Patterns of mobilization of calcium,magnesium, and phosphorus by embryonic yellow-headed blackbirds(Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus)

Summary Embryonic blackbirds(Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) obtain most of their calcium from the eggshell (85 90%), but all of their phosphorus comes from reserves in the yolk (80–85%) and albumen (15–20%). Approximately equal amounts of magnesium are supplied by the eggshell, the yolk, and the albumen. Yolk is depleted of magnesium and phosphorus during embryogenesis, but excess calcium absorbed from the eggeshell is stored in the yolk. Consequently reserves of calcium in the yolk actually increase 8-fold during embryonic development. Our results reveal that altricial birds manifest patterns of mobilization and deposition of calcium and other elements similar to those described for precocial species. Evolution of altriciality from precocity evidently did not entail major changes in how embryonic birds meet the challenge of obtaining the calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus required for development.     

How tetrapods feed in water: a functional analysis by paradigm

Mechanical theory is used to erect a paradigm predicting the manipulations used by carnivorous aquatic amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals to catch, subdue, process and swallow their prey. These predictions are confirmed by observational evidence. Most aquatic predatory tetrapods use long, prehensile tooth-armed jaws as pincer jaws to snap shut onto the prey and catch and kill it, although some use the flexibility of long necks in spear fishing and some odontocetes may stun prey with sonar. Most do not have cutting or nipping dentitions as these cannot be used on prey which is freely floating. They use caniniform dentition to hold and kill prey, or in some cases crushing dentition to break open hard-shelled prey. They dismember prey by dynamic loading, snatching bites so quickly that the prey tears. They use shake feeding, shaking the prey apart from side to side above the water. If the prey is too large to lift above the water they use twist feeding, twisting pieces off. Small pieces are easily swallowed but larger pieces are held above the water and swallowed by tilting the head back in gravity feeding, or by jerking the head back and forth in incrtial feeding. Some animals use mobile jaws to pull prey back into the mouth in ratchet feeding. Filter feeding evades these problems by feeding on very small prey. The use of paradigms in functional analysis is discussed with special reference to this work. The paradigm method is shown to be the most suitable one. There has been repeated convergent and parallel evolution of adaptations to feed in water.     

A catalog of bird specimens associated with Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied and potential type material in the natural history collection in Wiesbaden

Bird specimens collected by 19^th century explorer and ornithologist Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied form one of the foundation collections of the American Museum of Natural History in New York. However, parts of his collection remained in Germany and came to the Museum Wiesbaden. Since Wied described numerous new species without designating types, some of these specimens might be type material. Here we present a catalog of the 30 Wiesbaden specimens associated with him and discuss their potential type status. We conclude that 17 individuals in 11 species are potential type specimens that should be considered in future taxonomic work.     

Birds of Antioquia: Georeferenced database of specimens from the Colección de Ciencias Naturales del Museo Universitario de la Universidad de Antioquia (MUA)

The department of Antioquia, Colombia, lies in the northwestern corner of South America and provides a biogeographical link among divergent faunas, including Caribbean, Andean, Pacific and Amazonian. Information about the distribution of biodiversity in this area is of relevance for academic, practical and social purposes. This data paper describes the dataset containing all bird specimens deposited in the Colección de Ciencias Naturales del Museo Universitario de la Universidad de Antioquia (MUA). We curated all the information associated with the bird specimens, including the georeferences and taxonomy, and published the database through the Global Biodiversity Information Facility network. During this process we checked the species identification and existing georeferences and completed the information when possible. The collection holds 663 bird specimens collected between 1940 and 2011. Even though most specimens are from Antioquia (70%), the collection includes material from several other departments and one specimen from the United States. The collection holds specimens from three endemic and endangered species (Coeligena orina, Diglossa gloriossisima, and Hypopirrhus pyrohipogaster), and includes localities poorly represented in other collections. The information contained in the collection has been used for biodiversity modeling, conservation planning and management, and we expect to further facilitate these activities by making it publicly available.     

