Dispersal,kinship and inbreeding in an island population of the Great Tit

We investigated the kinship structure of an island population of the Great Tit (Parus major). Kinship of birds could be inferred by comparing their family trees. Dispersal was also studied to explain the observed pattern of kinship. On the island of Vlieland the tits breed in several wooded areas. Both males and females preferred to breed in their natal area; males did so more strongly than females. Hence gene flow between the areas is restricted. However, within the largest wooded area females showed random dispersal, while males showed a slight tendency to breed near their natal site. The degree of kinship of neighbouring birds is a suitable control group for the relatedness of partners that takes into account the effects of dispersal. In the largest wooded area, birds were on average equally related to their partner and to their neighbours. Moreover, the mean coefficient of kinship between male and female neighbours was equal to the average kinship in this part of the population. We conclude that mating is random with respect to kinship. There is no evidence for avoidance of inbreeding. It is unlikely that kin recognition plays an important role in the process of mate choice in this population of Great Tits. We suggest that ecological factors are the main causes for the observed patterns of dispersal and mating. On the island more female than male immigrants enter the population each year. Incidental data indicate an exchange of birds between the population studied and surrounding populations. Ancestries of immigrants are not known, and indeed a first analysis of all birds, including immigrants, showed that males were more closely related than females. However, differential immigration could not fully explain the observed difference in kinship. The presence of local adaptation in males is suggested as a possible additional cause.     

Rapid Evolution of the Ribonuclease A Superfamily: Adaptive Expansion of Independent Gene Clusters in Rats and Mice

The two eosinophil ribonucleases, eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EDN/RNase 2) and eosinophil cationic protein (ECP/RNase 3), are among the most rapidly evolving coding sequences known among primates. The eight mouse genes identified as orthologs of EDN and ECP form a highly divergent, species-limited cluster. We present here the rat ribonuclease cluster, a group of eight distinct ribonuclease A superfamily genes that are more closely related to one another than they are to their murine counterparts. The existence of independent gene clusters suggests that numerous duplications and diversification events have occurred at these loci recently, sometime after the divergence of these two rodent species (∼10–15 million years ago). Nonsynonymous substitutions per site (d _N) calculated for the 64 mouse/rat gene pairs indicate that these ribonucleases are incorporating nonsilent mutations at accelerated rates, and comparisons of nonsynonymous to synonymous substitution (d _N / d _S) suggest that diversity in the mouse ribonuclease cluster is promoted by positive (Darwinian) selection. Although the pressures promoting similar but clearly independent styles of rapid diversification among these primate and rodent genes remain uncertain, our recent findings regarding the function of human EDN suggest a role for these ribonucleases in antiviral host defense. Received: 8 April 1999 / Accepted: 22 June 1999     

Eimerians in Harvest Mice, Reithrodontomys spp., from Mexico, California and New Mexico, and Phenotypic Plasticity in Oocysts of Eimeria arizonensis

ABSTRACT Between May 1979 and August 1991, 48.7% (57/117) of the harvest mice ( Reithrodontomys spp.) examined from 10 localities in Mexico, California and New Mexico had coccidian oocysts in their feces. A total of 46.7% (49/105) of the Reithrodontomys megalotis examined were positive for coccidian oocysts; this included samples from five states in Mexico (47.1%, 8/17), three counties in California (66.7%, 4/6) and two counties in New Mexico (45.1%, 37/82); 66.7% (8/12) of the Reithrodontomys montanus from one county in New Mexico also were infected. Only two coccidian species, Eimeria arizonensis and Eimeria langebarteli , were found in these hosts. Oocysts of E. langebarteli were found only in R. megalotis : in all three infected mice from Madera County, California, in the only mouse from San Bernardino County, California, and in 63% (5/8) of the infected mice from four states in Mexico. Oocysts of E. arizonensis were found in R. megalotis in Mexico, California, and New Mexico and in R. montanus from New Mexico. Sporulated oocysts of E. langebarteli differed slightly from those in previously published reports by having wider oocysts and larger sporocysts. Sporulated oocysts of E. arizonensis were variable in size, with those recovered from R. montanus significantly larger in length and width and sporocyst width than those from R. megalotis . The structure of the oocyst residuum was polymorphic, both within and between host species, and within the same mouse; it could appear as one large globule, two globules, several to many smaller globules, or as a compact mass of many small granules. Oocysts with a variable residuum were larger than those with one globule in all oocyst/sporocyst dimensions. Only 9% (5/57) of the infected mice were discharging oocysts of both eimerians when examined.     

