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Knowing the distribution of species is crucial for effective conservation action. However, accurate and high-resolution spatial data are only available for a limited number of species1,2. For mammals and birds, the most comprehensive and widely used global distribution dataset is the set of range maps compiled as part of the assessments for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. These represent each species’ distributional limits and tend to minimize omission errors (i.e. false absences) at the expense of commission errors (i.e. false presences)3,4. Therefore, they often contain sizeable areas not regularly occupied by the species.Maps of the Area of Habitat (AOH; previously known as Extent of Suitable Habitat, ESH) complement range maps by indicating potential occupancy within the range, thereby reducing commission errors5. AOH is defined as ‘the habitat available to a species, that is, habitat within its range’5. These models are produced by subtracting areas unsuitable for the species within their range, using information on each species’ associations with habitat and elevation5,6,7,8. Comprehensive sets of AOH maps have been produced in the past for mammals6 and amphibians7, as well as subsets of birds8,9. The percentage of a species’ range covered by the AOH varies depending on the methodology used to associate species to their habitats, and their habitats to land-cover, the coarseness of the range map, the region in which the species is distributed, and the species’ habitat specialization and elevation limits5. For example, Rondinini et al.6 found that, when considering elevation and land cover features for terrestrial mammals, the AOH comprised, on average, 55% of the range. Ficetola et al.7 obtained a similar percentage when analyzing amphibians (55% for forest species, 42% for open habitat species and 61% for habitat generalists). Beresford et al.8 found that AOH covered a mean of 27.6% of the range maps of 157 threatened African bird species. In 2019, Brooks et al.5 proposed a formal definition and standardized methodology to produce AOH, limiting the inputs to habitat preferences, elevation limits, and geographical range.AOH production requires knowledge of which habitat types a species occurs in and their location within the range1. Information on habitat preference is documented for each species assessed in the IUCN Red List10, following the IUCN Habitats Classification Scheme11. However, the IUCN does not define habitat classes in a spatially explicit way, therefore, we used a recently published translation table that associates IUCN Habitat Classification Scheme classes with land cover classes12. Species’ elevation limits were also extracted from the IUCN Red List.We developed AOH maps for 5,481 terrestrial mammal species and 10,651 terrestrial bird species (Fig. 1). For 1,816 bird species defined by BirdLife International as migratory, we developed separate AOH maps, for the resident, breeding, and non-breeding ranges, according to the migratory distribution of the species (Fig. 2). The maps are presented in a regular latitude/longitude grid with an approximate 100 m resolution at the equator. On average, the AOH covers 66 ± 28% of the geographical range for mammals and 64 ± 27% for birds. We used the resulting AOH maps to produce four global species richness layers for: mammals, birds, globally threatened mammals and globally threatened birds13 (Fig. 3).Fig. 1Spatial distribution maps of Tangara abbas. Maps represent (a) the geographic range21, and (b) the Area of Habitat (AOH) of the species. The AOH was produced by subtracting unsuitable habitats from the geographical range. This species’ habitats are forest and terrestrial artificial habitats and has elevation range of 0 – 1600 m.Full size imageFig. 2Spatial distribution maps of Cardellina rubrifrons, divided into resident, breeding and non-breeding areas for this migratory species. Maps represent (a) the geographic range21, and (b) the Area of Habitat (AOH) of the species. The AOH was produced by subtracting unsuitable habitats from the ranges. This species is a forest species with elevation rangelimits of 1500 – 3100 m.Full size imageFig. 