Polymorphisme biochimique chez le faisan commun (Phasianus colchicus)

Egg white proteins, hemoglobin, serum proteins and enzymes from Phasianus colchicus have been examined by starch gel electrophoresis. All three genetic parameters, mean proportion of loci polymorphic per population (P), mean numbers of alleles per locus (A), and mean proportion of loci heterozygous per individual (H), are given. Comparison were made between the proteins of the related species Coturnix coturnix japonica, and the variation of pheasant proteins is discussed in connexion with the genetic structure of the population studied.     

Isolation of microsatellite loci from the common buzzard,Buteo buteo (Aves: Accipitridae)

We isolated 56 common buzzard (Buteo buteo) microsatellite loci from (AC)_n‐ and (AAAG)_n‐enriched genomic libraries. Eleven loci were tested on 90 individuals from Eastern Westphalia in Germany, yielding two to 17 alleles per locus (average 5.7) and expected heterozygosities ranging from 0.11 to 0.93 (average 0.53). These highly variable microsatellite markers provide a powerful means for investigating population genetic diversity in the common buzzard, a little‐understood aspect of this widespread species.     

Phororhacoidea or Phorusrhacoidea? A note on the nomenclature of the “terror birds”

The Phorusrhacidae, a group of large terrestrial carnivorous birds mostly known from the Cenozoic of South America, are often placed in a superfamily, for which the taxon name Phororhacoidea Patterson, 1941 is frequently used. However, according to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, Phororhacoidea is not valid. The proper taxon name at the superfamily level is Phorusrhacoidea Ameghino, 1889.     

Unexpected microanatomical variation among Eocene Antarctic stem penguins (Aves: Sphenisciformes)

The microanatomical and histological structure of Eocene Antarctic stem penguin tarsometatarsi is examined in order to characterise the bone microstructure. Eight adult tarsometatarsi belonging to eight fossil species (Palaeeudyptes gunnari, Palaeeudyptes klekowskii, Anthropornis grandis, Anthropornis nordenskjoeldi, Archaeospheniscus wimani, Marambiornis exilis, Delphinornis arctowskii and Delphinornis larseni) collected from the Antarctic A. nordenskjoeldi Biozone (La Meseta Formation, ～34.2 Ma) were examined. The thin sections revealed a distinctive microanatomical variation among taxa. Whereas Anthropornis spp., A. wimani and P. gunnari possess massive, clearly osteosclerotic bones (medullary cavities absent or strongly reduced), the bones of Delphinornis spp., P. klekowski and M. exilis exhibit well-developed medullary cavities. The cortical bone in all the specimens consists of primary, well-vascularised fibro-lamellar bone and variable amounts of secondary bone. Medullary cavities are coated by a thick layer of lamellar bone tissue and coarse compacted cancellous bone. Although several causes can explain the striking microanatomical variation (e.g. ontogeny), we interpret that such variation is related to differential adaptations to the aquatic life, for which taxa with more massive bones were possibly adapted to deeper and more prolonged diving excursions.     

Voices of the past: a review of Paleozoic and Mesozoic animal sounds

Here, I present a review and synthesis of fossil and neontological evidence to find major trends in the pre-Cenozoic evolution of animal acoustic behaviour. Anatomical, ecological and phylogenetic data support the following scenario. Stridulating insects, including crickets, performed the first terrestrial twilight choruses during the Triassic. The twilight chorus was joined by water boatmen in the Lower Jurassic, anurans in the Upper Jurassic, geckoes and birds in the Lower Cretaceous, and cicadas and crocodilians in the Upper Cretaceous. Parallel evolution of defensive stridulation took place multiple times within Malacostraca, Arachnida and Coleoptera. Parallel evolution of defensive and courtship-related sound production took place in Actinopterygii, possibly as early as the Devonian. Defensive vocalisations by tetrapods probably did not appear until their predators acquired tympanic ears in the Permian. Tympanic ears appeared independently in Diadectomorpha, Seymouriamorpha, Parareptilia, Diapsida and derived Synapsida. Crocodilians and birds acquired vocal organs independently, and there is no anatomical evidence for vocal ability in bird-line archosaurs basal to the avian clade Ornithothoraces. Acoustic displays by non-avian dinosaurs were therefore probably non-vocal. Other aspects of the evolution of acoustic behaviour in these and other lineages are also discussed.