Swiss yodeling concert, coronavirus superspreader

This 14 October 2020 Swiss German video from Schwyz canton says about itself (translated):

The number of COVID-19 cases in the inner part of the canton has been rising rapidly for 10 days. In Schwyz, we currently have one of the worst outbreaks of COVID-19 in all of Europe. …

Our isolation ward for COVID patients fills up more every day and the proportion of patients requiring ventilation is increasing. …

Therefore: Wear masks and avoid crowds – also privately! It is time to react. Immediately!

Translated from Dutch NOS radio, 15 November 2020:

Yodel concert turns out to be superspreader

In the Swiss canton of Schwyz, the number of coronavirus infections has increased sharply after two yodel concerts. About 600 people attended those concerts at the end of last month. Face masks were not required, though those present were asked to keep their distance from each other.

Nine days after the performances, several visitors turned out to be infected and that number has now increased to 1,238 cases of infection that can be directly or indirectly related to the concerts. Half of the people who take a test turn out to be positive. According to a Swiss doctor, the explosive increase in the number of cases in Schwyz is “one of the worst in Europe“.

The yodellers probably infected the public. Shortly after the concert it turned out that some yodellers were infected with the virus. They probably spread the virus to the public with their singing.

‘Fresh coffee now smells like exhaust gas’, ex-coronavirus patients find out. Are they really ‘ex-‘patients? ‘Mild‘ coronavirus infection so often turns out to be not that mild.

New plant species evolved in Swiss Alps

This 2014 video says about itself:

Cardamine amara (Cardamine amère) (also Large bittercress) is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae.

From the University of Zurich in Switzerland:

Evolution in action: New Plant species in the Swiss Alps

October 6, 2020

A new plant species named Cardamine insueta appeared in the region of Urnerboden in the Swiss alps, after the land has changed from forest to grassland over the last 150 years. The inheritance of two key traits from its parent plants enabled the newly emerged species to grow in a distinct environmental niche, as researches from the University of Zurich now show.

The emergence of a new species is generally thought to occur over long periods of time. But — as the example of the plant Cardamine insueta shows — evolution can also happen quite quickly. C. insueta, a new bittercress species first described in 1972, has only recently emerged in Urnerboden, a small alpine village in central Switzerland. It evolved just within the past 150 years due to environmental changes in the surrounding valley: when the local people cleared the forest and turned it into pasture land.

New plant species allows to observe ‘evolution in action’

“C. insueta proves to be an exceptional case to directly analyze the genetic traits and environmental responses of a new species. In other words: to observe ‘evolution in action’, a main topic of the university’s corresponding University Research Priority Program,” says Rie Shimizu-Inatsugi from the Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies at the University of Zurich (UZH). The plant biologists were now able to unravel the genetic mechanisms underlying the plant’s evolution.

C. insueta developed from two parent species with specific ecological habitats: while C. amara grows in and beside water streams, C. rivularis inhabits slightly moist sites. The land-use conversion from forest to grassland induced the hybridization of the two progenitors generating the new species that is found in-between the parents’ habitats with temporal water level fluctuation. “It is the combination of genetic traits from its parents that enabled the new species to grow in a distinct environmental niche,” says Shimizu-Inatsugi. In fact, C. insueta inherited one set of chromosomes from C. amara and two sets of chromosomes from C. rivularis. It therefore contains three sets of chromosomes making it a so-called triploid plant.

Inheritance of two key parental traits enabled the survival

To characterize the responses to a fluctuating environment, the research team used high-throughput sequencing to analyze the time-course gene expression pattern of the three species in response to submergence. They found that the gene activity responsible for two parent traits were key for the survival of the new species in the novel habitat. First, C. insueta can clonally propagate through leaf vivipary, meaning it produces plantlets on the surface of leaves that can grow into new plants. It inherited the ability for asexual vegetative reproduction from C. rivularis. Since C. insueta is sexually sterile, it would not have been able to survive without this trait.

Second, C. insueta inherited the submergence tolerance from C. amara, since the genes responsible for this trait were active in both species. “The results show that C. insueta combined advantageous patterns of parental gene activity to contribute to its establishment in a new niche along a water-usage gradient. Depending on the environmental situation, the plant activates different set of genes it inherited from its two parent species.” says Rie Shimizu-Inatsugi.

Funding

This work is mainly funded by the University Research Priority Program “Evolution in Action: From Genomes to Ecosystems,” the Swiss National Science Foundation, Japan Science and Technology Agency, and the Human Frontier Science Program.