Scientific procedures on living animals in Great Britain in 2003: the facts, figures and consequences

The statistics for animal procedures performed in 2003 were recently released by the Home Office. They indicate that, for the second year running, there was a significant increase in the number of laboratory animal procedures undertaken in Great Britain. The species and genera used, the numbers of toxicology and non-toxicology procedures, and the overall trends, are described. The implications of these latest statistics are discussed with reference to key areas of interest and to the impact of existing regulations and pending legislative reforms.     

Reproduction as spiritual kin work: Orthodoxy, ivf, and the moral economy of motherhood in greece

Bringing gender and kinship studies together with an anthropology of religion, in this article I demonstrate how urban Greek couples and clinical practitioners in the middle 1990s proceeded with in vitro fertilization (IVF) in the absence of government regulations, and did so with reference to cultural beliefs and social relations consistent with Greek Orthodox religious practice. Drawing on ethnographic observations at an Athens IVF clinic as well as on interviews with former patients, I argue that Athenian women, in particular, engage IVF as a kind of spiritual kin work, normalizing the use of medical techniques with reference to ideologies of motherhood that treat it as a woman’s moral achievement and as a source of womanly suffering. Since the period of ethnographic research described here, and despite disapproval of the Greek Orthodox Church, legislation regulating the use of IVF and other methods of medically assisted reproduction has become law. This article reconciles how the Church can officially reject medically assisted means of reproduction that Athenian users have normalized with reference to spiritual beliefs and practices.     

Early and natural embryonic death in Lagostomus maximus: Association with the uterine glands,vasculature, and musculature

The uterus is an organ with great plasticity due to the morphological and physiological changes it experiences during the estrous cycle and pregnancy. In mammals, pregnancy requires diverse sex hormones, growth factors and cytokines, among others, for promoting uterine remodeling to favor implantation, placentation, and embryo/fetus survival and growth. The hystricognathi rodent Lagostomus maximus (plains viscacha) has a high rate of embryonic resorption. The cranial and middle implants are reabsorbed 25–35 days after intercourse while the caudal embryos continue with their development until two precocial offspring are born. So far, no uterine studies of non-pregnant L. maximus females were performed to determine the possible existence of variations in the organ that could be related to the differential survival of the implants. We used ultrasonography, as well as morphological, morphometric, histochemical, lectinhistochemical, and immunohistochemical methods to study differences in the uterine glands (area), vasculature (area), and musculature (thickness) along the uterine horns in non-pregnant females. Along the uterus, all these structures were in more advanced developmental condition in the caudal region as compared to more anterior positions. These regional variations could be decisive in explaining the reason why only caudal implantations come to term. In contrast, no differences in the in the luminal and glandular epithelial cells, nor in the degree of cell proliferation and apoptosis, and hormonal receptor staining were found. These parameters could be related to implantation along the uterine horns, but not to the differential survival of the implants.     

Television's Interpellation: Heeding, Missing, Ignoring, and Resisting the Call for Pan-National Identity in the Brazilian Amazon

ABSTRACT   In this article, I focus on the ways in which audiences in the Amazonian community of Gurupá respond to television's interpellation for pan-national identity. I examine how viewers heed, miss, ignore, and resist the call for identity as well as how their various responses to this "call" shape their worldview and behavior and impact the process of nation building. Utilizing audience ethnography over a 25-year period, I show in this study how televisual messages are contextualized and localized, mitigating the forces of nationalistic homogenization.     

