Stephen E. Williams

Bio: Stephen E. Williams is an academic researcher from James Cook University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Biodiversity & Climate change. The author has an hindex of 53, co-authored 126 publications receiving 25868 citations. Previous affiliations of Stephen E. Williams include International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources & Cooperative Research Centre.

Vertebrate fauna of three mountain tops in the Townsville region, north Queensland : Mount Cleveland, Mount Elliot and Mount Halifax

Abstract: Vertebrate fauna surveys were carried out on the summits of Mount Cleveland, Mount Elliot and Mount Halifax in north Queensland. The main focus was on mammals and birds, but observations on all vertebrate groups are included. Habitats included rainforest and open eucalypt/casuarina forest. The surveys recorded a total of 136 species of vertebrates including 17 mammal, 77 bird, 32 reptile and 10 frog species. Habitat descriptions and measures of relative abundance for mammals and birds are included.

Climate change and the impacts of extreme events on Australia's Wet Tropics biodiversity

Abstract: [Extract] This project proposes to provide information and tools to enable scientists and management agencies to predict and limit the impacts of extreme climatic events on Australia's biodiversity. It aims to determine the exposure, sensitivity and vulnerability of Wet Tropics biodiversity to climatic extremes, and assess contemporary and future impacts. Landscape-scale exposure will be mapped by determining relationships between broad-scale macro climate and direct measurements of organism exposure in different environments. Microhabitat-scale exposure will be determined by combining the microhabitat preferences of Wet Tropics biota with the thermal characteristics of their known preferred habitat. Landscape-scale and microhabitat-scale exposure will be combined to map accurately temperatures experienced by organisms in-situ. Sensitivity of Wet Tropics biota to temperature extremes will be determined by integrating information on their thermal tolerance limits, their resilience, and their capacity to adapt. Thermal tolerance limits have already been quantified by the James Cook University researchers for a range of representative taxa. Using validated methodology, data on thermal physiology of an additional 25 key taxa will be collected in-situ. Resilience will be quantified from known traits that affect a species’ ability to survive and recover from an environmental insult. The capacity to adapt will be estimated by comparing the thermal characteristics of a species’ most favourable microhabitat with that of its other viable habitats. The three types of information will then be combined to obtain highly accurate estimates for the sensitivities of a range of representative Wet Tropics species. The project will explicitly incorporate the correlative and, where possible, mechanistic links between exposure and sensitivity to model spatiotemporal variation in current and future vulnerability to extreme temperature events. This will enable the mapping of impacts of anthropogenic changes in the regimes of temperature extremes on the distribution, abundance and extinction risk of species, something that has not been attempted before in any region. The project will initially concentrate on the regimes of temperature extremes; however, analytical approaches will then also be applied to the regimes of other extreme climatic events, particularly droughts and wildfires as they are strongly linked to extreme heat events. The ultimate aim is to develop a generalised framework for assessing the vulnerability of any natural system to any extreme climatic event. This will be critical for informing proactive conservation strategies that minimise biotic vulnerability to such events in the face of climate change. Project outputs at a glance Accurate high resolution maps of the exposure to temperature extremes as experienced by organisms in-situ. Accurate estimates of the sensitivities of organisms to temperature extremes. Identification of the areas where biodiversity is currently most vulnerable to temperature extremes ('thermal hotspots'). Identification of the areas where biodiversity is least vulnerable to temperatures extremes in the future ('thermal refugia'). A list of biodiversity values particularly at risk from extreme events. A generalised analytical toolkit for assessing vulnerability to extreme climatic events in Australia and elsewhere. Specific objectives and intended outputs of this Project are detailed in the NERP TE Hub Multi-Year Research Plan.

Diversity and distribution of the dominant ant genus anonychomyrma (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Australian wet tropics

Abstract: Anonychomyrma is a dolichoderine ant genus of cool-temperate Gondwanan origin with a current distribution that extends from the north of southern Australia into the Australasian tropics. Despite its abundance and ecological dominance, little is known of its species diversity and distribution throughout its range. Here, we describe the diversity and distribution of Anonychomyrma in the Australian Wet Tropics bioregion, where only two of the many putative species are described. We hypothesise that the genus in tropical Australia retains a preference for cool wet rainforests reminiscent of the Gondwanan forests that once dominated Australia, but now only exist in upland habitats of the Wet Tropics. Our study was based on extensive recent surveys across five subregions and along elevation and vertical (arboreal) gradients. We integrated genetic (CO1) data with morphology to recognise 22 species among our samples, 20 of which appeared to be undescribed. As predicted, diversity and endemism were concentrated in uplands above 900 m a.s.l. Distribution modelling of the nine commonest species identified maximum temperature of the warmest month, rainfall seasonality, and rainfall of the wettest month as correlates of distributional patterns across subregions. Our study supported the notion that Anonychomyrma radiated from a southern temperate origin into the tropical zone, with a preference for areas of montane rainforest that were stably cool and wet over the late quaternary.

疟原虫var基因转换速率变化导致抗原变异[英]／Paul H, Robert P, Christodoulou Z, et al//Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

Abstract: 抗原变异可使得多种致病微生物易于逃避宿主免疫应答。表达在感染红细胞表面的恶性疟原虫红细胞表面蛋白1（PfPMP1）与感染红细胞、内皮细胞、树突状细胞以及胎盘的单个或多个受体作用，在黏附及免疫逃避中起关键的作用。每个单倍体基因组var基因家族编码约60种成员，通过启动转录不同的var基因变异体为抗原变异提供了分子基础。

The Theory of Island Biogeography

Abstract: Preface to the Princeton Landmarks in Biology Edition vii Preface xi Symbols Used xiii 1. The Importance of Islands 3 2. Area and Number of Speicies 8 3. Further Explanations of the Area-Diversity Pattern 19 4. The Strategy of Colonization 68 5. Invasibility and the Variable Niche 94 6. Stepping Stones and Biotic Exchange 123 7. Evolutionary Changes Following Colonization 145 8. Prospect 181 Glossary 185 References 193 Index 201

SPAdes, a new genome assembly algorithm and its applications to single-cell sequencing ( 7th Annual SFAF Meeting, 2012)

Abstract: The lion's share of bacteria in various environments cannot be cloned in the laboratory and thus cannot be sequenced using existing technologies. A major goal of single-cell genomics is to complement gene-centric metagenomic data with whole-genome assemblies of uncultivated organisms. Assembly of single-cell data is challenging because of highly non-uniform read coverage as well as elevated levels of sequencing errors and chimeric reads. We describe SPAdes, a new assembler for both single-cell and standard (multicell) assembly, and demonstrate that it improves on the recently released E+V-SC assembler (specialized for single-cell data) and on popular assemblers Velvet and SoapDeNovo (for multicell data). SPAdes generates single-cell assemblies, providing information about genomes of uncultivatable bacteria that vastly exceeds what may be obtained via traditional metagenomics studies. SPAdes is available online ( http://bioinf.spbau.ru/spades ). It is distributed as open source software.