Swiss Alps wildlife, documentary film

This 19 June 2020 video says about itself:

The Swiss Alps: Wild Animal Paradise | Free Documentary Nature

Gentle, green meadows, rugged rock faces, mysterious lakes, dense forests, tall mountains, low-lying river deltas, quietly meandering mountain streams and smack dab in the middle, a unique fauna – THIS is Switzerland! We trace the elementary power of nature and present animals and plants in landscapes that have hardly ever been touched by mankind.

Switzerland is an alpine country, but it is also Europe’s surge tank. Rivers such as the Rhine and the Rhone have their sources here. Glaciers, crevasses, icy cold caves and the underwater dome of the Verzasca are the unusual settings we chose for this film. We meet with rare, selected animal species and present their behavioural patterns, such as the Swiss or Arven jay [meaning the spotted nutcracker], the lynx and albino catfish. Cold, wind, snow and extreme locations demand adaptation that make us marvel.

Threespine stickleback fish evolution, new research

This 31 May 2015 video from England says about itself:

Uncovering the behaviour of the three-spined stickleback – University of Leicester

BBC’s One Show finds out all about the Three-Spined Stickleback’s life and discovers that the males are extraordinarily good fathers.

Dr Iain Barber from the University of Leicester Department of Biology helps to show and explain male Three-Spined Stickleback behaviours, from nest building to their courtship dance and finally reproduction.

From the University of Basel in Switzerland:

Rapid evolution in fish: Genomic changes within a generation

April 27, 2020

Summary: Researchers have identified the genetic basis of rapid adaptation using a native fish species. They compared threespine stickleback fish from different habitats in the Lake Constance region. Their study reveals that changes in the genome can be observed within a single generation.

Evolution is usually viewed as a slow process, with changes in traits emerging over thousands of generations only. Over the recent years, however, research has indicated that adaptation in specific traits can occur more quickly. However, very few studies outside microorganisms were able to demonstrate empirically how quickly natural selection shapes the whole genome.

A research team led by Dr. Daniel Berner at the University of Basel’s Department of Environmental Sciences has now provided evidence for rapid evolution within a single generation, using threespine stickleback fish as model organism. The five-year study combined lab work, field experiments, mathematical modeling and genomic analysis.

Different habitats: lakes and rivers

In the Lake Constance area, stickleback have adapted to ecologically different habitats — lakes and rivers. To examine how quickly adaptation occurs across the genome, lake- and river-dwelling fish were crossed in the laboratory over several generations. The genomes of the two ecotypes were thus mixed, resulting in a genetically diverse experimental population.

In a second step, the researchers released thousands of these experimental fish into a natural river habitat without resident stickleback, exposing them to natural selection. After a year, the remaining fish were recaptured and examined genetically.

“The hypothesis of this experiment was that in the river habitat in which the experimental animals had to survive, genetic variants of the original river population would increase in frequency,” says Berner. “However, we had no idea whether this would be measurable within a single generation.”

Genomic analysis confirms hypothesis

To record potential changes in the genome, the researchers first had to identify the DNA regions most likely to be targeted by natural selection. To do so, they compared the original lake and river populations based on DNA sequence data. This revealed hundreds of regions in the genome likely important for adapting to the lake and river conditions. In precisely these regions, the experimental population’s DNA sequence data from before and after the field experiment were then compared to identify changes in the frequency of genetic variants.

The result supported the hypothesis: on average, the frequency of the river variants increased by around 2.5% at the expense of the lake variants. “This difference might appear small at first glance, but is truly substantial when extrapolated over a few dozen generations,” says Berner. The experiment demonstrates that evolution can occur very quickly right in front of our eyes — and not only in microorganisms. “Such rapid evolution may help some organisms to cope with the current rapid environmental changes caused by humans,” Berner concludes.

Nicolas Roche wins Swiss mountain cycling stage

This 24 April 2020 video says about itself:

Digital Swiss 5: Race 3 Highlights

Highlights from Race 3 of the #DigitalSwiss5 as the riders tackled the Nufenen Pass in its virtual format!

The Nufenen Pass is the highest road mountain pass in Switzerland.

Nicolas Roche from Ireland won today.

