Function and attachment of the stem in Isocrinidae and Pentacrinitidae: review and interpretation

A review is given of observations and interpretations of the attachment in Isocrinida. It is concluded that all adult Isocrinida discard distal parts of their column and live attached by distal cirri to the bottom or to objects lying on the bottom. From time to time the column may break below a nodal and the isocrinid drift along the bottom until it regains attachment with the cirri. In undisturbed environments a considerable length of the tapering distal part of the column may be maintained, and several specimens may be connected by the entangled distal parts of the columns lying on the bottom. Specimens of Seirocrinus subangularis attached to tree trunks in the Lower Jurassic Posidonia shale of Holzmaden, Germany, have been interpreted as pseudoplanktic. These are all adult specimens with distal parts of their column discarded before they attached themselves to the trunks. Furthermore, since adult specimens cannot swim to the surface, they must have attached themselves to sunken trunks lying on the bottom.     

Amazonian peatlands: an ignored C sink and potential source

In tropical lowlands, peatlands are commonly reported from Southeast Asia, and especially Indonesian tropical peatlands are known as considerable C sinks and sources. In contrast, Amazonia has been clearly understudied in this context. In this study, based on field observations from 17 wetland sites in Peruvian lowland Amazonia, we report 0–5.9 m thick peat deposits from 16 sites. Only one of the studied sites did not contain any kind of peat deposit (considering pure peat and clayey peat). Historic yearly peat and C accumulation rates, based on radiocarbon dating of peat samples from five sites, varied from 0.94 ± 0.99 to 4.88 ± 1.65 mm, and from 26 ± 3 to 195 ± 70 g C m⁻², respectively. The long-term apparent peat and C accumulation rates varied from 1.69 ± 0.03 to 2.56 ± 0.12 mm yr⁻¹, and from 39 ± 10 to 85 ± 30 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹, respectively. These accumulation rates are comparable to those determined in the Indonesian tropical peatlands. Under altered conditions, Indonesian peatlands can release globally relevant amounts of C to the atmosphere. Considering the estimated total area of Amazonian peatlands (150 000 km²) close to that of the Indonesian ones (200 728 km²) as well as several factors threatening the Amazonian peatlands, we suggest that the total C stocks and fluxes associated with Amazonian peatlands may be of global significance.     

A molecular phylogeny of the Old World stingless bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini) and the non-monophyly of the large genus Trigona

Abstract.  We examined the inter- and infrageneric relationships of Old World Meliponini with a near-complete sampling of supra-specific taxa. DNA sequences for the taxa were collected from four genes (mitochondrial 16S rRNA, nuclear long-wavelength rhodopsin copy 1 (opsin), elongation factor-1α copy F2 and arginine kinase). Additional sampling of New World taxa indicated that Trigona sensu lato is not monophyletic: Trigona from the Indo-Malayan/Australasian Regions forms a large clade distantly related to the Neotropical Trigona . A separate clade comprises the Afrotropical meliponines, and includes the 'minute' species found in the Afrotropical, Indo-Malayan and Australasian Regions. The Neotropical genus Melipona , by contrast with previous investigations, is not the sister lineage to the remaining stingless bees, but falls within the strongly supported Neotropical clade. These results constitute the framework for a revised classification and ongoing biological investigations of Meliponini. A single taxonomic change, Heterotrigona bakeri stat.n. , is proposed on the basis of sequence divergence.     

Major specimen fraud in the Forest Owlet Heteroglaux (Athene auct.) blewitti

The Forest Owlet Heteroglaux ( Athene auct.) blewitti is known from central India from seven old specimens, four of which were taken in northwest Maharashtra in 1880-83 by J. Davidson and the last purportedly in Gujarat over 30 years later by R. Meinertzhagen. Because of recently documented specimen fraud by Meinertzhagen, we subjected his Forest Owlet specimen to scrutiny (Iincluding X-rays) and established that it had been extensively remade in a way that transformed its original appearance. Moreover, it shows several features - tying of distal humeri from the outside, cotton wing-stuffing identical to that from a Davidson bird, original retention of humerus and formerly a stretched neck - that identify its true collector as Davidson. Examination of the Natural History Museum's catalogue reveals that a fifth Davidson specimen, collected in 1884 in the area where his first four were taken, was registered in 1925 but is now missing, although not logged as lost, sold or exchanged. Meinertzhagen's diary and specimen catalogue strongly suggest that he was not in Gujarat on the date given for his 1914 specimen, and he surprisingly never published the record, despite its exceptional rarity. We conclude that he stole the fifth Davidson Forest Owlet specimen from the Natural History Museum, and remade and relabelled it to conceal its origin, thereby compromising the geographic and temporal record of this critically threatened species.     

Metabolic traits of westslope cutthroat trout,introduced rainbow trout and their hybrids in an ecotonal hybrid zone along an elevation gradient

In the Upper Oldman River, Alberta, introduced non‐native hatchery rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) hybridize with native westslope cutthroat trout (O. clarkii), resulting in a hybrid swarm. Rainbow trout dominate at low elevations (< 1250 m) in the river mainstem, cutthroat in high‐elevation tributaries (> 1400 m), and hybrids are numerically dominant in the mid‐elevation range. We hypothesized that metabolism of rainbow trout would exceed that of cutthroat trout, and that the elevation gradient in genetic makeup would be mirrored by a gradient in metabolic traits, with intermediate traits in the hybrid‐dominated ecotone. Metabolic traits were measured and regressed against the genetic makeup of individuals and elevation. Rainbow trout had higher oxygen consumption rates (OCRs), higher white muscle lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and citrate synthase (CS) activity, and higher plasma acetylcholinesterase (AchE) than cutthroat trout. Hybrids had intermediate OCRs and AchE, but LDH activity as high as rainbow trout. While hybrid zones are usually modelled as a balance between cross species mating and selection against hybrids, ecotonal hybrid zones, where hybrids proliferate in intermediate habitats and have traits that appear well suited to ecotonal conditions, have been proposed for some plants and animals, and may have important implications for resource management and conservation. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, 105 , 56–72.     

Tetrahymena Thermophila: Growth In Synthetic Nutrient Medium In the Presence and Absence of Glucose

ABSTRACT This report contains the newest directions for preparation of the synthetic nutrient medium for some Tetrahymena species that do not require lipids. In the standard medium T. thermophila. strains SB 210 and 281, multiply at 37°C with doubling times of around 2 h and at 26°C around 5 h. We have established multiplication rates as functions of variations in the composition of the medium. In media in which all components are present at one-third of the normal concentrations and only the essential amino acids are included, growth and multiplication become sharply dependent on glucose in strain SB 281. Such media may be used for selection and enrichment of certain specified cell lines.     

Species delimitation based on multiple criteria: the Spotted Bush Warbler Bradypterus thoracicus complex (Aves: Megaluridae)

We demonstrate the importance of using multiple criteria in species delimitations, whatever the conceptual base for species delimitation. We do this by studying plumage, biometrics, egg coloration, song, mitochondrial DNA and habitat/altitudinal distribution in the Spotted Bush Warbler Bradypterus thoracicus (Blyth) complex, and by conducting playback experiments. Taxa that we suggest are best treated as separate species [B. thoracicus (Blyth), B. davidi (La Touche) and B. kashmirensis (Sushkin)] differ in most or all of these aspects, particularly in song and mitochondrial DNA, while those that we treat as subspecies (suschkini) or synonyms (przevalskii) differ slightly and only in morphology. © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008, 154 , 291–307.