Migration of wild and captive‐bred Little Bustards Tetrax tetrax: releasing birds from Spain threatens attempts to conserve declining French populations

Populations of the Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax in the farmlands of Europe have declined greatly over the last century. In Western Europe, France now holds the only remaining migratory population, which currently numbers fewer than 300 displaying males. However, the movements of these birds are virtually unknown, in spite of the important implications of this information for the conservation of this species. We identified migratory movements and overwintering areas of French migratory populations, using wild individuals fitted with satellite or radio‐transmitters. Little Bustards completed their migration journey over a relatively short time period (2–5 days), with nocturnal migration flights of 400–600 km per night. All birds overwintered in Iberia. In addition, we tested the consequences of captive rearing on migratory movements. French wild adults and French captive‐bred juveniles behaved similarly with regard to migration, suggesting that hand‐raising does not alter migratory movements. However, birds originating from eggs collected in Spain and reared in western France did not migrate, suggesting a genetic component to migratory behaviour. These results therefore suggest that a conservation strategy involving the release in France of birds hatched from eggs collected in Spain may imperil the expression of migratory movements of the French population. More generally, to maintain the integrity of native populations, the introduced individuals should mimic their migratory movements and behaviour.     

A molecular phylogeny for the pyraloid moths (Lepidoptera: Pyraloidea) and its implications for higher‐level classification

Pyraloidea, one of the largest superfamilies of Lepidoptera, comprise more than 15 684 described species worldwide, including important pests, biological control agents and experimental models. Understanding of pyraloid phylogeny, the basis for a predictive classification, is currently provisional. We present the most detailed molecular estimate of relationships to date across the subfamilies of Pyraloidea, and assess its concordance with previous morphology‐based hypotheses. We sequenced up to five nuclear genes, totalling 6633 bp, in each of 42 pyraloids spanning both families and 18 of the 21 subfamilies, plus up to 14 additional genes, for a total of 14 826 bp, in 21 of those pyraloids plus all 24 outgroups. Maximum likelihood analyses yield trees that, within Pyraloidea, differ little among datasets and character treatments and are strongly supported at all levels of divergence (83% of nodes with bootstrap ≥80%). Subfamily relationships within Pyralidae, all very strongly supported (>90% bootstrap), differ only slightly from a previous morphological analysis, and can be summarized as Galleriinae + Chrysauginae (Phycitinae (Pyralinae + Epipaschiinae)). The main remaining uncertainty involves Chrysauginae, of which the poorly studied Australian genera may constitute the basal elements of Galleriinae + Chrysauginae or even of Pyralidae. In Crambidae the molecular phylogeny is also strongly supported, but conflicts with most previous hypotheses. Among the newly proposed groupings are a ‘wet‐habitat clade’ comprising Acentropinae + Schoenobiinae + Midilinae, and a provisional ‘mustard oil clade’ containing Glaphyriinae, Evergestinae and Noordinae, in which the majority of described larvae feed on Brassicales. Within this clade a previous synonymy of Dichogaminae with the Glaphyriinae is supported. Evergestinae syn. n. and Noordinae syn. n. are here newly synonymized with Glaphyriinae, which appear to be paraphyletic with respect to both. Pyraustinae and Spilomelinae as sampled here are each monophyletic but form a sister group pair. Wurthiinae n. syn. , comprising the single genus Niphopyralis Hampson, which lives in ant nests, are closely related to, apparently subordinate within, and here newly synonymized with, Spilomelinae syn. n.     

Patterns of morphological evolution in the mandible of the house mouse Mus musculus (Rodentia: Muridae)

The worldwide distributed house mouse, Mus musculus, is subdivided into at least three lineages, Mus musculus musculus, Mus musculus domesticus, and Mus musculus castaneus. The subspecies occur parapatrically in a region considered to be the cradle of the species in Southern Asia (‘central region’), as well as in the rest of the world (‘peripheral region’). The morphological evolution of this species in a phylogeographical context is studied using a landmark‐based approach on mandible morphology of different populations of the three lineages. The morphological variation increases from central to peripheral regions at the population and subspecific levels, confirming a centrifugal sub‐speciation within this species. Furthermore, the outgroup comparison with sister species suggests that M. musculus musculus and populations of all subspecies inhabiting the Iranian plateau have retained a more ancestral mandible morphology, suggesting that this region may represent one of the relevant places of the origin of the species. Mus musculus castaneus, both from central and peripheral regions, is morphologically the most variable and divergent subspecies. Finally, the results obtained in the present study suggest that the independent evolution to commensalism in the three lineages is not accompanied by a convergence detectable on jaw morphology. © 2012 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, 105 , 635–647.     