3Global species richness maps for (a) terrestrial mammals (considering 5,481species) and (b) terrestrial birds (considering 10,651 species). Calculated by overlaying all species’ AOH per class, resulting inon the number of species at each grid cell, latitude/longitude grid at a resolution of 1°/1008 or approximately 100 m at the equator (EPSG:4326) with the ellipsoid WGS 1984.Full size imageThe AOH maps presented in this paper are more useful for some purposes than global species distribution models, as they reduce and standardize commissions14. They are especially useful for not well-known and wide-range species. However, we note that for well-known species alternative sources may have more accurate distributions15. Moreover, AOHs are affected by the bias and errors of the underlying data, especially relevant errors associated with documentation of species’ habitats and elevations, and the translation of habitats into land cover classes, given that habitat is a complex multidimensional concept that is challenging to match to land-cover classes12, and that the current version of the IUCN Habitat Classification Scheme on IUCN’s website is described as a draft version11.The AOH maps have multiple conservation applications5,16,17, such as assessing species’ distributions and extinction risk, improving the accuracy of conservation planning, monitoring habitat loss and fragmentation, and guiding conservation actions. AOH has been proposed as an additional spatial metric to be documented in the Red List5, and is used for the identification of Key Biodiversity Areas18. More

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Surface morphology analysisSEM images were shown in Fig. 1. It showed that the contour of three soils were fairly clear before adsorption. But it became fuzzier and the degree of cementation was increased when phenanthrene was adsorbed on the soils. According to the surface morphology, the silty sand (A) had furrows on the surface before adsorption compared with the fairly smooth without any furrows after adsorption (B). The silts (C) were flaky and the lamellar accumulation decreased (D). The loess (E) had a smooth surface with some flaky and rod like structure, after adsorption (F), the surface of loess increased in clay-like structure.Figure 1SEM micrographs of the three soil samples. (A) Silty sand; (B) Adsorbing 5 h of Silty sand; (C) Silts; (D) Adsorbing 5 h of Silts; (E) Loess; (F) Adsorbing 5 h of Loess.Full size imageAdsorption and desorption experimentsAdsorption and desorption kineticsAdsorption kinetics is one of the most important characteristics governing solute uptake rate and represents adsorption efficiency33. The sorption and desorption kinetics of phenanthrene in three soils were shown in Fig. 2. The results showed that the adsorption processes among all soils were similar. The kinetics of phenanthrene in soils was completed in two steps: a “fast” adsorption and a “slow” adsorption. The adsorption amount increased during 0-18h. It was a rapid reaction from 0 to 200 minutes. From 200 to 600 minutes, the adsorption amount increased slightly into balance. This phenomenon was due to the adsorption of phenanthrene occurred on the surface of soil organic matter. With the increase of time, soil surface adsorption sites were gradually saturated, causing the decrease of adsorption rate until reaching the equilibrium. Phenanthrene was a hydrophobic substance. It was easy to reach the soil surface and adhere to the grain surface. The results were consistent with the study of had also found that the balance time was approximately 18h and the adsorption amount increased with the adsorption reaction time34. Under the same conditions, loess had the highest adsorption capacity, which was mainly due to the highest organic content 18. The maximum phenanthrene sorption capacities ranked as follows: loess > silty sand > silts. As shown in Fig. 2, phenanthrene desorption in soils was relatively quick and its desorption equilibrium time was 3h. To reach an adequate desorption balance while remaining consistent with the adsorption reaction time, the balance time of the adsorption–desorption experiment was set at 18h. Generally, PAHs below 4 cycles could reach the adsorption equilibrium for about 16~24h.Figure 2(a)Adsorption equilibration curves of phenanthrene sorption in soils. (b) Desorption equilibration curves of phenanthrene sorption in soils.Full size imagePseudo-second-order and Elovich models were used to study the phenanthrene adsorption mechanism (Table 3). Phenanthrene sorption kinetics were satisfactorily described by a pseudo-second-order model with coefficients of determination (R2) ranging from 0.99875 to 0.99847, compared with R2 values of 0.26508–0.73901 for the Elovich model. This well-fitting pseudo-second-order model indicated that the rate-limiting step was chemical adsorption, including electronic forces through sharing or exchange of electrons35,36. Moreover, it suggested that sorption was governed by the availability of sorption sites on the soil surfaces instead of by the phenanthrene concentration in solution.Table 3 Constants and coeffients of determination of Pseudo-second-order kinetics and Elovich