#DigitalSwiss5🇨🇭

Another mesmerising virtual performance from @nicholasroche who takes a commanding victory atop the Nufenenpass on day 3 of the Digital Swiss 5 for us! 🍾 #KeepChallenging #CreatingMemories pic.twitter.com/eq6MWjvAVS

— Team Sunweb (@TeamSunweb) April 24, 2020

The result of that Tour de Suisse on home trainers from the cyclists’ homes stage was:

1. Nicolas Roche (Ireland-Sunweb) in 1u12’11”
2. Ilnur Zakarin (Russia-CCC) op 1’10”
3. Larry Warbasse (USA-AG2R) 1’17”
4. Chris Hamilton (Australia-Sunweb) 1’40”
5. James Whelan (Australia-Education First) 1’51”
6. Michal Kwiatkowski (Poland-Ineos) 2’05”
7. Hermann Pernsteiner (Australia-Bahrain) 2’31”
8. Louis Meintjes (South Africa-NTT) 2’54”
9. Rein Taaramae (Estonia-Total) 3’08”
10. Gavin Mannion (USA-Rally) 3’25”

Tour de Suisse internet cycling starts today

This 17 April 2020 video says about itself:

What Is The Digital Swiss 5? | Virtual Racing Explained

The Digital Swiss 5 is a five-day stage race emulating the 2020 Tour de Suisse. It begins on Wednesday, April 22nd and will be streamed live and on demand on FloBikes for viewers in North America.

How to watch The Digital Swiss 5 live: here.

The race will also be streamed live by various broadcasting organisations in Europe.

Why round gobies are successful fish

This 2013 video from the USA says about itself:

In this installment of Silent Invaders we discuss the invasive species of gobies. These strange fish compete for food and even attack bass eggs.

From the University of Basel in Switzerland:

Why the goby can conquer the waters of the world

February 11, 2020

The round goby, one of the most common invasive freshwater fish in the world, boasts a particularly robust immune system, which could be one of the reasons for its excellent adaptability. This is the result of genome research by an international team of biologists, coordinated at the University of Basel and published in the journal BMC Biology.

With its stocky, spotted body, big eyes and large mouth, the round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) may not be the most attractive of aquatic creatures, but it is one of the most successful invasive species of fish. Within a few years, it has spread rapidly around the world. Usually introduced via the ballast water from ships, the fish has now become the dominant species in terms of numbers in various fresh and salt waters. Its marked ability to adapt to new environments is apparently related to its immune system, as the researchers report based on their genome analysis.

Up to 30 times more inflammation genes

For this analysis, the researchers read and assembled particularly long genome fragments from a round goby originating in Basel. Because of their length, these fragments produced an exceptionally complete genome, which was used to analyze gene families that were thought to relate to the fish’s ability to deal with new environments. Here, the researchers described expansions in specific enzymes known as cytochrome P450.

Furthermore, the zoologists found that all the genes deployed in inflammatory immune responses are present in the fish — and, in some cases, up to 30 times more than in comparable species. This may help the round goby to deal with pathogens, thus favoring its successful colonization of waters around the world. But there is still one aspect that has the specialists puzzled: although round gobies are also found in highly polluted water — in ports, for example — they do not differ from other species in terms of detoxification.

Colder water than in their natural habitat

Furthermore, the researchers came across the genetic basis that allows the round goby not only to produce but also to accumulate osmolytes — substances that affect the osmotic state. These help the fish to deal not only with fluctuations in salinity but also with desiccation and cold. This could also explain why round gobies are also found in the Baltic Sea — that is, in water temperatures far below those of their original habitat.

Lake Constance birds, sad, some good, news

This 3 April 2019 video from Austria says about itself:

Birdwatching with Johanna Kronberger in the Lake Constance Rhine delta – Vorarlberg Magazine

As a biologist specialising in birds, Johanna Kronberger regularly travels around Lake Constance and spends lots of time in the Rhine delta even during the winter. She takes people out on bird-watching tours.

Read the whole story in the „Worlds of winter“ Vorarlberg Magazine by Vorarlberg state tourist board.

From the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft in Germany:

Birds in serious decline at Lake Constance

Over the last 30 years, the region has lost 120,000 breeding pairs

September 3, 2019

Summary: In the past 30 years, the number of breeding pairs in the region has dropped by 25 percent from 465,000 in the eighties to 345,000 by 2012.

At first glance, the numbers recorded between 1980 and 2012 appear to be quite balanced. 68 of the 158 bird species that inhabit the area around Lake Constance became more populous, while 67 species declined; each of these figures approximates to 43 percent of all the bird species in the region. The total number of species has even increased slightly: although eight species have died out, 17 have either returned to the region or settled there for the first time. These include the white stork, the peregrine falcon and the eagle owl, all of which have benefitted particularly from the protective measures put in place.

This seeming contradiction is due to the fact that the most common species are disappearing particularly rapidly. Six of the ten most common bird species around Lake Constance have declined dramatically in number, while two have remained the same and only two have increased. The population of house sparrows, for example, has declined by 50 percent since 1980, at which time it was still the most common species. “These are really shocking figures — particularly when you consider that the bird population started declining decades before the first count in 1980,” explains Hans-Günther Bauer from the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior. Viewed over a lengthier period, the fall in numbers may therefore be even greater.

