course health consequences, yet nutrition support remains inconsistently embedded in routine pathways. Food selectivity is common in ASD and is associated with restricted dietary variety, nutritional imbalance, gastrointestinal morbidity and cardiometabolic vulnerability. Current responses are predominantly clinic-and family-centred and are difficult to scale equitably. This commentary argues that institutional food services (schools, day-care and residential settings) are an underused public health platform to improve inclusion and accountability through sensory-accessible, nutritionally adequate meals. Because these services are commissioned, standardised and audited, sensory accessibility can be operationalised via procurement specifications and quality indicators, enabling benchmarking across sites. Evidence from sensory-informed menu adaptation and implementation work suggests feasibility within routine operations and supports evaluation using system-relevant outcomes (acceptability, nutritional adequacy, waste, feasibility and maintenance). Three policy actions are proposed: embed sensory accessibility in institutional standards, integrate nutrition across sectors and fund scale-up using implementation science.

Haemonchus contortus is considered the most pathogenic gastrointestinal nematode of sheep and, due to the increasing resistance to synthetic anthelmintics, it poses a serious challenge to small ruminant production systems. The aim of this work was to evaluate the in vivo and in vitro anthelmintic activity of quebracho-chestnut tannin extract against Haemonchus contortus in lambs. The in vitro assays (egg hatching inhibition and larval migration inhibition) were performed to determine the effective concentrations required to inhibit 50% of egg hatching and larval migration (EC50), which were 3.8 and 1.4 mg/mL, respectively. For the in vivo trial, 18 lambs used were divided into three groups: Group 1 (control), Group 2 (a tannin dose equivalent to 0.3% of dry matter intake), and Group 3 (a tannin dose equivalent to 3% of dry matter intake). No significant differences (p > 0.05) were observed among treatments in faecal egg counts, larval counts from coprocultures, or adult H. contortus recovery. The tannin extract was effective in inhibiting egg hatching and larval migration in vitro at low concentrations. However, when administered in vivo at 0.3% and 3% of dry matter intake, it failed to show any effect on faecal egg counts, larval counts in coproculture, or adult worm burden. Adult worms, eggs, and infective larvae were further examined using scanning electron microscopy. The observations revealed significant cuticular alterations in adult worms, which could potentially interfere with normal feeding and reproductive processes. Additionally, eggs and infective larvae exhibited shell rupture and cuticle damage.

Ascidiella aspersa is a solitary ascidian native to the North-east Atlantic that has been introduced to many regions around the globe. In 2023, individuals matching the description of A. aspersa were found on an artificial dock structure in Stanley Harbour, Falkland Islands, where there were no previous records of the species. Individuals were collected for morphological and genetic analyses, and previous surveys of the site were reanalysed to estimate the abundance of the population. The morphological examination and genetic analysis confirmed the individuals were A. aspersa. Analysis of the survey data suggested the species has been present since at least 2011 and forms a reasonably dense population on the more sheltered areas of the dock structure. Further survey work and population genetic investigations are required to better understand the likely origin of the population, and the abundance and extent of the species around the Falkland Islands.

Cabbage root maggot, Delia radicum (Linnaeus) (Diptera: Anthomyiidae), has been an economically serious pest, damaging a wide range of Brassica crops, across Canada since the late 1800s. A robust body of research literature exists, encompassing a range of control options that have been explored across commodities within Canada. Despite this body of work, pesticides remain the most commonly used option for control of D. radicum. Insecticides registered for use against D. radicum in Canada are facing increasing restrictions or deregulation, making D. radicum more difficult to manage. This review provides an overview of the research conducted in Canada up to 2022 and discusses various management approaches that need to be explored to lessen our current reliance upon insecticides for D. radicum control.

Early-season crop yield loss frequently occurs even when resources are abundant, challenging traditional resource-based models of crop–weed competition. Drawing on decades of research on the critical period for weed control, this review highlights evidence that brief exposure of crop seedlings to neighboring weeds can trigger rapid and irreversible reductions in yield potential through resource-independent mechanisms. Central to these processes are weed-induced changes in light spectral quality, particularly reduced red:far-red (R:FR) ratios, which activate the phytochrome-mediated shade avoidance syndrome (SAS). These responses alter morphology, biomass allocation, canopy architecture, photosynthetic capacity, redox homeostasis, defense signaling, and nitrogen metabolism. Low R:FR light induces persistent photosynthetic and metabolic constraints, increases reactive oxygen species (ROS) signaling, suppresses jasmonic acid- and salicylic acid-mediated defenses, and modifies nitrate assimilation and root traits in species- and genotype-dependent manners. Collectively, weed-derived signals during early crop development can lead to lasting physiological reprogramming. Integrating light-mediated signaling with metabolic, defense, epigenetic, and lncRNA-mediated pathways provides a mechanistic framework for understanding yield loss and identifies potential targets for enhancing crop competitiveness and resilience in weed-infested agroecosystems.

