Nicolas Venette (1633–1698): premier sexologue français et grand pionnier en matière de lithiase urinaire

Nicolas Venette (Charles Patin) was a great physician of the 17^th century. He left works on scurvy, mineral waters, urinary calculi, sexology, etc. His master works were “La Génération de l’homme ou Tableau de l’amour conjugal” and “Traité des pierres”. He is considered to be the first French sexologist and a leading pioneer in the field of urinary calculi.     

Les Annales de Paléontologie et les Dinosaures

During one century, the “Annales de Paléontologie” have published some articles on the Middle jurassic Dinosaurs from Madagascar, France and Argentina. The review has furnished to their readers' informations on Dinosaurs, which were less known, that the classic faunas from the Upper Jurassic or Upper Cretaceous faunas from North America and Asia. The centenary of the “Annales” give the opportunity to have a look on the discoveries of the past under the light of our modern knowledge.     

On Edouard Claparède and Johannes Lachmann (Clap & Lach) and their “Etudes sur les Infusoires et les Rhizopodes”

Accounts are given of the lives and careers of Edouard Claparède (1832–1871) and Johannes Lachmann (1832–1860), the authors of the landmark work of 19th century protistology “Etudes sur les Infusoires et les Rhizopodes”, published in 3 parts in 1859, 1860 and 1861. Accounts are also given on the origin of the monograph, the relationship of Claparède and Lachmann with Ernst Haeckel, and Claparède's role as a promoter of Darwin's theories. Suggestions as to how to properly cite the monograph of Claparède and Lachmann are provided, as well as a supplementary file listing the protist species currently accepted as having been first described in their monograph.     

Réaumur (1683–1757): the discoverer of parasitoids in France

Early French discoveries of insect parasitoids and various aspects of their life cycle are discussed in this paper. Parasitism in insects first attracted the attention of French scientists in the 18th century, despite indifference of the famous encyclopedists of “the Age of Enlightenment” to this group of animals. Fortunately, a distinguished scientist of many talents, R.A. Ferchault de Réaumur (1683–1757), was interested in the study of insects. His work on insects, “Mémoires pour servir à l’histoire des insectes” published in six volumes, remains his most well known opus. He was the first person in France to describe an entomophagous insect (probably a Cotesia species) as well as several aspects of the biological characteristics of parasitoid life in 1736. Together with Latreille (1762–1833), he may be considered one of the founding fathers of entomology in France.     

Domestication of cultivatedleucaena (leguminosae) in Mexico: The sixteenth century documents

The distribution, and the morphological and genetic variation of the cultivated taxa of the genus Leucaena (especiallyL. esculenta, guaje rojo and guaje Colorado, andL. leucocephala, guaje verde and guaje bianco, are discussed in terms of their long history as arboreal food resources. In order to understand the domestication process it is essential to understand the changes in management, diffusion and importance of this natural resource throughout the prehistoric, prehispanic, colonial, modern and contemporary periods of Mexican history. In this article the principal documents of the contact period (Florentine Codex, writings of Francisco Hernández and sixteenth century Relaciones Geográficas) are analyzed to examine the effect of culture change on the domestication process. The persistence of Prehispanic uses and management of Leucaena as a source of food is documented. Today’s patterns appear to be both a product of neglect of the plant by the conquerors, and the cultural resilience of the native people.     

Moulin-Quignon et Homo heidelbergensis. Contextes épistémologiques et enjeux taxinomiques

In 1863, when a human mandible was discovered in the quarry of Moulin-Quignon (Abbeville, Somme), it completed the demonstration of Jacques Boucher de Perthes (1788–1868) proving the existence of an ante-diluvian man. However, this discovery was quickly questioned and would eventually disqualify even the site itself and the industries it had delivered. The recent re-examination of these fossils brought to light in 1863 (one mandible) and 1864 (28 bones and teeth), now housed at the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (musée de l’Homme), has confirmed their attribution to Homo sapiens. In the light of current knowledge, this attribution is incompatible with the stratigraphic provenance of these anthropological remains, whose age is estimated between 670–650,000 years. In fact, direct radiocarbon dating of these bones dates them back to a historical period, between the 13th and 18th centuries, which confirms their intrusive nature in the deposit. In this paper, after describing the discovery and rediscovery of the site, we will question who is the man who could have been discovered at Moulin-Quignon. This will be the occasion for a review of human evolution, in the context of the taxonomic upheavals of the 1950s and 1960s, in Western Europe in the Middle Pleistocene, where recent discoveries attest to a significant variability among Homo heidelbergensis, some of which are already strongly involved in the Neanderthal lineage. This retrospective will voluntarily follow the course of paleo-antropological research throughout the 20th century in order to highlight, as discoveries are made, changes in paradigms and practices.     