models of sorption.Full size tableAdsorption and desorption isothermsThe isotherm was used for quantitative analysis of phenanthrene transport from liquid to solid phase and for understanding the nature of interactions between phenanthrene and the soil matrix. The sorption and desorption isotherms of phenanthrene in soils were shown in Fig. 3. The data showed that phenanthrene adsorption and desorption capacities of three soils varied markedly due to their different physicochemical properties. With the increase of phenanthrene concentration, the adsorbed amount increased. At the same temperature, the adsorption capacity of silty sand was minimum while loess was maximum. This is mainly related to the soil physicochemical properties. At the same initial concentration, the temperature increase from 20 °C to 40 °C showed that the adsorption and desorption capacity decreased with temperature increase. On the one hand, the rise of temperature can increase the phenanthrene solubility in the liquid phase. On the other hand, it could reduce various forces between the soil surface and phenanthrene37.Figure 3(a)20 °C adsorption isotherms for phenanthrene in soils. (b)30 °C adsorption isotherms for phenanthrene in soils. (c)40 °C adsorption isotherms for phenanthrene in soils. (d) 20 °C desorption isotherms for phenanthrene in soils. (e) 30 °C desorption isotherms for phenanthrene in soils. (f) 40 °C desorption isotherms for phenanthrene in soils.Full size imageThe Freundlich isotherm was used mainly for adsorption surfaces with nonuniform energy distribution, and the Langmuir isotherm was used for monolayer adsorption on perfectly smooth and homogeneous surfaces38. The experimental data were fitted with the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models, and the isotherm parameters logKF, 1/n, KL, qmax and the coefficient of determination (R2) of phenanthrene in soils were listed in Table 4.Table 4 Isotherm parameters for Phenanthrene sorption in soils.Full size tableAs shown in Table 4, according to the coefficients of determination (R2), all soils were better fitted with the Freundlich model, which assumes that phenanthrene sorption and desorption occurs on a heterogeneous surface with the possibility of sorption being multi-layered39. This phenomenon has also been observed in humic acid and nanometer clay mineral40. It showed that the soil adsorption of organic matter was not only surface adsorption but also the process of soil organic matter distribution41,42,43 reached the equilibrium isotherm fitted well with the Freundlich equation when studying the adsorption behavior of aromatic compounds by solids.Adsorption and desorption thermodynamicsTo clarify the adsorption mechanisms, the thermodynamic parameters mentioned earlier were calculated and presented in Table 5. Generally, the value of Gibbs free energy changeΔG0 indicated the spontaneity of a chemical reaction. Therefore, it could evaluate whether sorption was relate to spontaneous interaction44. Negative values of ΔG0 indicated that the feasibility and spontaneous nature. The research was under the temperature range about 293–313 K. For adsorption process, all soils ΔG0 was  0 and desorption ΔH  1, P  temperature  > phenanthrene concentration  > pH. In the interaction, the phenanthrene concentration and organic matter have a significant effect on the silt adsorption rate. The coefficient of determination of the silt complex correlation is R2 = 0.9464, indicating that the response model has a good fit, and the experimental error is within the acceptable range. Adjusting the complex correlation coefficient R2 = 0.8982 indicates that the regression relationship can explain 89.82% of the change in the dependent variable. Therefore, this The model can be used to analyze and predict the effect of different factors on the adsorption rate of phenanthrene.3D response surface analysisIn response surface optimization, the three-dimensional response surface graph reflects the influence of the interaction of the other two variables on the response value, and the slope of the response surface reflects the significance of the interaction of the two variables on the response value. The more significant the interaction effect is on the response value, when the slope is gentle, the effect is not significant. If the contour map is elliptical, it indicates that the interaction between the two variables is significant, and if the contour map is circular, it is not significant46. In addition, the slope and density of the contour line also reflect the influence of the variable on the response value. The steeper the contour line and the greater the density, the greater the influence of the variable on the response value47.

