SYSTEMATICS OF THE CAMBRIAN TRILOBITE FAMILY NEPEIDAE, WITH REVISION OF AUSTRALIAN SPECIES

Abstract:  Taxonomy of the Cambrian trilobite family Nepeidae is revised. Morphometric analyses of the genera Nepea and Penarosa demonstrate that use of proportions of linear dimensions of the cranidium to differentiate species is invalid, and that infrageneric variation is continuous. The taxonomy and biostratigraphy of all Australian species of Nepeidae is revised. Species considered valid herein include: Nepea narinosa (type species), N. tonsillata , N. nans , Penarosa retifera (type species), P. elaticeps , P. rhinodelphis , P. netenta , Loxonepea loxophrys (type species) and Ferenepea hispida (type species). Folliceps is considered to be a junior subjective synonym of Nepea , Trinepea is regarded as a junior subjective synonym of Penarosa , and Ascionepea is considered to be a junior subjective synonym of Ferenepea .     

Evidence for the indirect effects of pesticides on farmland birds

Indirect effects of pesticides, operating through the food chain, have been proposed as a possible causal factor in the decline of farmland bird species. To demonstrate such a link, evidence is needed of (1) an effect of food abundance on breeding performance or survival; (2) an effect of breeding performance or survival on population change; and (3) pesticide effects on food resources, sufficient to reduce breeding performance or survival, and hence to affect the rate of population change. Evidence under all three categories is only available for one species, the Grey Partridge Perdix perdix , although data showing effects of pesticides on food resources and relationships between food resources and breeding performance are also available for some other species. This paper reports on recent work investigating the effects of pesticides on Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella and Skylark Alauda arvensis during the breeding season. The probability of brood reduction in Yellowhammer was affected by the proportion of the foraging area around the nest which was sprayed with insecticide. No significant effects of pesticides were recorded on Skylark chick condition or growth rate, but sample sizes were small. Invertebrate food abundance affected chick condition (Skylark) and the number of chicks fledging (Yellowhammer and Corn Bunting Miliaria calandra ; relationship for the latter derived from re-analysis of data from an earlier study). Other recent work is briefly reviewed and the current evidence for the indirect effects of pesticides is summarized. Significant knowledge gaps are identified and some of the issues involved in resolving these are discussed.     

Performance benefits of growth-form plasticity in a clonal red seaweed

Phenotypic plasticity may be adaptive if the phenotype expressed in a focal environment performs better there relative to alternative phenotypes. Plasticity in morphology may particularly benefit modular organisms that must tolerate environmental change with limited mobility, yet this hypothesis has rarely been evaluated for the modular inhabitants of subtidal marine environments. We test the hypothesis for Asparagopsis armata , a clonal red seaweed whose growth-form plasticity across light environments is consistent with the concept of foraging behaviour in clonal plants. We manipulated the light intensity to obtain clonal replicates of compact, densely branched ('phalanx') phenotypes and elongate, sparsely branched ('guerrilla') phenotypes, which we reciprocally transplanted between inductive light environments to explore the performance consequences of a poor phenotype–environment match. Consistent with the hypothesis of adaptive plasticity, we found that performance (as relative growth rate) depended significantly on the interaction between growth form and environment. Each growth form performed better in its inductive environment than the alternative form, implying that this type of plasticity, thought to be adaptive for clonal plants, may also benefit photoautotrophs in marine environments. Given the prevalence and diversity of modular phyla in such systems, they offer a relatively unexplored opportunity to broaden our understanding of the evolutionary ecology of phenotypic plasticity.  © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2009, 97 , 80–89.     

Proteomic and phenotypic profiling of the amphibian pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis shows that genotype is linked to virulence

Population genetics of the amphibian pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis ( Bd ) show that isolates are highly related and globally homogenous, data that are consistent with the recent epidemic spread of a previously endemic organism. Highly related isolates are predicted to be functionally similar due to low levels of heritable genetic diversity. To test this hypothesis, we took a global panel of Bd isolates and measured (i) the genetic relatedness among isolates, (ii) proteomic profiles of isolates, (iii) the susceptibility of isolates to the antifungal drug caspofungin, (iv) the variation among isolates in growth and phenotypic characteristics, and (v) the virulence of isolates against the European common toad Bufo bufo . Our results show (i) genotypic differentiation among isolates, (ii) proteomic differentiation among isolates, (iii) no significant differences in susceptibility to caspofungin, (iv) differentiation in growth and phenotypic/morphological characters, and (v) differential virulence in B. bufo . Specifically, our data show that Bd isolates can be profiled by their genotypic and proteomic characteristics, as well as by the size of their sporangia. Bd genotypic and phenotypic distance matrices are significantly correlated, showing that less-related isolates are more biologically unique. Mass spectrometry has identified a set of candidate genes associated with inter-isolate variation. Our data show that, despite its rapid global emergence, Bd isolates are not identical and differ in several important characters that are linked to virulence. We argue that future studies need to clarify the mechanism(s) and rate at which Bd is evolving, and the impact that such variation has on the host–pathogen dynamic.     

Gene expression profiling: opening the black box of plant ecosystem responses to global change

The use of genomic techniques to address ecological questions is emerging as the field of genomic ecology. Experimentation under environmentally realistic conditions to investigate the molecular response of plants to meaningful changes in growth conditions and ecological interactions is the defining feature of genomic ecology. Because the impact of global change factors on plant performance are mediated by direct effects at the molecular, biochemical, and physiological scales, gene expression analysis promises important advances in understanding factors that have previously been consigned to the 'black box' of unknown mechanism. Various tools and approaches are available for assessing gene expression in model and nonmodel species as part of global change biology studies. Each approach has its own unique advantages and constraints. A first generation of genomic ecology studies in managed ecosystems and mesocosms have provided a testbed for the approach and have begun to reveal how the experimental design and data analysis of gene expression studies can be tailored for use in an ecological context.     

Who's your daddy? Paternity testing reveals promiscuity and multiple paternity in the carnivorous marsupial Dasyurus maculatus (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae)

Female promiscuity is common among mammals but its advantages, particularly for marsupials, remain unclear. Using microsatellite DNA from pouch young of known mothers, we identified the most likely fathers of 25 wild spotted-tailed quolls ( Dasyurus maculatus ) from six litters. We aimed to determine whether young within the same litter had different fathers, and whether breeding success of males was associated with large body mass (consistent with inter-male competition) or scrotal width (consistent with sperm competition). We also explored the possible influence of promiscuity on relatedness within litters. Finally, we used data on paternity and relatedness to make inferences regarding movement and dispersal.
Four litters were sired by more than one male, and three males sired offspring in more than one litter. Known fathers had higher body mass, but not scrotal width, than males of unknown paternity status, suggesting that males may compete for access to females. Sires were less related to dams than expected by chance, and litters with multiple paternity had lower relatedness than litters sired by a single male.  © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2009, 96 , 1–7.