From Formation to Ecosystem: Tansley’s Response to Clements’ Climax

Arthur G. Tansley never accepted Frederic E. Clements’ view that succession is a developmental process whose final stage, the climax formation, is determined primarily by regional climate and that all other types of vegetation are some kind of successional stage or arrested successional stage. Tansley was convinced that in a given region a variety of environmental factors could produce different kinds of climax formations. At the heart of their dispute was Clements’ organicist view of succession, i.e., the formation was a complex organism with an ontogeny and phylogeny. As early as 1905, Tansley offered an alternative to Clements’ complex organism, the quasi-organism, but Clements in private and public rejected this compromise. Tansley and other plant ecologists continued to criticize Clements’ theories for the next 20 years, but with no impact on Clements. John Phillips, a South African plant ecologist who was a follower of Clements, published a series of papers in 1934 and 1935 defending Clementsian ecology. These papers were triggered by the publication of a letter by another ecologist working in Africa who claimed that there was a strong correlation between soils and various kinds of climax vegetation, which was contrary to what was predicted by Phillips and Clements. In 1935, Tansley published an attack on Phillips and Clements and their developmental theory of succession. In it, he proposed the concept of the ecosystem as a way to get around Clements’ monoclimax theory by making the physical environment (e.g., soil chemistry, soil texture, soil moisture) as important a factor as climate, plants and other organisms in determining the composition and characteristics of ecological entities, i.e., ecosystems. Tansley’s ecosystem concept quickly replaced Clements’ monoclimax theory as a dominant paradigm in ecology.     

Identix expected to ‘perform’

A comprehensive report into the make up and performance of Identix has been released by Morgan Keegan’s equity research division. The report gives the fingerprint and facial recognition technology supplier a positive write up, and believes the company will perform in line with the S&P 500 over the next six months — and that it will outperform the growth of the biometrics industry as a whole.Visit www.compseconline.com for the latest computer security industry news     

Darwin’s contributions to genetics

Darwin’s contributions to evolutionary biology are well known, but his contributions to genetics are much less known. His main contribution was the collection of a tremendous amount of genetic data, and an attempt to provide a theoretical framework for its interpretation. Darwin clearly described almost all genetic phenomena of fundamental importance, such as prepotency (Mendelian inheritance), bud variation (mutation), heterosis, reversion (atavism), graft hybridization (Michurinian inheritance), sex-limited inheritance, the direct action of the male element on the female (xenia and telegony), the effect of use and disuse, the inheritance of acquired characters (Lamarckian inheritance), and many other observations pertaining to variation, heredity and development. To explain all these observations, Darwin formulated a developmental theory of heredity — Pangenesis — which not only greatly influenced many subsequent theories, but also is supported by recent evidence.     

From Peirce’s Semiotics to Information-Sign-Symbol

Peirce is the father of semiotics. However, his theory was developed long before the developments in information theory. The codification procedures studied by the latter turn out to be crucial also for biology. At the root of both information and semiosis there are equivalence classes. In the case of biological systems, we speak of functional equivalence classes. Equivalence classes represent the grid that organism impose on biochemical processes and signals of the external or internal environment. The whole feedback circuit that is built in this way allows information control. Symbolic systems represent another kind of dealing-with-information as far as they deal with the matching of our concepts with the world.     

Coronado’s Route to Quivira 1541

Abstract

The oft-discussed historical question as to Coronado’s route of march in 1541 from the Rio Grande pueblos to the settlements of Quivira is re-examined in light of documentary research, hitherto unpublished, by the late J. R. Swanton of the Bureau of American Ethnology. A collation of all available narratives casts strong doubt on Schroeder’s 1962 theory that the expedition at no time traveled south of the Canadian River, and instead supports older interpretations by Hodge, Bolton, and others who maintained that the expedition separated far south of that stream. The documentary evidence, like that from archaeology, supports the view that the 16th century province of Ouivira was the home of ancestral Wichita Indians residing in central Kansas along the great bend of the Arkansas River.     

A Beginner’s Guide to Phylogenetics

Metagenomics and the development of high throughput next generation sequencing capabilities have forced significant development in the field of phylogenetics: the study of the evolutionary relatedness of the planet’s inhabitants. Herein, I review the major tree-building strategies, challenges and opportunities which exist in this rapidly expanding field of evolutionary biology.     

Upset in response to a Sibling’s partner’s infidelities

Using data collected from people with at least one brother and one sister, and consistent with an evolutionary perspective, we find that older men and women (a) are more upset by a brother’s partner’s sexual infidelity than by her emotional infidelity and (b) are more upset by a sister’s partner’s emotional infidelity than by his sexual infidelity. There were no effects of participant sex or sex of in-law on upset over a sibling’s partner’s infidelities, but there was an effect of participant sex on reports of upset over one’s own partner’s infidelities. The results suggest that the key variable among older participants is the sex of the sibling or, correspondingly, the sex of the sibling’s partner, as predicted from an evolutionary analysis of reproductive costs, and not the sex of the participant, as predicted from a socialization perspective. Discussion offers directions for future work on jealousy.     