(1) Loess Fig. 5 is a three-dimensional response surface diagram of the interaction between initial phenanthrene concentration and pH to phenanthrene adsorption on loess. It can be seen from the figure that the slope of the response surface graph is steep, and the contour line is an approximate circle, indicating that the interaction between phenanthrene concentration and pH is not significant for the response value. With the increase of pH, the adsorption rate of phenanthrene on loess showed a slow decline at first to the lowest point at 6, and then gradually increased. When the soil pH was close to 6, with the increase of the initial phenanthrene concentration, the adsorption rate of loess also showed a trend of first decreasing and then increasing. According to the F value, F = 0.337, P = 0.5532  > 0.05, it can be concluded that soil pH and initial phenanthrene concentration of the solution have no significant interaction on the adsorption rate of loess.

Figure 6 shows the effects of initial phenanthrene concentration and organic matter on phenanthrene adsorption on Loess under the condition that pH value and temperature are at the central point. It can be seen from the figure that the initial phenanthrene concentration and soil organic matter contour are steep, indicating that their interaction is significant. The range of phenanthrene adsorption rate is 70 ~ 95, and the change of surface is steep. From the Loess error analysis, it can be seen that if f value is 6.05 and P value is 0.0275  More

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The attachment site of ticks has been studied in the context of both animal and human tick preference. In Oklahoma, a study of horses indicated that A. americanum preferentially bites the inguinal area, while I. scapularis and D. albipictus, the moose-tick, primarily bite the chest and axillary region, with D. albipictus often being found on the back18. A survey of dogs and cats across the US identified a similar distribution of ticks on dogs, with the attachment being most common on the abdomen, axillary and inguinal regions. However, this was species-specific with D. variabilis preferring the head and neck specifically19. Cats were more successfully parasitized by I. scapularis which preferred the head and A. americanum, which preferred the tail and perianal region19. This is similar to a study of tick distribution on wild black bears (Ursus americanus) in Pennsylvania, indicating that the primary tick present was I. scapularis and that the greatest numbers were found in association with the ears and muzzle20. In these cases, the ability for ticks to attach to specific areas is most likely a result of the grooming habits and abilities of the animals in question.Studies of anatomical region preference in humans also reported tick bite-site specificity associated with particular tick species. For example, in Korea, H. longicornis was determined to prefer abdomen and lower extremities (33%) and the abdomen/inguinal area (26.4%)21, which is a behavior similar to that of A. americanum observed here. Although H. longicornis is present in New York1, insufficient numbers were detected to draw definitive conclusions about its biting preference here. Additionally, a study in England (I. ricinus) reported that tick bites were most common in the legs (50%) of adult humans, but in the head and necks of children (43%)22, a differentiation that our survey does not at this time include. A similar phenomenon was observed in Russia, where tick bites were most common on the head and neck of all individuals (39.2%), but were much more common in children (84.9%)23. This study determined that the bite-site of single tick bites that resulted in infection with the Tick-Borne Encephalitis virus (TBEV) were associated with lethal outcomes if the bites were located on the head, neck, arms or axilla, while less lethality was associated with bites to the lower limbs and groin. This is most directly analogous to the transmission of DTV by I. scapularis, suggesting that bite site may have a similar relationship to disease outcomes in the related North American pathogen/vector pair.Under normal circumstances, ticks exist in sylvatic cycles with specific host preferences based on the tick species and life stage, with spillover to humans occasionally occurring for species with generalist feeding habits. Therefore, the feeding behaviors of ticks are variable, and this influences the ways that the ticks interact with humans.Ixodes scapularis is less specific in host-site preferenceThe primary life stages of I. scapularis that bite humans include nymphs and adult females, although males may also be found on humans. The body segment preference of I. scapularis is less specific than for D. variabilis, which prefers the head, and A. americanum, which prefers the