Black rats (Rattus rattus) from medieval Mertola (Baixo Alentejo, Portugal)

This paper is about the analysis and interpretation of micromammal samples from archaeological sites while reporting on a black rat assemblage from XIII^th century Muslim levels in the city of Mertola. Questions concerning skeletal representation, size plus age estimations and bone fragmentation are discussed from a taphonomic standpoint. It is concluded that the tendency to interpret rodent accumulations in anthropic sites as evidence of preybird activities might be an oversimplification in need of substantial revision.     

Growth dynamics of Zostera in Sevastopol Bay (Crimea,Black Sea)

Density, biomass and primary productivity of eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) and density and biomass of Zostera noltii Hornem. were studied at three locations in Sevastopol Bay, Crimean Peninsula, Ukraine, in April 2002, late September 2002, and late January 2003 at 3 m and 5 m depths. All three growth parameters varied by station, depth, and month. The aboveground biomass (AGB) was greater in September than in April or January at 3 m. It was greater at 5 m than at 3 m in April at one station. For Z. noltii, results were more variable as to month. For belowground biomass (BGB), month and station relationships were not clear cut. It was generally true that total biomass was greatest in September. Significant differences in density, AGB and total biomass were observed for station and month in eelgrass, while in BGB, these differences were significant for depth and for month. Primary production in eelgrass was greatest at both depths in April as compared to September or January. Reproductive shoots were found only during April. Overall, seedlings were found in all collection periods and depths, but were most abundant at the three stations in April.     

Behavior, Diet, and Movements of the Sulawesi Crested Black Macaque (Macaca nigra)

We present the first field study of activity budgets, diet and ranging patterns of the Sulawesi crested black macaque, Macaca nigra, one of seven macaque species endemic to Sulawesi, Indonesia. We studied three crested macaque groups, ranging in size from 50 to 97 individuals, for 18 months in the Tangkoko-DuaSudara Nature Reserve, North Sulawesi. They spent 59% of the day moving and procuring food, especially fruits, and 41% of the day resting and socializing. Their diet is composed of more than 145 species of fruit (66% of observed feeding bouts), vegetative material (2.5%), invertebrates (31.5%), and occasional vertebrate prey. Group differences were more pronounced than seasonal or diurnal differences. Specifically, the largest group moved farther during the day, moved at a faster and more uniform rate, ate less fruit, rested more, and socialized less than the smaller groups did. The largest group had the largest home range, but it included less primary forest and more disturbed habitat than the ranges of smaller groups. There are individual differences in activity budgets of adult males and females in time spent moving, resting, feeding, and socializing that may reflect differences in reproductive strategies of males versus females. The behavior of large juveniles is more similar to that of adults than to that of small juveniles. Daily movements and use of home range are correlated with diet. Macaques moved shorter distances as the proportion of time spent feeding on fruit increased, and the top four dietary items accounted for most of the variance in entry into hectare blocks of home range.     

黑麂线粒体基因组序列分析

采用PCR产物直接测序方法测定了黑麂线粒体基因组全序列 ,初步分析了其基因组特点并定位了各基因的位置 .结果显示 :黑麂的线粒体基因组全序列长度为 1 6 35 7bp ,可编码 2 2种tRNA、2种rRNA、1 3种蛋白质 ,碱基组成及基因位置与小麂、赤麂和其它哺乳类动物的线粒体基因组相似 ;模拟电子酶切图谱与先前的报道基本一致 ;基于细胞色素b的全基因序列 ,分别以最大简约法、N J法、最大似然数法与其它 1 4种鹿类动物的相应序列进行了聚类分析 ,构建出相似的系统进化树 :初步确定了麂亚科动物在鹿科中处于与鹿亚科、北美鹿亚科并列的进化地位 .在此基础上 ,进一步以黑麂、赤麂、小麂的线粒体编码RNA和编码蛋白质的基因序列构建系统进化树 ,分析了三者的亲缘关系 .结果表明 :黑麂和赤麂亲缘关系较近 ,是较新的物种 ,而小麂是较为原始的物种     

