Lifestyle and Ice: The Relationship between Ecological Specialization and Response to Pleistocene Climate Change

Major climatic changes in the Pleistocene had significant effects on marine organisms and the environments in which they lived. The presence of divergent patterns of demographic history even among phylogenetically closely-related species sharing climatic changes raises questions as to the respective influence of species-specific traits on population structure. In this work we tested whether the lifestyle of Antarctic notothenioid benthic and pelagic fish species from the Southern Ocean influenced the concerted population response to Pleistocene climatic fluctuations. This was done by a comparative analysis of sequence variation at the cyt b and S7 loci in nine newly sequenced and four re-analysed species. We found that all species underwent more or less intensive changes in population size but we also found consistent differences between demographic histories of pelagic and benthic species. Contemporary pelagic populations are significantly more genetically diverse and bear traces of older demographic expansions than less diverse benthic species that show evidence of more recent population expansions. Our findings suggest that the lifestyles of different species have strong influences on their responses to the same environmental events. Our data, in conjunction with previous studies showing a constant diversification tempo of these species during the Pleistocene, support the hypothesis that Pleistocene glaciations had a smaller effect on pelagic species than on benthic species whose survival may have relied upon ephemeral refugia in shallow shelf waters. These findings suggest that the interaction between lifestyle and environmental changes should be considered in genetic analyses.     

Vegetational changes in a wet meadow complex,South Bohemia,Czech Republic

Directional changes of vegetation in a wet meadow complex are described, comparing phytosociological relevés taken in 1956, 1963, 1984 and 1989, and vegetation maps made in 1956 and 1984. The relevés were located at various distances from the pond shore predominantly reflecting differences in water regime and intensity of farming. The data were elaborated using direct and indirect gradient analyses. Alterations of environmental factors (moisture, nitrogen) were expressed using Ellenberg's indicator values. Over most of the area, the former distinct vegetation mosaic has been replaced by uniform meadows due to intensive farming. The area was eutrophicated and partly drained, clearly shown in Ellenberg's indicator values, in species composition and vegetation pattern. Rapid processes of ruderalization took place. A scheme of successional pathways which finally emerged can be applied to analogous wet meadows in comparable geographical regions and used as a tool for prognoses of successional processes in meadows under human impact. The paper demonstrates ways to exploit earlier phytosociological records.     

Genetic evidence for asymmetric hybridization between menhadens (Brevoortia spp.) from peninsular Florida

Hybridization between the North American menhadens Brevoortia smithi , Brevoortia tyrannus and Brevoortia patronus has been reported by numerous authors, based primarily on the morphological intermediacy of hybrids relative to each parental type. In this study, genetic characterization of individuals in areas previously designated as hybrid zones validates the presence of F₁ hybrids. Evidence from microsatellite genotypes indicates that B. patronus and B. smithi are parental species of hybrids on both sides of the Florida peninsula, and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotypes suggest a maternal contribution by B. smithi in each case. Hybrids between B. tyrannus and B. smithi were not identified in this study. The presence of B. patronus on the Atlantic coast of Florida, coupled with admixture between this species and B. tyrannus , has likely influenced the mixed lineage assortment of mtDNA haplotypes demonstrated in this study and in previous studies.     

Comparative mineral and hormonal analyses of wild type and TLS somaclonal variant derived from oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq. var. tenera) tissue culture

Comparative mineral and hormonal analyses were made on tissue culture derived truncated leaf syndrome and wild type oil palm seedlings. Mineral analysis confirmed that Boron, Zinc and chlorophyll levels were significantly lower in truncated leaf syndrome leaves than those of wild type. Hormonal analysis also revealed various cytokinin derivatives such as trans-zeatin, trans-zeatin riboside, trans-zeatin O-glucoside and trans-zeatin riboside 5??mono phosphate were significantly higher in truncated leaf syndrome leaves compared to wild type leaves. Brassinolide level was also significantly higher in truncated leaf syndrome leaves than those of the wild type. These observations suggest that the truncated leaf syndrome abnormality could be associated to high cytokinin and brassinosteroid production which affects the uptake of Boron and Zinc.     

Terpenoid and morphological variability of Pinus quadrifolia and the natural hybridization with Pinus monophylla in the San Jacinto Mountains in California

Monoterpenoids from wood of Pinus quadrifolia and Pinus monophylla from south of the San Jacinto Mountains in southern California were analysed by gas-liquid chromatography (GLC). The number of needles per fascicle, the number of resin canals, and the number of abaxial and adaxial stomatal rows in the needles were determined. Percentages of mycrene, α-pinene, and to a minor extent of camphene, β-pinene, limonene, and β-phellandrene, the above mentioned morphological characteristics and previously obtained data were all used for identification and characterisation of species intermediacy in the San Jacinto area. It was concluded that many P. quadrifolia trees in the mixed Buck Ridge stand and some trees in two pure stands of the same area were hybrids and that sympatric and to a lesser extent allopatric introgression of P. monophylla into P. quadrifolia takes place in the San Jacinto region. Introgression of P. quadrifolia into P. monophylla could not be demonstrated.     

Turtles Are Not Just Walking Stones: Conspicuous Coloration and Sexual Selection in Freshwater Turtles

Turtles are among the most intriguing amniotes but their communication and signaling have rarely been studied. Traditionally, they have been seen as basically just silent armored ‘walking stones’ with complex physiology but no altruism, maternal care, or aesthetic perception. Recently, however, we have witnessed a radical change in the perception of turtle behavioral and cognitive skills. In our study, we start by reviewing some recent findings pertaining to various highly developed behavioral and cognitive patterns with special emphasis on turtles. Then we focus on freshwater turtles and use data about their sexual behavior and size sexual dimorphism (SSD) to test whether conspicuous coloration of the head is in these animals related to sexual processes. We found that absence of aggressive mating behavior is statistically associated with the presence of conspicuous coloration on turtles’ heads. It also seems that while species with female-biased SSD are characterised by conspicuously colored head ornaments, in species with male-biased SSD conspicuous coloration is absent. Unlike large females, males thus seem to be under pressure to develop conspicuous coloration and engage in non-aggressive behavior using signaling to succeed in courtship. And finally, we discuss possible roles of head color patterns in turtle communication during mating.