thighs and pelvic region. Ixodes scapularis is primarily found on the central trunk, including the groin/pelvic region, the abdomen, the thoracic region, and the head/neck. This varies between the life stages, with more adults found in the thoracic/abdominal region of the body and nymphs being more commonly found on the arms and legs. This is partly due to the substantial size difference between adult and nymph/larval I. scapularis, with larvae being almost imperceptible and nymphs having a total body length of two to four millimeters. This results in nymphs/larvae being much more difficult to see, allowing them to more readily attach to the most visible portions of the human body while adults are restricted mostly to areas covered by clothing and hair.The presence of ticks on the head and neck indicates that I. scapularis tends to climb, although not with the preference for hair observed with D. variabilis. They appear to spend substantial time moving on the host, a period where they can be removed easily without having had a chance to potentially transmit pathogens by biting. On deer, this corresponds to a preference to move toward the neck and ears where the ticks are more difficult to dislodge24,25. On humans, it results in wide distribution across the whole body with less location specificity than other ticks.In addition to body region and life stage identification, I. scapularis ticks were also screened for several pathogens to determine if infection status influences host site preference. Anaplasma phagocytophilum, B. microti, and other pathogens (DTV and B. miyamotoi) did not influence the body segment the ticks chose to feed. However, in ticks infected with B. burgdorferi, a statistically significant change in the distribution of tick bites marked by an increased report of tick bites in the midsection and a decreased tick bites in the arms, legs, and head. While this may suggest a change in tick behavior/fitness in response to infection, it may also relate to the differences in infection rates of adult and nymph/larval ticks. Larvae, having never fed, are not infected with B. burgdorferi, and the rate of infection in nymphs is lower than that of adults1. Nymphs are less likely to be infected and are more likely to attach to the arms and legs, which is a potential source of the observed difference in infection rates. However, it remains unclear why this is not observed for the other pathogens that follow the same trend of increased infection rate in adult versus nymph/larval ticks.Bacterial and protozoal agents transmitted by I. scapularis take several hours for an infectious dose to be transmitted26,27,28. Therefore, prompt detection and removal of ticks is important for preventing tick-borne disease. Furthermore, understanding where the ticks attach allows them to be more easily detected, and also assists in preparing protective clothing for individuals entering tick-endemic areas. Additionally, knowing the biting location of I. scapularis could aid in detecting potential erythema migrans, a skin condition that occurs at the point of B. burgdorferi infected tick exposure in about 80% of cases29, which is highly diagnostic for both Lyme disease and STARI, which is transmitted by A. americanum.
Amblyomma americanum prefers the thighs and groin of subjectsAmblyomma americanum, the lone star tick, is present throughout the southern portion of New York and is particularly dominant on Long Island1. This species is relatively large, fast, and aggressive, feeding on various animals, including deer, medium-sized animals, and birds30. As a generalist feeder, both adult and nymph/larval A. americanum often bite humans in endemic areas. This experiment identified six larvae, 107 nymphs, and 48 adult A. americanum from human sources. The dominance of nymph submissions is likely due to the large size of the tick, making nymphs and adults easier to spot in more visible areas.In terms of body segment location, all life stages of A. americanum were most often found in the thigh/groin/pelvic region. Considering that most humans encounter ticks while walking through vegetation, the ticks most likely first adhere to the legs and move upward before biting. In this case, the ticks bite rapidly instead of ascending in large numbers to the torso or head. This area is also almost invariably covered in relatively tight-fitting clothing. The closeness of the fabric may also assist in inducing the ticks to feed by slowing their ascent and creating contact to induce biting.While it does not transmit the same range of pathogens as I. scapularis, A. americanum is still a medically significant species. This species can transmit Ehrlichia chaffeensis and E. ewingii31,32, which are at present rare in New York, but are likely to increase as more A. americanum becomes established. Amblyomma americanum