Agricultural landscape hostile to birds

It is particularly noticeable how differently the various habitats have been affected. The study indicates that bird populations around Lake Constance are dwindling particularly rapidly in countryside which is intensively used by humans. This applies above all to modern farmland: 71 percent of the species that inhabit fields and meadows have declined in numbers, in some cases drastically. The partridge, for example, which was once a common inhabitant of the region’s farmland, has completely died out around Lake Constance. The great grey shrike, the meadow pipit and the little owl have also disappeared from the area.

One of the main reasons for this decline is the scarcity of food. According to the ornithologists, 75 percent of the bird species that eat flying insects and 57 percent of those that eat terrestrial invertebrates have decreased in number around Lake Constance. “This confirms what we have long suspected: the human extermination of insects is having a massive impact on our birds,” says Bauer. In addition, today’s efficient harvesting methods leave hardly any seeds behind for granivorous species. Moreover, the early, frequent mowing of large areas of grassland, the agricultural practice of monoculture, the early ripening of winter grains, the implementation of drainage measures and the shortage of fallow land are destroying the habitats of many species that live in the open countryside.

However, the birds are disappearing not only from the fields and meadows but also from the towns and villages around Lake Constance. “The increasing need for order and decreasing tolerance of dirt and noise are making life more and more difficult for local birds. It appears that successful breeding is becoming increasingly rare since the birds are being forced to nest amid tower blocks, ornamental trees and immaculate kitchen gardens,” says Bauer. Even species that can survive virtually anywhere, such as blackbirds (down 28 percent), chaffinches and robins (each down 24 percent) are suffering greatly due to the deteriorating conditions in settled areas.

Winners and losers in the woods and on the water

In contrast, the woodland birds around Lake Constance appear to be doing comparatively well. 48 percent of the forest-dwelling species are increasing in number, while only 35 percent are dwindling. One example is the spotted woodpecker, whose numbers have grown by 84 percent. Like other woodpeckers, it seems to have benefited from the larger quantities of timber in the forest. Furthermore, more of the species that inhabit the wetlands around Lake Constance have increased than decreased. The winners here include the mute swan.

Nevertheless, the numbers of many forest-dwelling species are also declining. The wood warbler population, for example, has fallen by 98 percent, firecrest numbers by 61 percent. This is how the intensive use of timber around Lake Constance and the shorter felling intervals are making themselves felt. Trees containing nests are being felled even in protected areas, and breeding seasons are largely being ignored. Older trees are often felled for traffic safety reasons; new paths are laid in the forests and wet areas are drained.

All in all, the last population count in 2010-2012 documents the same developments and causes as those that preceded it. However, the situation has clearly worsened in some cases. There is hardly any indication that things have changed for the better since then. “The living conditions for birds around Lake Constance have in fact deteriorated further over the last seven years. This means that their numbers have presumably fallen still further in this time,” says Bauer.

More food and living space for birds

With its diverse structure and location in the foothills of the Alps, the Lake Constance region actually provides excellent living conditions for birds. However, the changes it has undergone over the last few decades are typical of densely populated regions with intensive farming and forestry. “This means that the rapid decline in the populations of many species that we have observed around Lake Constance is sure to be happening in other regions as well,” says Bauer.

The study is one of only a few long-term investigations of breeding bird populations ever conducted in Germany. In order to collect the most recent data, which dates from between 2010 and 2012, 90 volunteers joined the scientists and counted all the birds in an area of approximately 1,100 square kilometres surrounding Lake Constance. The ornithologists first recorded the bird population between 1980 and 1981 and have repeated the count every ten years ever since. The next count will take place between 2020 and 2022.

Measures that would benefit the bird populations include:

– The scientists are calling for agricultural and forestry policy to be reconsidered in order to counteract the rapid loss of biodiversity.

– Drastically restricting the use of insecticides and herbicides in forestry and agriculture, in public spaces and in private gardens

– Significantly reducing the use of fertilisers

– Converting at least ten percent of agricultural land to ecological conservation areas

– Leaving some areas of arable land and grassland uncultivated in winter and during the breeding season

– Late mowing outside the grassland birds’ breeding season, maintenance of flower strips and fallow areas for seed production

– At least five percent of woodland should be left completely unused

– Creating natural gardens using indigenous plants

Little owls in Switzerland, new study

This video from England says about itself:

Footage of a little owl family filmed by David Plummer on the Knepp Wildlands, West Sussex in 2015.