Evolutionary transformation of the subcutaneous muscle in rodents of Ctenohystrica (Rodentia: Diatomyidae,Ctenodactylidae, and Hystricognathi)

The present study examined the subcutaneous muscle (m. cutaneus trunci) in a relict species Laonastes aenigmamus (Diatomyidae) and in two ctenodactylids (Ctenodactylidae: Ctenodactylus gundi and Pectinator spekei), which are closely related to Laonastes according to current phylogenetic hypotheses. The comparative morphological analysis also included four representatives of Hystricognathi: Echimys sp., Proechimys sp., Cercomys cunicularis, and Hystrix indica. Laonastes and ctenodactylids have a number of common ancestral traits in the morphology of m. cutaneus trunci. This suggests that they are probably related to the ancestral forms of Ctenohystrica. However, the structural similarity of the subcutaneous muscle in Diatomyidae and Ctenodactylidae is based not only on plesiomorphic (presence of the medial head of m. cutaneus trunci), but also on an apomorphic (the development of the thoracoabdominal portion) feature which is common to both branches of Ctenohystrica (Ctenodactiloidea and Hystricognathi). The results of the comparative analysis suggest a new scenario for the evolutionary transformations of m. cutaneus trunci within the clade Ctenohystrica. This scenario differs from earlier suggestions and proposes initial differentiation of the subcutaneous muscle and possibly its secondary simplification, but on a new basis. On this new basis a further secondary increase in complexity of subcutaneous muscle appears possible in response to various adaptations in hystricognaths.     

Behavioural Tests Reveal Severe Visual Deficits in the Strictly Subterranean African Mole‐Rats (Bathyergidae) but Efficient Vision in the Fossorial Rodent Coruro (Spalacopus cyanus,Octodontidae)

Vision has long been considered purposeless in the dark underground ecotope. However, recent anatomical studies revealed an unexpected diversity of ocular and retinal features and various degrees of development of the visual system in mammals with predominantly subterranean activity, and have suggested retention of basic visual capabilities even in some strictly subterranean mammals such as the African mole‐rats. Behavioural tests assessing image‐forming vision have not yet been conducted in subterranean mammals. Here, we investigated the visual capacities in three species of the African mole‐rats, namely the giant mole‐rat Fukomys mechowii, the Mashona mole‐rat Fukomys darlingi and the silvery mole‐rat Heliophobius argenteocinereus, in the fossorial coruro Spalacopus cyanus and the inbred C57L/J mouse. The behavioural assays performed in this study revealed severe visual deficits in all three species of mole‐rats. The absence of the visual placing reflex suggested impairment of either image‐forming vision or visuomotor integration. The random choice between the shallow and the deep side of a visual cliff clearly demonstrated inability of mole‐rats to perceive depth. The nesting assay did not yield conclusive evidence regarding the capacity for visually guided spatial orientation in the only tested species, the giant mole‐rat. In contrast, both the coruro and the mouse exhibited a clear placing reaction and preferred the shallow side of the visual cliff, implying functional image‐forming vision. Thus, the behavioural data gathered in this study show that vision is seriously compromised in the strictly subterranean, congenitally microphthalmic African mole‐rats but efficient (i.e. comparable to that of surface‐dwelling rodents) in a species with regular surface activity, the coruro.     

Consuming the nation: Holidays,sports, and the production of collective belonging

The purpose of this article is to explain how Romanian and Hungarian university students in the ethnically mixed town of Cluj, Romania, experience and constitute collective national belonging at national holiday commemorations and international football competitions. Holidays and sports are important venues for the propagation of national, and sometimes nationalist, sensitivities. But neither the resurgence of nationalist politics in post-communist east Europe nor the nationalist inclinations of past generations of university students guarantee that the current generation will experience them – or themselves – in the same national terms. While much has been written about the production of holiday and sporting events, less has been said about the creative ways in which their audiences consume them. My aim in this study is to shift attention to the university students themselves and the modalities through which they constitute (and subvert) national cohesion through participation in (and avoidance of) holiday and sporting events.     