is also associated with Southern Tick-Borne Rash Associated Illness (STARI)11, a disease of unknown etiology that has previously been observed in New York33 and with galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose (alpha-gal) allergy, a reaction to the tick’s saliva that can result in a long term, potentially serious allergic sensitivity to the consumption of red meat. While the attachment time required to transmit or induce these pathogens is still unclear, prompt detection and removal of the tick is still recommended. Knowing the approach of the tick and where it is likely to be found improves this process.Additionally, it is unclear if the results observed for A. americanum also apply to the related A. maculatum, the vector of Rickettsia parkeri, a cause of spotted fever. These ticks have been observed in the southernmost portions of New York with a high infection rate with R. parkeri34. Since early R. parkeri infection may result in a visible eschar, understanding where the eschar is most likely located can be critical for rapid diagnosis before the onset of severe disease symptoms. Considering the similarities in behavior between the two Amblyomma species, it may have similar preferences to A. americanum. Other escharotic diseases, such as F. tularensis, may also be present and linked to a tick with a highly dissimilar segment preference. The location of the escar itself, therefore, may be at least partially diagnostic for specific pathogens. However, at present, the sample size within this community engaged passive surveillance program is too small to assess its biting behavior in detail.
Dermacentor variabilis exhibits preference for the human headIn this study, D. variabilis was almost exclusively encountered in its adult life stage. This indicates that while the adult ticks are generalist feeders that may bite humans, the nymph and larval stages are not and have much greater host specificity, either feeding exclusively on a specific type of animal or being restricted to the vicinity of animal burrows. The exact identity of the preferred larval and nymphal host of D. variabilis in New York could not be determined from these data, but is presumed to be one or several rodent species, lagomorph, or mesocarnivore with broad distribution across the eastern United States.Additionally, D. variabilis was unique among the three species of ticks studied here. It had a strong bias toward the head and neck of human hosts, as opposed to a higher preference for the midsection and pelvis/groin with I. scapularis and especially A. americanum. This is clear evidence of climbing behavior, tending upward, but is also indicative of a strong preference for dense hair. In contrast to I. scapularis and A. americanum, D. variabilis in its adult stage is less likely to feed on deer35,36, with a preference for canids36, hence its colloquial name as the “American dog tick”. Hair provides the ticks with the same benefits as feeding on canids. It protects them from being immediately detected and removed, obscuring them until they can feed extensively. This can be of potential medical consequence in the case of tick paralysis, a condition of flaccid paralysis associated with the bite of Dermacentor spp. ticks30. In such cases, prompt removal of the tick is critical for treatment. Therefore, understanding its most likely location can be useful for removal of the tick before the onset of the condition, diagnostically to confirm the presence of the tick, or during treatment to ensure its removal. Considering that the tick will most likely be adult, it should be relatively obvious with careful observation.Limitations of this studyThe data described in this manuscript derived from a set of ticks submitted by general public, with site location from a questionnaire completed upon tick submission. While speciation and pathogen testing were performed under laboratory conditions, the public completed the initial survey and is therefore subject to a level of inherent error and ambiguity. In the context of this study, this mainly concerns whether the body location submitted concerns an attachment or a tick that is still crawling over the potential host in preparation for biting. The term “attachment” may be colloquially interpreted as to contain both categories, or a person can potentially be mistaken about the state of the tick. While ticks filled with blood have fed, the situation is more indeterminate for short-duration attachments where the ticks have not yet begun to engorge. This may introduce some level of error from ticks found on a body segment that were not, at the time of collection, attached. However, the data are overall still useful for predicting the most likely location where ticks of specific species can be found on a person. Studies with test subjects and ticks under controlled conditions may assist in elucidating this matter further. Additionally, this data set was compiled without regard to gender and age group. This data was not collected with this version of the questionnaire; therefore, the tick attachment cannot be stratified by any demographic parameters of tick submitters. More