Large‐scale evolutionary trends of Acrochordiceratidae Arthaber, 1911 (Ammonoidea,Middle Triassic) and Cope’s rule

Abstract: Directed evolution of life through millions of years, such as increasing adult body size, is one of the most intriguing patterns displayed by fossil lineages. Processes and causes of such evolutionary trends are still poorly understood. Ammonoids (externally shelled marine cephalopods) are well known to have experienced repetitive morphological evolutionary trends of their adult size, shell geometry and ornamentation. This study analyses the evolutionary trends of the family Acrochordiceratidae Arthaber, 1911 from the Early to Middle Triassic (251–228 Ma). Exceptionally large and bed‐rock‐controlled collections of this ammonoid family were obtained from strata of Anisian age (Middle Triassic) in north‐west Nevada and north‐east British Columbia. They enable quantitative and statistical analyses of its morphological evolutionary trends. This study demonstrates that the monophyletic clade Acrochordiceratidae underwent the classical evolute to involute evolutionary trend (i.e. increasing coiling of the shell), an increase in its shell adult size (conch diameter) and an increase in the indentation of its shell suture shape. These evolutionary trends are statistically robust and seem more or less gradual. Furthermore, they are nonrandom with the sustained shift in the mean, the minimum and the maximum of studied shell characters. These results can be classically interpreted as being constrained by the persistence and common selection pressure on this mostly anagenetic lineage characterized by relatively moderate evolutionary rates. Increasing involution of ammonites is traditionally interpreted by increasing adaptation mostly in terms of improved hydrodynamics. However, this trend in ammonoid geometry can also be explained as a case of Cope’s rule (increasing adult body size) instead of functional explanation of coiling, because both shell diameter and shell involution are two possible paths for ammonoids to accommodate size increase.     

Horizon annealing: a collection‐based approach to automated sequencing of the fossil record

Sheets, H.D., Mitchell, C.E., Izard, Z.T., Willis, J.M., Melchin, M.J. & Holmden, C. 2012: Horizon annealing: a collection‐based approach to automated sequencing of the fossil record. Lethaia, Vol. 45, pp. 532–547. A number of different approaches to quantitative biochronology have been proposed and used to construct high‐resolution time‐scales for a range of uses. We present a new approach, horizon annealing, which uses simulated annealing to optimize the sequencing of collection horizons. Temporal sequences of events produced by this method are compared with those produced by graphic correlation, CONOP and RASC for a series of previously studied exemplar data sets. Horizon annealing produces results similar to other methods, but it does have properties (the ordination of collections and the avoidance of some local minima) that make it useful for high‐resolution studies, particularly those based on capture‐mark‐recapture methods requiring detailed presence–absence data for individual collections and taxa. □ Chronostratigraphy, graphic correlation, graptolite, rate of evolution, CONOP9.     

Vegetative morphology and trait correlations in 54 species of Commelinaceae

The morphospace of 54 species of Commelinaceae from nine genera was examined with simultaneous attention to constraints, adaptive hypotheses and relatedness. Eleven morphological traits, including leaf length and width, angle between the leaves and internode distances, were measured for each species and analysed by principal components analysis and nested analysis of variance. The results revealed a significant signal of relatedness in vegetative morphology; genus explained 20–50% of the variance in a single trait. The relationships between some traits are consistent with adaptive explanations. The findings are consistent with the prediction that evolution for optimal phyllotaxis should be relaxed as self‐shading decreases, and that light availability governs leaf size and branching patterns. Constraints potentially explain some trait correlations, and support was found for the hypothesis that structural constraints govern leaf size and internode size correlations. © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008, 158 , 257–268.     

Thermodynamics and Kinetics of MTBE Degradation: A Density Functional Theory Study

Computational studies using density functional theory can help define which of a variety of reactions may be involved in the degradation of the fuel oxygenate methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE). It is shown that hydrolysis of MTBE in the vapor phase or in neutral aqueous media, as well as its unimolecular decomposition, are not significant degradation mechanisms. The acid catalyzed hydrolysis of MTBE is a more feasible degradation pathway and is shown to proceed via tert-butyl carbonium ion formation. Hydrogen abstraction is shown to be the dominant first step in the degradation of MTBE initiated by hydroxyl radicals.