From the University of Freiburg in Germany:

Little owls on the move

March 12, 2019

Summary: New study on an owl’s re-colonization of northern Switzerland.

The little owl, Athene noctua, is a small nocturnal owl and is classified as an endangered species on the German Red List. In recent years the existing population of little owls has successfully been stabilized in the south-west of Germany, and in some places numbers are even rising. In neighboring northern Switzerland on the other hand there is still no established population of little owls, even though habitat conditions seem suitable for the species. Now, a team of researchers headed by Severin Hauenstein from the Department of Biometry and Environmental Systems Analysis at the University of Freiburg has researched whether juvenile little owls from Germany could reach and re-colonize northern Switzerland. The scientists have published their results in the peer-reviewed journal Ecological Applications.

“It is difficult to predict how animals will disperse,” says Hauenstein. To explore the dispersal potential of little owls, he and his colleagues from the Swiss Ornithological Institute in Sempach, Switzerland, the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research Halle-Jena-Leipzig (iDiv), the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Leipzig and the University of Regensburg have developed an individual-based computer model. Using simulations, the researchers are able to assess whether individuals from the currently expanding little owl populations in south-western Germany are able to migrate to suitable habitats in northern Switzerland. Intensive farming and a steady loss of habitat has caused virtual extinction of the little owl in Switzerland.

The movement-behavior parameters in the model were estimated using Bayesian statistical inference based on radio telemetry data of juvenile little owls. Amongst other things, the researchers were able to show plausible inter-individual and -sexual behavioral differences — female juvenile little owls tend to move more directionally and fly longer distances during the dispersal phase, while their male counterparts are characterized by a tendency to take longer rests, and show a greater attachment to suitable habitat.

Hauenstein explains that the findings indicate that the little owl‘s natural re-colonization of northern Switzerland is generally possible, however there are restrictions, “Fragmented urban areas in particular, such as those around the tri-border area near Basel, appear to limit the movement of juvenile little owls drastically. Besides that, little owls avoid forested areas because that is where their natural enemy, the tawny owl, can be found; they also avoid higher altitudes such as the Swiss Jura, the Black Forest and the Swabian Alb.” In the study, the scientists highlight existing but narrow dispersal corridors, for example the lower Aare valley or the Fricktal south-east of Basel. By improving the habitat for the birds there, e.g. by agricultural extensification and nest box provision, it may be possible to expedite the re-colonization of northern Switzerland by the little owl.

Swiss Triassic fossil fish, new study

From the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München in Germany:

Paleontology: Diversification after mass extinction

March 1, 2019

A team led by Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich paleontologist Adriana López-Arbarello has identified three hitherto unknown fossil fish species in the Swiss Alps, which provide new insights into the diversification of the genus Eosemionotus.

Monte San Giorgio in the Swiss canton of Ticino is one of the most important known sources of marine fossils from the Middle Triassic Period (around 240 million years ago). The new and exquisitely preserved fossil fish specimens, which Dr. Adriana López-Arbarello (a member of the Institute of Paleontology and Geobiology and of the Geobiocenter at LMU) has been studying in collaboration with colleagues based in Switzerland were also discovered in these dolomites and limestones. As the researchers now report in the online journal Palaeontologia Electronica, the specimens represent three previously unknown species of Eosemionotus, a genus of ray-finned fishes. “The largest episode of mass extinction in the history of the Earth took place about 250 million years ago,” as López-Arbarello explains. “Our finds now provide further evidence that after this catastrophic event, the biosphere recovered relatively fast and went through a period of rapid diversification and the emergence of numerous new species during the Middle Triassic.”

The first member of the genus Eosemionotus was discovered in the vicinity of Berlin in 1906, and was named E. vogeli. Almost a century later, in 2004, a second species was described from Monte San Giorgio as E. ceresiensis. Detailed anatomical studies of new material from this locality, carried out by López-Arbarello, have now enabled the recognition of three further species that can be assigned to same genus — E. diskosomus, E. sceltrichensis and E. minutus. All five species are small in size, but they can be clearly distinguished from each other on the basis of the relative proportions of their bodies, the position of the fins, the morphology of the skull, and the disposition of teeth and scales. “These differences indicate that each species was adapted to different ecological niches,” López-Arbarello concludes.

These findings provide new insights into the evolution of the genus. “Our phylogenetic analyses demonstrate that Eosemionotus is the oldest known member of an extinct family within the Order Semionotiformes. Although the Semionotiformes were a species-rich and highly diversified clade during the Mesozoic Era, the order died out in the Cretaceous. Only a few members of its sister group have survived down to the present day, and this ancient lineage is now represented by a single family, the gars,” says López-Arbarello.