British Columbia’s Fish Health Regulatory Framework’s Contribution to Sustainability Goals Related to Salmon Aquaculture

Salmon farming is a significant contribution to the global seafood market to which the goal of sustainability is often applied. Diseases related to farms are perhaps the most contentious issues associated with sustainable salmon farming. We reviewed literature and policies in British Columbia, Canada, as well as interviewed key informants to examine how fish health regulations do or could support sustainability goals. We found four main obstacles to the development and application of a sustainability-based health management system. First, salmon farming faced the same challenges as other industries when trying to establish an operational definition of sustainability that captures all stakeholders’ interests. Second, there was no program responsible for integrating the various regulations, responsible departments, and monitoring efforts to develop a comprehensive view of sustainability. Third, there was inadequate research base and social consensus on the criteria that should be used to track health outcomes for sustainability purposes. Fourth, the regulatory and management paradigm for salmon farming has been focused on diseases and pathogens as opposed to embracing a more inclusive health promotion model that includes biotic, abiotic, and social determinants of health. A transparent and inclusive participatory process that effectively links expert views with community and industry concerns should serve as the foundation for the next generation of health management regulations for salmon farming.     

Systems biology approach to Wilson’s disease

Wilson’s disease (WD) is a severe disorder of copper misbalance, which manifests with a wide spectrum of liver pathology and/or neurologic and psychiatric symptoms. WD is caused by mutations in a gene encoding a copper-transporting ATPase ATP7B and is accompanied by accumulation of copper in tissues, especially in the liver. Copper-chelation therapy is available for treatment of WD symptoms and is often successful, however, significant challenges remain with respect to timely diagnostics and treatment of the disease. The lack of genotype-phenotype correlation remains unexplained, the causes of fulminant liver failure are not known, and the treatment of neurologic symptoms is only partially successful, underscoring the need for better understanding of WD mechanisms and factors that influence disease manifestations. Recent gene and protein profiling studies in animal models of WD began to uncover cellular processes that are primarily affected by copper accumulation in the liver. The results of such studies, summarized in this review, revealed new molecular players and pathways (cell cycle and cholesterol metabolism, mRNA splicing and nuclear receptor signaling) linked to copper misbalance. A systems biology approach promises to generate a comprehensive view of WD onset and progression, thus helping with a more fine-tune treatment and monitoring of the disorder.     

Pastoralists’ Vulnerability to Trypanosomiasis in Maasai Steppe

Trypanosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease of both livestock and humans. Although pastoral communities of the Maasai Steppe have been able to adapt to trypanosomiasis in the past, their traditional strategies are now constrained by changes in climate and land regimes that affect their ability to move with their herds and continually shape the communities’ vulnerability to trypanosomiasis. Despite these constraints, information on communities’ vulnerability and adaptive capacity to trypanosomiasis is limited. A cross-sectional study was therefore conducted in Simanjiro and Monduli districts of the Maasai Steppe to establish pastoralists’ vulnerability to animal trypanosomiasis and factors that determined their adaptation strategies. A weighted overlay approach in ArcGIS 10.4 was used to analyze vulnerability levels while binomial and multinomial logistic regressions in R 3.3.2 were used to analyze the determinants of adaptation. Simanjiro district was the most vulnerable to trypanosomiasis. The majority (87.5%, n = 136) of the respondents were aware of trypanosomiasis in animals, but only 7.4% (n = 136) knew about the human form of the disease. Reported impacts of animal trypanosomiasis were low milk production (95.6%, n = 136), death of livestock (96.8%, n = 136) and emaciation of animals (99.9%, n = 136). Crop farming was the most frequently reported animal trypanosomiasis adaptation strategy (66%, n = 136). At a 95% confidence interval, accessibility to livestock extension services (β = 7.61, SE = 3.28, df = 135, P = 0.02), years of livestock keeping experience (β = 6.17, SE = 1.95, df = 135, P = 0.001), number of cattle owned (β = 5.85, SE = 2.70, df = 135, P = 0.03) and membership in associations (β = ? 4.11, SE = 1.79, df = 135, P = 0.02) had a significant impact on the probability of adapting to animal trypanosomiasis.     

Proteomic approach to studying parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease is a common age-related neurodegenerative disease characterized pathologically by a loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra with resultant depletion of striatal dopamine and presence of Lewy bodies in the remaining neurons. The Lewy body contains numerous functional and structural proteins, including α-synuclein and ubiquitin; aggregation of α-synuclein is thought to be important in Lewy body formation as well as neurodegeneration, although the detailed mechanisms remain to be defined. Increasing evidence has suggested that mitochondrial dysfunction, increased oxidative stress, and dysfunction of the ubiquitin-proteasome system may be involved in α-synuclein aggregation, Lewy body formation, and neurodegeneration. However, how these processes are related to each other is not fully understood, given that there are Parkinsonian animal models as well as human diseases with significant nigral neurodegeneration regardless of whether Lewy bodies form or not. This review summarizes the current related research fields and proposes a proteomic approach to investigate the mechanisms that may dictate α-synuclein aggregation, Lewy body formation, and neurodegeneration.     

Mango introduction in Florida and the ’haden’ cultivar’s significance to the modern industry

Mango (Mangifera indica L.) introductions to Florida began in 1861 with the importation of ’No. 11’, a polyembryonic, seed-propagated (nucellar) cultivarfrom Cuba. In the 1880s a collection of Cuban mangos was established near Bradenton. One resulting popular cultivar was ’Turpentine’, now widely used as a rootstock. The U. S. Department of Agriculture introduced ’Mulgoba’, an improved cultivarfrom India, in 1889. Other mangos were later brought from India, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, Israel, Australia and Kenya. Related Mangifera species were collected in East Malaysian Borneo in 1990. Inasmuch as the breeding system of Mangifera favors outcrossing, the proximity of numerous genotypes of disparate geographic origin in Florida has made that state a secondary center of diversity for the mango and enabled it to make a unique contribution to the fruit industry.