Reefs from space: Satellite imagery,marine ecology,and ethnography in the Dominican Republic

Coral reef bleaching is an obvious indication that coastal marine ecosystems are being stressed. However, bleached reefs alone are poor indicators because they reflect the final stages of stress. This research project used multidate satellite imagery to look for coral reef changes as indicators of stress. Findings suggest that (1) satellite imagery can be used to identify small-scale changes in coastal marine ecosystems, including coral reefs; (2) remote sensing, marine ecology, and ethnographic data can be integrated to suggest potential causes of coral reef stress; and (3) changes in reef, seagrass, and mangrove ecozones are more closely tied to fishing, tourism, and land use practices than to global warming.     

Toward a comparative socioecology of the genus Macaca: Different dominance styles in rhesus and stumptail monkeys

Captive studies can make a unique contribution to primate socioecology by documenting species-typical social dispositions under controlled conditions. Recent theories seek to connect the dominance relationships, group cohesiveness, and feeding ecology of primates. The present study explores the first two aspects by comparing the social organization of rhesus (Macaca mulatta) and stumptail monkeys (M. arctoides). Data were collected over a period of eight years, with five different methods, on three well-established captive groups in identical environments. The groups were found to share one characteristic: a clear-cut, linear formal dominance hierarchy as expressed in teeth-baring displays. The two main study groups (one of each species) differed significantly, however, with respect to nine of eleven behavioral measures. In addition to a previously reported higher frequency of reconciliation in the stumptail group, this group showed (1) more frequent but less severe aggressive behavior, (2) greater symmetry of contests, (3) greater social tolerance, (4) more nonagonistic approaches, and (5) more allogrooming. The differences can be summarized as a contrast in dominance “style,” with the stumptails having a more relaxed style and placing greater emphasis on social cohesion than the rhesus monkeys. An egalitarian attitude was also reflected in approach behavior: contacts in the rhesus group were mostly initiated by dominants, whereas contacts in the stumptail group were initiated independent of rank. Comparisons with a second rhesus group, and with published reports, suggest that while some of the observed differences are probably representative of the two species, considerable intraspecific variation does exist, and a more comprehensive program of comparative studies is needed.     

Dispersal, philopatry and intergroup relatedness: fine-scale genetic structure in the white-breasted thrasher, Ramphocinclus brachyurus

Dispersal is a fundamental process influencing evolution, social behaviour, and the long-term persistence of populations. We use both observational and genetic data to investigate dispersal, kin-clustering and intergroup relatedness in the white-breasted thrasher, Ramphocinclus brachyurus, a cooperatively breeding bird that is globally endangered. Mark-resighting data suggested sex-biased dispersal, with females dispersing over greater distances while males remained philopatric. Accordingly, spatial autocorrelation analysis showed highly significant fine-scale genetic structure among males, but not among females. This fine-scale genetic structuring of the male population resulted in very high levels of relatedness between dominant males at neighbouring nests, similar to that seen within cooperative groups in many species where kin selection is cited as a cause of cooperation. By implication, between-group as well as within-group cooperation may be important, potentially creating a feedback loop in which short-distance dispersal by males leads to the formation of male kin clusters that in turn facilitate nepotistic interactions and favour further local recruitment. The strength of spatial autocorrelation, as measured by the autocorrelation coefficient, r, was approximately two to three times greater than that reported in previous studies of animals. Relatively short dispersal distances by both males and females may have a negative impact on the white-breasted thrasher's ability to colonize new areas, and may influence the long-term persistence of isolated populations. This should be taken into account when designating protected areas or selecting sites for habitat restoration.