Organismal thermal tolerance will shape future coral reef function, as ocean warming drives extensive stress and mortality through increasingly frequent marine heatwaves. This is among the most apparent phenomena on reefs, where marine heatwaves can devastate reef-building corals, the ecosystem engineers, driving the breakdown of the coral-algae symbiosis, or coral bleaching. Coral resistance to bleaching varies markedly among species, reflecting differences in physiology underpinned by molecular regulatory mechanisms that are initiated early during heat stress and influence longer-term bleaching outcomes. Gene expression plasticity enables transcriptional adjustments to environmental stress, while alternative splicing and isoform switching further expand molecular adaptability by altering transcript diversity and abundance. Because genes function within combinatorial networks, changes in these network members and in the identity of highly influential hub genes can reveal higher-order biological reorganization under stress. Yet, the contribution of isoform switching to gene network dynamics remains unknown in corals. Here we integrate physiological performance, gene network topology, hub genes dynamics, and isoform switching across three Hawaiian corals, Porites compressa, Montipora capitata, and Pocillopora acuta, with known differences in thermal sensitivity to identify molecular processes shaping acute thermal responses. We show that the interplay between expression plasticity, hub gene rearrangement, and isoform switching drives species-specific thermal tolerance. Species-specific thermal tolerance was associated with differences in energetic status, with the most thermally tolerant species, P. compressa, exhibiting the highest energetic reserves. Network analysis uncovered extensive rewiring and temperature-responsive hub genes turnover regulated by switches in isoform usage. P. compressa shows stable constitutive gene expression and continuous isoform adjustments across temperatures, while fine-tuning thermal response through dedicated hub genes. In contrast, the most thermally sensitive species, P. acuta, shows broad transcriptomic shifts and isoform switching controlling the reorganization of network leadership at high temperatures. Together, these findings identify isoform switching as an under-explored regulatory mechanism linking early molecular responses to coral thermal resilience and species persistence in warming oceans.
Microbial contamination in teaching laboratories may be influenced by room occupancy, laboratory activities, ventilation, and hygiene procedures. This study assessed microbiological air quality and surface contamination in a university microbiology laboratory during routine classes. Air and surface samples were collected before and after laboratory activities during periods with and without face masks. The analyses included mesophilic and psychrophilic bacteria, staphylococci, Pseudomonas fluorescens, coliform bacteria, Escherichia coli, and molds.Laboratory use was associated with marked changes in airborne microbial concentrations, with the direction and magnitude of these changes differing among microbial groups. Coagulase-negative staphylococci increased after classes during both study periods, whereas substantially greater increases in mesophilic and psychrophilic bacteria and Pseudomonas fluorescens were observed during sessions conducted without face masks. These findings indicate clear differences between the periods with and without masks and support a potential role of masks in limiting the airborne spread of selected bacterial groups. In contrast, fungal spore concentrations decreased during laboratory use regardless of mask use, suggesting that their behavior was influenced by other factors associated with the use of the room.Neither coliform bacteria nor E. coli were detected in the laboratory air or on work surfaces, despite the handling of environmental samples containing fecal bacteria. Changes in surface contamination did not correspond to those observed in the air, and mask use had no clear effect on surface contamination. Appropriate hygiene and surface-disinfection procedures effectively limited the dissemination of microorganisms introduced with the analyzed samples.
Given the toxicity of pesticides to human health and biodiversity, reducing fungicide use is of critical importance. This requires innovative solutions such as digital Decision Support Systems (DSS) to optimize fungicide application. However, their environmental impacts remain poorly understood. This study assessed the environmental performance of a DSS, DeciTrait®, when compared to DEPHY, a group advisory network. Over 2600 Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) were conducted using on-field data from French vineyards. The analysis focused on the variability of environmental impacts across years (2018–2024), winegrowing regions (Bordeaux and Mediterranean), and production modes (organic vs. non-organic).Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and analyses of variance (ANOVAs) revealed that the number of treatments was the main contributor to impacts such as climate change, fossil resource use, and particulate matter formation, due to diesel combustion during spraying. Toxicity and ecotoxicity impacts were mainly related to the mass of active substances applied, particularly copper, fosetyl-aluminium, folpel and potassium phosphite. The Treatment Frequency Index (TFI) was poorly correlated with toxicity and ecotoxicity impacts, highlighting the need for DSS to integrate advice on fungicide selection based on active substance toxicity.The winegrowing region and production mode were the most influential factors in environmental performance variability. Although the environmental impacts of DEPHY and DeciTrait® did not differ significantly overall, DeciTrait® exhibited greater variability in efficiency across years and regions, particularly under extreme weather condition (e.g. Bordeaux 2024) where it performed less effectively than DEPHY. Winegrowers using DSS often applied more fungicide than recommended, suggesting that cognitive biases and risk aversion may limit DSS efficiency.This study highlights the advantages of large-scale, data-driven LCAs in assessing the environmental performance of digital agriculture technologies. It underscores the sensitivity of LCA outcomes to contextual factors. Future research should explore winegrower compliance with DSS recommendations to enhance their efficacy and sustainability.