Many eukaryotes display intraspecific genome size (GS) variation due to varying amounts of non-coding DNA1,2,3,4,5. Such GS variation can be mediated by additional genomic elements, which are physically represented either by extra (B-)chromosomes or by large heterozygous insertions into the regular chromosomes. On a DNA sequence level, non-coding DNA can be classified as highly repetitive, e.g. interspersedly repeated transposable elements or tandemly repeated satellite DNA, or as the result of previous duplications of the genome followed by pseudogenization6. The long-term gain and loss of such non-coding DNA sequences is thought to be governed by largely neutral evolutionary processes, and their excessive accumulation in some genomes can be explained by genetic drift7,8, even though selection might also sometimes play a role9,10.Non-coding DNA can affect organisms in different ways. A large number of studies document correlations between genome size and organismic traits such as cell size11,12, body size13,14, or developmental rates15, sometimes even at the within-population level13. Under some circumstances, differential amounts of non-coding DNA might even affect fitness16. Furthermore, DNA can have coding-independent effects that operate at lower levels, such as intragenomic selection. For example, (additional) genomic elements might increase their own fitness by increasing their transmission rates to offspring by meiotic drive, sometimes at the expense of their host’s fitness17,18,19. Meiotic drive in this classical sense occurs during the chromosome segregation during the meiotic divisions, even though later stages during gametogenesis can also be affected20. Recognizing and disentangling such effects is important for a better understanding of the evolution of eukaryotic genomes, in particular, the evolutionary causes of the large intraspecific genome size variation.Here we study meiotic transmission patterns of additional genomic elements in the monogonont rotifer Brachionus aplanchnoidis. Individuals of this species can differ by up to almost two-fold in genome size, which is mediated by several Megabase-sized independently segregating genomic elements (ISEs) consisting mainly of tandemly repeated satellite DNA21. The genomic data are consistent with a mixture of both B-chromosomes and large insertions to normal chromosomes21,22. Individual rotifers and their clonal offspring can be characterized by the number and size of their ISEs and their composition stays constant through hundreds of asexual (mitotic) generations22. Occasionally, monogonont rotifers engage in sexual reproduction (Fig. 1), producing sexual females, whose oocytes undergo classical meiosis with two polar bodies formed23. Unfertilized haploid eggs develop mitotically into males, and sperm production does not involve any meiotic maturation divisions24. By analyzing the genome size distributions of haploid males produced by different mother clones, it has been shown that ISEs segregate in a manner suggesting that they do not pair with each other, nor with any other part of the genome22. For instance, a clone containing three ISEs will produce males (and gametes) that might contain either zero, one, two, or three ISEs, corresponding to four different GS classes of the males in this clone. The frequencies of these different GS classes roughly approximated those expected by random segregation. However, previous studies in B. asplanchnoidis did not resolve different steps during meiotic transmission, so they were not designed to detect meiotic drive or subsequent changes in meiotic transmission, and they also did not test whether there were subtle deviations from completely independent segregation.Figure 1Schematics of rotifer life cycle. Monogonont rotifers are cyclical parthenogens, capable of both ameiotic parthenogenesis and sexual reproduction. The production of sexual females is triggered by quorum sensing chemicals, released by the animals themselves at high population density. In contrast to parthenogenetic females, sexual females produce oocytes by meiosis, and give rise to either haploid males or diploid resting eggs, depending on whether they get fertilized by a male24.Full size imageIn the present study, we test for meiotic transmission biases of ISEs. If meiotic transmission would be completely unbiased, the frequencies of haploid oocytes, or males, with different numbers of ISEs should be identical to those expected by random segregation. For example, a mother with two ISEs should