Sediment cores from Florida Bay, Everglades National Park were examined to determine ecosystem response to relative sea-level rise (RSLR) over the Holocene. High-resolution multiproxy analysis from four sites show freshwater wetlands transitioned to mangrove environments 4–3.6 ka, followed by estuarine environments 3.4–2.8 ka, during a period of enhanced climate variability. We calculate a RSLR rate of 0.67 ± 0.1 mm yr −1 between ~4.2–2.8 ka, 4–6 times lower than current rates. Despite low RSLR rates, the rapid mangrove to estuarine transgression was facilitated by a period of prolonged droughts and frequent storms. These findings suggest that with higher and accelerating RSLR today, enhanced climate variability could further hasten the loss of mangrove-lined coastlines, compounded by the reductions in natural flow to the coast caused by water management. Climate variability is nonlinear, and when superimposed on increases in RSLR, can complicate estimated trajectories of coastal inundation for resource management and urban planning.

Hurricane Irma made landfall in south Florida, USA, on September 10, 2017 as a category 4 storm. In January 2018, fieldwork was conducted on four previously (2014) sampled islands in Florida Bay, Everglades National Park to examine changes between 2014 and 2018. The objectives were to determine if the net impact of the storm was gain or loss of island landmass and/or elevation; observe and quantify impacts to mangroves; and identify distinctive sedimentary, biochemical, and/or geochemical signatures of the storm. Storm overwash deposits were measured in the field and, in general, interior island mudflats appeared to experience deposition ranging from~0.5 to~6.5 cm. Elevation changes were measured using real-time kinematic positioning and satellite receivers. Comparison of 2014 to 2018 elevation measurements indicates mangrove berms and transitional areas between mudflats and berms experienced erosion and loss of elevation, whereas interior mudflats gained elevation, possibly due to Hurricane Irma. Geographic information system analysis of pre-and post-storm satellite imagery indicates the western-most island, closest to the eye of the storm, lost 32 to 42% (~11 to 13 m) of the width of the eastern berm, and vegetated coverage was reduced 9.3% or~9700 m 2. Vegetated coverage on the eastern-most island was reduced by 1.9% or~9200 m 2. These results are compared to previous accounts of hurricane impacts and provide a baseline for examining long-term constructive and destructive aspects of hurricanes on the islands and the role of storms in resiliency of Florida Bay islands.

Current south Florida ecosystem restoration efforts are focused on restoring more natural freshwater flow through the wetlands and into the estuaries to reestablish natural salinity gradients, particularly in the nearshore zones. Indicator taxa are used to monitor and assess restoration progress and the current suite of biota used for the estuaries in south Florida (Biscayne Bay, Florida Bay, and the southwest mangrove riverine system) does not include mollusks. Mollusks make excellent indicators because they are found in all south Florida environments, are relatively stationary in postlarval stages, and, therefore, do not leave a site when conditions change. Their hard shells increase the likelihood of preservation after death, thus, making it possible to assess death assemblages. In addition to these features, many mollusks can be quickly sampled in the field and assessed in the lab, so poor visibility and tidal cycles are not an issue for monitoring surveys. Here we examine 27 years of molluscan data from 887 samples from 640 visits to 167 sites in south Florida’s estuaries and present a suite of taxa that could be used as indicators for restoration of the oligohaline to mesohaline (0.5 to 17.9 psu) nearshore zones. Cyrenoida floridana, Hydrobiidae, Polymesoda caroliniana, Crassostrea virginica, and additional taxa are included with suggested sampling strategies.

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It is clear from the high mortality rate in advanced cancers that we need a more complete understanding of the many sources of oncogenic dysregulation in tumors. The importance of the non-coding genome in disease has recently begun to be revealed through expanded use of whole genome sequencing. In particular, 3’ untranslated region (3’UTR) somatic mutations represent an important but largely unexplored avenue of alternative oncogenic gene dysregulation. Individual instances of 3’UTR-mediated oncogenicity are known, including oncogenic RNA binding proteins and microRNAs. However, a comprehensive, high-throughput study of patient-based 3’UTR mutations and their effect on post-transcriptional gene regulation in cancer has yet to be undertaken. To determine the significance of 3’UTR mutations in advanced disease, we identify 3’UTR somatic variants across 185 metastatic castration-resistant prostate tumors, discovering 14,497 single-nucleotide mutations, which are enriched in oncogenic pathways and 3’UTR regulatory elements. We develop two complementary massively parallel reporter assays (MPRAs) to measure how thousands of these patient-based mutations affect two distinct levels of post-transcriptional gene regulation: mRNA translation and stability. These MPRAs identify hundreds of functional variants that allow us to define three determinants of mutation significance: sequence conservation, known regulatory elements, and RNA structure. Furthermore, we demonstrate the clinical relevance of these mutations, observing that CRISPR-Cas9 base editing of distinct patient 3’UTR mutations into endogenous cellular loci increases oncogenic mRNA translation and cellular stress resistance. Finally, we go back to patients, illustrating that those harboring oncogenic 3’UTR mutations discovered by our methods display particularly poor prognosis. This work represents an unprecedented view of the extent to which disease-relevant 3’UTR mutations affect mRNA stability, translation, and cancer progression, uncovering principles of regulatory functionality and potential therapeutic targets in previously unexplored regulatory regions. Citation Format: Samantha L. Schuster, Sonali Arora, Cynthia L. Wladyka, Lukas Corey, Bethany L. Stackhouse, Lori Kollath, Eva Corey, Lawrence D. True, Dave Young, Patrick J. Paddison, Andrew C. Hsieh. Multi-level functional genomics reveals molecular and cellular oncogenicity of patient-based 3’ untranslated region mutations [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Advances in Prostate Cancer Research; 2023 Mar 15-18; Denver, Colorado. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(11 Suppl):Abstract nr PR005.