Phyllobothrium squali Yamaguti, 1952 (Tetraphyllidea,Phyllobothriidae): redescription and first record in the Black Sea

Phyllobothrium squali Yamaguti, 1952 is redescribed and illustrated on the basis of the holotype from Squalus acanthias from Japanese waters and specimens from the same host off the Bulgarian Black Sea coast (new geographical record). The species is characterised by: a scolex diameter of 2.9-4.3 mm, a glandular apical organ, foliose bothridia with folded and posteriorly bifid margins, accessory suckers of 286-367 micro m in diameter, 222-373 testes per proglottis, an oval cirrus-sac with a length of 354-655 micro m, the vagina opening anteriorly to the cirrus-sac, and the terminal part of vagina with a circular musculature. Specimens from Etmopterus spinax off Naples, Mediterranean Sea, recorded by Euzet (1959) as Crossobothrium squali, are redescribed and their identification not confirmed. P. squali is recognised as a specific parasite of S. acanthias; it is presently known only from Japanese waters, the Black Sea and the Irish Sea. Changes to the generic diagnosis of Phyllobothrium, as given by Ruhnke (1996a), are proposed in order to include the characters of P. squali.     

Alchemilla boluensis (Rosaceae), a new species from the west Black Sea region (Bolu, Turkey)

Alchemilla boluensis from the west Black Sea region of Turkey is described as a species new to science and illustrated. It belongs to the section Alchemilla , subsection Calycanthum and series Elatae , and is closely related to A. amoena , from which it mainly differs in its stem and leaf features.     

Black lemur (Lemur macaco) hand preference in food reaching

The present study assessed the hand preferences exhibited by 33 black lemurs during routine feeding. Individual animals displayed hand preferences that were consistent across observations separated by as much as seven months. Within this population, 20 were left hand preferent, 12 right preferent, and 1 was ambidextrous. Correlational analysis of age and percentage left hand use indicated an inverse relationship in which younger animals tended towards the preferential use of the left hand and older animals the preferential use of the right hand. Similar analysis found no relationship between either sex and hand preference or familial relationship and hand preference. The skewed distribution of age in this sample renders tentative conclusions regarding age-related variations in hand preference. It is suggested that if the hand preferences of the black lemur are not age-related, then this species may be characterized as having a bias towards the preferential use of the left hand for food reaching.     

The composition and structure of the benthic diatom taxocene (Bacillariophyta) near Cape Fiolent (the Crimea,the Black Sea)

For the first time in the waters of the Cape Fiolent Reserve, a high species richness of benthic diatoms was revealed on natural substrates, 290 species and infraspecific taxa (IT), belonging to 281 species, 68 genera, 32 families, 19 orders, and 3 classes. A total of 68 species and 3 genera were previously registered as new for the flora of the Black Sea; 3 species and 1 taxonomic combination were previously described as new to science, as well as 4 species that did not occur in the Black sea in the past 50 and 100 years of research. Navicula (41 species and IT), Amphora (30), Nitzschia (29), Fallacia (20), Cocconeis (17) and Diploneis (16) were the most represented genera. Only one representative was identified in each of the orders Anaulales, Ardissoneales, Thalassionematales, Rhaphoneidales, and Rhopalodiales. The diversity assessment that was carried out using taxonomic distinctness indices, TaxDI, revealed that the structure of the phylogenetic diatom tree was formed by branches with various species saturation levels and different hierarchical subordination, but with the predominance of polyspecific taxa up to at genera level. The TaxDI values (Δ⁺ = 76.71; Λ⁺ = 361.52) indicate the low evenness and high variability of the structure of the benthic diatom taxocene near Cape Fiolent.     