produce males with zero, one, or two ISEs (hence, three male GS classes), which have relative frequencies of 0.25, 0.5, and 0.25, respectively. However, if ISEs avoid segregating into polar bodies due to meiotic drive17,20,25, one would expect to see an increase in the relative frequency of male GS classes with two ISEs, compared to those with no ISE . By contrast, if ISEs are preferentially sequestered into polar bodies due to meiotic drag 7,26, the GS class with two ISEs should be underrepresented. Our experimental approach for detecting meiotic transmission biases relies on measuring (by flow-cytometry) the observed relative frequencies of each male GS class and comparing these to their relative frequencies expected under unbiased transmission (Fig. 2). To allow for clear comparisons, the main output variable in these analyses is the observed/expected ratio (O/E-ratio), i.e., the observed frequency divided by the expected relative frequency for each GS class. If there were no transmission biases, O/E-ratios across all GS classes should equal one. In contrast, O/E-ratios larger than one indicate overrepresentation of a certain GS class, and if O/E ratios increase or decrease with genome size, this indicates drive or drag at a meiotic or postmeiotic stage (Fig. 2d,h).Figure 2Principle of inferring meiotic transmission patterns from the genome size distributions of haploid rotifer males. The first four panels (a–d) show a rotifer clone with one ISE (i.e., two corresponding male GS classes). The last four panels (e–h) show a clone with four ISEs (i.e., five corresponding male GS classes). a, e Example of flow cytometry data. b, f Conceptual model of ISE meiotic segregation. c, g Theoretically predicted GS distributions of males (relative to the female GS) under meiotic drive, meiotic drag, or in the absence of meiotic drive. d, h Theoretically predicted O/E ratios (observed vs. expected frequencies of different male GS classes) under drive, drag, or on absence of drive. O/E values of  > 1 indicate over-representation of a GS class (relative to the frequency expected from unbiased transmission).Full size imageWe implemented these ideas in a mathematical model that contains the two parameters, transmission bias and cosegregation bias. Values for transmission bias may range from − 1 to 1 in our model. For instance, a value of 0.1 denotes a 10% increase in probability that an ISE segregates towards the egg pole (this is equivalent to a transmission rate of 0.55 for this ISE, i.e. mild meiotic drive). Concerning the second parameter, cosegregation bias, a positive value means that pairs of ISEs have an increased probability of being sequestered towards the same pole (irrespective of whether this is the egg pole or polar body pole), while a negative bias favors migration towards opposite poles. Please note that a cosegregation bias value of − 1 (i.e., 100% probability that ISEs migrate towards opposite poles) resembles the default segregation pattern of regular chromosomes. By estimating the transmission bias and cosegregation bias parameter for each rotifer clone, we tried to infer and compare general meiotic transmission patterns across clones, even if they contained different numbers and types of ISEs.Transmission biases may not only arise during meiosis, as described above but also during later stages of male embryonic development. For instance, they might be caused by differences in the survival of embryos, or due to differences in the fitness of hatched males containing different numbers of ISEs. To address these potential sources of variation, we compared the transmission biases in relatively young, synchronized male eggs, older eggs accumulating in growing cultures, and hatched males. Finally, to address the question of whether a high number of ISEs affects male embryonic survival in general, we estimated and compared hatching rates of (haploid) male eggs and (diploid) female eggs in 19 rotifer clones of different genome sizes (which is highly correlated with the number and size of ISEs in the genome22).Our results suggested that the ISEs in B. asplanchnoidis exhibit diverse meiotic segregation patterns: In some rotifer clones, transmission bias was positive, while the ISEs of other clones showed negative transmission bias (indicative of drag). Furthermore, we obtained evidence for a negative cosegregation bias in some clones, i.e., pairs of ISEs showed an increased probability to segregate towards opposite poles. Overall, these transmission patterns seemed to be determined early in the haploid life cycle, probably at or shortly after meiosis, since early and late stages of male embryonic development showed very similar GS distributions. Finally, we found that very large genome size (i.e., a large numbers of ISEs) was associated with reduced male embryonic survival. More