Structural equation modeling (SEM) is a flexible statistical technique with multiple applications, including behavioral genetics and social sciences. Building on the original design of the umx package, which improved accessibility to OpenMx by specifying a concise syntax, umx v4.5 extends functionality for longitudinal and causal twin designs while improving interoperability with graphical modeling tools such as Onyx. New capabilities include: classic and modern cross-lagged panel models; Mendelian Randomization Direction-of-Causation (MR-DoC) twin models incorporating polygenic scores as instruments; support for definition variables directly in umxRAM(); a workflow for importing paths from Ωnyx; a dedicated function for incorporating censored variables’ data into models, particularly valuable in biomarker research; improved covariate placeholder handling for definition variables; sex-limitation modeling across five twin groups, accommodating quantitative and qualitative sex differences; and covariate residualization in wide- or long-format data. These new functionalities accelerate reproducible, reliable, publication-ready twin and family modeling, and integrated journal-quality reporting, thereby lowering barriers to genetic epidemiological analyses

Glufosinate-ammonium (GA) has been widely used in Midwest fields, and in recent years a growing number of failures to control waterhemp [Amaranthus tuberculatus (Moq.) Sauer] have raised concerns about the evolution of resistance. The goal of this study was to investigate four cases of suspected resistance to GA in A. tuberculatus from Illinois using greenhouse, field, and transcriptomics studies. Greenhouse dose-response experiments revealed resistance ratios ranging from 2.2- to 3.4-fold based on survival and 1.3- to 2.8-fold based on biomass relative to a susceptible population. A subsequent field study where one of the populations originated confirmed that twenty percent of treated plants survived the labeled GA field-recommended rate. Screening with other herbicide site-of-action groups revealed that most populations showed reduced sensitivity to atrazine, glyphosate, and imazethapyr, surviving up to three times the field-recommended rates, and to a lesser extent, lactofen and fomesafen. Transcriptomic analysis of plants surviving GA revealed no resistance-associated mutations or differential transcript abundance in the plastidic and cytosolic isoforms of glutamine synthetase. Among the four suspected resistant populations, there were 182 genes differentially expressed relative to two susceptible populations. Different sets of genes were differentially expressed among the populations studied, with only one gene (upregulated relative to two susceptible populations) shared among all four. Many of the differentially expressed genes, including cytochrome P450s, glutathione S-transferases, glycosyltransferases, transporters, and transcriptional regulators, are commonly associated with metabolic resistance. Gene ontology enrichment analyses indicated significant overrepresentation of stress response, defense regulation, and secondary metabolism categories across the populations. Together, these findings provide evidence for the evolution of GA resistance in populations of A. tuberculatus in Illinois. While more in-depth studies are needed to fully characterize the underlying mechanisms, the consistent differential expression of metabolism-related genes and no indication of target-site mechanisms points to a potential metabolic basis for resistance.

Within Public Health Nutrition, the preconception phase, has emerged as a particularly important window for promoting a healthy diet, as it affects both current and future health as well as health in the next generation. Different approaches are used to support dietary change in this phase, and digital interventions are viewed as particularly promising. In this review, we describe digital interventions addressing preconception diet, discuss challenges in targeting the preconception population, and highlight issues related to digital designs and measuring intervention effects. We draw upon six digital interventions with dietary outcomes, in different target populations. Only two of the interventions were found to be effective in improving relevant aspects of the participants’ diet, and these targeted specific and narrow groups or a single dietary component. Most of the intervention studies faced considerable challenges with recruitment. High attrition further complicated evaluation. In addition, there were difficulties related to participant engagement with the digital interventions. Challenges with lack of engagement, recruitment and attrition are not new insights within public health research, and we need to acknowledge the need for new approaches to recruitment, intervention development and evaluation. Alternative approaches such as citizen science and participatory action research in which the researchers work closely with the target population and other stakeholders during the whole process, should be explored. Moreover, as the current behavioural interventions that rely heavily on individual agency seem largely unsuccessful, future interventions should consider targeting more upstream and structural determinants of diet, rather than individual behaviour alone.

Giving animals the opportunity to exercise agency can improve their welfare, but horse owners and researchers may not be aware of the growing body of agency research in other animals, and studies on agency and choice in horses are scattered across disciplines and not connected to each other or to broader theory. This paper summarises research findings on management of domestic horses through the lens of animal agency and explores the potential applications of research on choice, control, and challenge in animals to improve the welfare of horses.

This Research Communication aimed to establish reference freezing point (FP) values for raw Bactrian and dromedary camel milk and to evaluate the detectability of water dilution up to 30% using the cryoscopy method. A total of 38 milk samples from healthy camels in Kazakhstan were analysed. Pure Bactrian camel milk exhibited FP values between −0.542°C and −0.799°C, while dromedary milk ranged from −0.527°C to −0.655°C. Progressive dilution caused a significant linear increase in FP in both species (p < 0.0001). Although a 10% water addition resulted in measurable changes, natural variability may mask slight adulteration. FP showed weak correlations with protein and pH, with species-specific differences. These results provide reliable reference values for the FP and confirm the possibility of detecting adulteration of camel milk.

Gestational weight gain (GWG) can be defined as the total weight gained throughout pregnancy and is required for healthy foetal growth, however gaining excessive weight during pregnancy has been linked with several adverse effects. This review aims to consider the evidence on weight management during pregnancy, with a focus on the key challenges surrounding GWG and the practical considerations related to assessing weight changes. It is estimated that nearly 50% of women gain excessive weight during pregnancy, nevertheless this can be difficult to quantify due to the lack of global consensus on recommended GWG guidelines. Currently there are no GWG guidelines in the UK and Ireland, as reiterated in the recent NICE guidelines, due to the lack of evidence about what the optimal total weight change in pregnancy should be. This is further complicated by the conflicting results of interventions aimed at preventing excessive GWG and their resultant inconsistent effects on adverse pregnancy outcomes. Accurate calculation of GWG requires measurement of pre-pregnancy weight and weight prior to the onset of labour. However, several practical considerations are associated with obtaining these weights, as in practice, estimated or self-recalled weights are often used as an alternate, thereby introducing variability into the measurement of GWG and the potential for inaccuracies in analysis. These limitations highlight the need for a more uniform approach in assessing GWG. The World Health Organisation are in the process of developing global GWG standards, this could potentially establish a uniform gold standard for assessing GWG and reintroduce routine weighing.