Biomarkers Reveal Diverse Microbial Communities in Black Smoker Sulfides from Turtle Pits (Mid-Atlantic Ridge,Recent) and Yaman Kasy (Russia,Silurian)

The steep biogeochemical gradients near deep sea hydrothermal vents provide various niches for microbial life. Here we present biosignatures of such organisms enclosed in a modern and an ancient hydrothermal sulfide deposit (Turtle Pits, Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Recent; Yaman Kasy, Russia, Silurian). In the modern sulfide we found high amounts of specific bacterial and archaeal biomarkers with δ¹³C values between ?8 and ?37‰ VPDB. Our data indicate the presence of thermophilic members of the autotrophic Aquificales using the reductive tricarboxylic acid (rTCA) cycle as well as of methanogenic and chemolithoheterotrophic Archaea. In the ancient sample, most potential biomarkers of thermophiles were obscured by compounds derived from allochthonous organic matter (OM), except for an acyclic C₄₀ biphytane and its C₃₉ breakdown product. Both samples contained high amounts of unresolved complex mixtures (UCM) of hydrocarbons. Apparently, OM in the sulfides had to withstand high thermal stress, indicated by highly mature hopanes, steranes, and cheilanthanes with up to 41 carbon atoms.     

Heavy Rainfall,Sewer Overflows,and Salmonellosis in Black Skimmers (Rynchops niger)

EcoHealth - Extreme weather events, particularly heavy rainfall, are occurring at greater frequency with climate change. Although adverse human health effects from heavy rainfall are often...     

Using amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLP) to identify Black Cohosh (Actaea racemosa)

The rhizome ofActaea racemosa L., commonly called black cohosh, is a popular botanical dietary supplement used to treat female health concerns. The rhizomes used in black cohosh products are often collected from the wild. To ensure quality control, it is imperative that plants be correctly identified. This paper examines the use of the DNA fingerprinting technique, AFLP, as an analytical means of identifyingA. racemosa from three other closely related sympatric species. To this end, 262 AFLP markers were generated, and one unique fingerprint was identified forA. racemosa, whereas two, six, and eight unique fingerprints were identified for the closely related speciesA. pachypoda, A. cordifolia, andA. podocarpa, respectively. Two commercial black cohosh products were also subjected to AFLP analysis and shown to contain onlyA. racemosa. The results of this study suggest that AFLP analysis may offer a useful method for quality control in the botanical dietary supplements industry.     

Molecular insights into the taxonomy of Hypanis (Bivalvia, Cardiidae, Lymnocardiinae) in the Black Sea lagoons

In this study, we used data from morphology and three DNA markers to assess the taxonomic status of the putative bivalve species Hypanis colorata and Hypanis angusticostata in a Black Sea lagoon, the Razelm Lake in Romania. The morphological data (the shape of shell ribs and the multivariate analysis of morphometric variance of three variables constructed as the ratios between the main dimensions of the shell) confirmed that the two analyzed species are distinct morphological entities. Three molecular markers, one from the nuclear genome (18S rRNA) and two from the mitochondrial genome (16S rRNA and COI), showed extremely reduced sequence divergence (0?C0.1%) between the two putative species. Based on these results, we suggest that H. angusticostata and H. colorata are morphotypes of a single species.     

Hematoxylin Substitutes: Fluorone Black and Methyl Fluorone Black (9-Phenyl- and 9-Methyl-2, 3, 7-Trihydroxy-6-Fluorone) as Metachrome Iron Alum Mordant Dyes

The phenyl and methyl trihydroxyfluorones, hitherto used histologically only in the rather difficult and unreliable Turchini tecbnics for discriminating deoxyribonucleic from ribonucleic acid, find a new use as iron mordant metachrome dyes which act as nuclear stains. Nuclear staining is unaffected by acid extraction of nudeic acids, as with hematoxylin lakes.

The two dyes, named by Liebermann and Lindenbanm 9-phenyl-2, 3, 7-trihydroxy-6-fluorone and 9-methyl-2, 3, 7-trihydroxy-6-Ruorone, have also acquired (illustrating with the phenyl homolog) longer chemical names of the form 2, 6, 7-trihydroxy-9-phenylisoxanthene-3-one (Eastman). Aldrich and Pfalz-Bauer adhere to the Liebermann-Lindenbaum nomenclature. The trivial name fluorone black is proposed for the phenyl homolog and methyl fluorone black for the methyl homolog.

The iron lake of fluorone black appears to be a useful substitute for iron hematoxylin, methyl fluorone black less useful. Neither dye has the diverse capability of hematoxylin.

Aided by a contract from the National Cancer Institute NO-1-CB-43912     

Seasonal variability of phytoplankton at Varna Bay (Black Sea)

Intrinsic fluorescence and SDS-PAGE analysis were employed to study the seasonal qualitative and quantitative changes of phytoplankton composition at Varna Bay (Black Sea). Variation in the maximum emission wavelength (lambda(max)) of the phytoplankton proteins (398 nm in the summer and 340 nm in the spring) was observed. In addition, a decrease in fluorescence intensity, and a shift in lambda(max) as a result of changes in phytoplankton protein stability, according to the season, was noted. Similarly, SDS-PAGE analysis showed different protein patterns for each season, for example in summertime the major protein constituents were of 14, 37, 48 and 70 kDa, while in the springtime the sizes ranged between 38 and 48 kDa. In general, higher carbohydrate and protein contents correlated with larger phytoplankton biomass found during the summer. The dominant species, the Bacillariophyceae and Dinophyceae, were found to be present in the water body in an alternate pattern. All of these changes could be accounted for by the adaptation of the organism to seasonal variations that modify the sea environment at Varna Bay.     

Maximum length and age report of Sparus aurata (Linnaeus, 1758) in the Black Sea

The presence of gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) in the Black Sea, albeit sparse, has been known for many years. In recent years, it has been encountered in fishing nets, most commonly as by‐catch. In this study conducted in the southern Black Sea (Ordu) region, three female individuals were caught in trammel nets on October 9, 2017, and the largest individual was found to have a total length of 61.4 cm, a weight of 3080.6 g, and a gonad weight of 115.59 g. The metric and meristic characteristics of the largest individual sampled were also determined.     

Age, growth and food composition of Scorpaena porcus (Linnaeus, 1758) in the southeastern Black Sea

Samples of 525 Scorpaena porcus (Linnaeus, 1758) were collected from the southeastern Black Sea between January 2002 and May 2003 for information on age, growth, length–weight relationships and stomach contents. Total length of sampled fish ranged from 4.6 to 22.9 cm and total weight from 1.3 to 220 g. The sex ratio (1 : 1.61) was biased toward females (P < 0.05). Positive allometric growth was determined in the collected samples. The length–weight relationship for all individuals was described by the parameters a  = 0.0149 and b  = 3.09, with r ² = 0.99. The sample was composed of five age-classes (0–7 years). Three growth models were used to identify the growth characteristics: von Bertalanffy,     ; logistic,     ; and Schnute and Richards,     . Among these, the Schnute and Richards model was best fitted to the data as     The diet was composed of Carcinus mediterraneus (18.2%), Crangon crangon (12.1%), unidentified crab species (10.6%), Gobius sp. (4.6%), Palaemon sp. (4.5%), Macropipus sp. (4.5%), Engraulis encrasicholus (1.5%), Gastropoda (1.5%), and unidentified remains (34.9%).     

Haematology and Plasma Biochemistry of Wild Black Flying-Foxes, (Pteropus alecto) in Queensland,Australia

This paper establishes reference ranges for hematologic and plasma biochemistry values in wild Black flying-foxes (Pteropus alecto) captured in South East Queensland, Australia. Values were found to be consistent with those of other Pteropus species. Four hundred and forty-seven animals were sampled over 12 months and significant differences were found between age, sex, reproductive and body condition cohorts in the sample population. Mean values for each cohort fell within the determined normal adult reference range, with the exception of elevated levels of alkaline phosphatase in juvenile animals. Hematologic and biochemistry parameters of injured animals showed little or no deviation from the normal reference values for minor injuries, while two animals with more severe injury or abscessation showed leucocytosis, anaemia, thrombocytosis, hyperglobulinemia and hypoalbuminemia.     

Seasonal Fluctuations of Lectins in Barks of Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) and Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)

Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) and black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) agglutinins, which are abundantly present in the bark of both species, display seasonal fluctuations with regard to their content in this tissue. These seasonal changes result apparently from a circa-annual rhythm of lectin accumulation and depletion during autumn and spring, respectively. Because the bark of trees can be considered as a type of vegetative storage tissue, the results suggest that bark lectins behave as typical storage proteins.