Decline of Birch Woodland Cover in Þjórsárdalur Iceland from 1587 to 1938

Immense land-cover changes in Iceland over the last millennium have encompassed birch (Betula pubescencs) woodland depletion and extensive soil erosion; few studies have focused on spatial distribution change of birch woodland in Iceland over centuries. The main objectives of this study were to (1) map the changes of birch woodland cover in Þjórsárdalur (14,000 ha) in southern Iceland, over a period of 350 years from late sixteenth to early twentieth century, and (2) explain the impact of socio-economic and natural forces on the woodland cover over three periods: 1587–1708, 1708–1880 and 1880–1938. We used a combined approach of historical reconstruction from diverse written archives, GIS-techniques and field work. About half of the Þjórsárdalur valley was covered by birch woodland in the late sixteenth century but over a period of 350 years 94 % of woodland had been depleted. The woodland was intensively used for firewood and charcoal making during the period with limited land management restriction. The main driving force for this development was socio-economic, where the form of ownership was a fundamental factor for the fate of the woodland. Harsh climate and volcanism further exacerbated the woodland during times when it had become fragmented and beyond its state of recovery.     

An Assessment Of The Radiocarbon Dates For The Helb Site, 39Ca208, South Dakota

Abstract

Eleven radiocarbon dates from the Helb site (39CA208) in north-central South Dakota are presented and interpreted by techniques recently advanced by other authors. The results appear to substantiate two occupations of the site, one in the mid-eleventh century A.D. and anotherin the early or middle portion of the sixteenth century A.D.     

Biology ofPterolonche inspersa (Lep.: Pterolonchidae), a biological control agent forCentaurea diffusa andC. maculosa in the United States

The moth,Pterolonche inspersa (Staudinger) (Lepidoptera: Pterolonchidae), is widely distributed in southern Europe, north Africa, Turkey and the former Soviet Union. It occurs in both thick and scattered stands of knapweeds in disturbed sites, usually on sandy and/or stony soil. Larvae bore in the roots of diffuse and spotted knapweeds (Centaurea diffusa De Lamarck andC. maculosa De Lamarck). There is one generation per year in northern Greece, and larvae feed in the roots for about 11 months during the growing season (August–September, to the following July–August). In the laboratory garden, emergence took place between the second half of July and the end of August, with peak emergence during mid August. In the field, adults were observed from early to late July. Female moths oviposited on rosettes during the first ten days of July and continued through the end of July. Eggs were laid singly or in groups of five or six, firmly attached to the leaves of the host plant. In the laboratory, females mated within 24 hours of emergence and the preoviposition period lasted 2.6±0.8 days. The oviposition period lasted 7.4±2.2 days and the average number of eggs per female was 142.2±59.2. The incubation period was 12±4.7 days; the pupal stage lasted 14.7±2.4 days; and females lived 15.8±2.4 days, while males lived 10.7±1.4 days. First instar larvae failed to survive on economically important Compositae in the generaCynara L.,Helianthus L.,Zinnia L. andCalendula L. (Dunnet al., 1989).     

Charles de Gerville et les premiers restes de Plesiosauria signalés dans le Jurassique inférieur de France (Hettangien,région de Valognes,Manche)

The historian, archaeologist, and naturalist Charles de Gerville (1769–1853) reported as early as January 1816 the presence of fossil bones in the quarries of the region of Valognes, in the department of Manche. These quarries exploited the “Calcaire de Valognes” and the underlying “Argiles et Calcaires d’Huberville”, both formations dated as Lower Hettangian (Lower Jurassic). De Gerville communicated to Jacques-Louis-Marin Defrance a watercolour drawing of one of these fossil bones, discovered in July 1820, in which it is possible to recognize a plesiosaur femur. This femur, as well as a fragment of rib and three vertebrae of Plesiosauria from de Gerville's collection, was then figured in a publication by Arcisse de Caumont, in 1825. The plesiosaur femur was later acquired by Pierre Tesson of Caen, who owned one of the most important collections of fossils in Normandy. The Tesson collection was later purchased in 1857 by the British Museum (now The Natural History Museum, London), where the femur has been rediscovered. This specimen is the first known plesiosaur specimen ever discovered in the Lower Jurassic of France, before the genus Plesiosaurus was established upon material from the Lias of southwestern England. One of the vertebrae figured by de Caumont has been rediscovered in the “Muséum Emmanuel-Liais” (Cherbourg-en-Cotentin), which had acquired part of de Gerville's collection. The interpretation of the “fossil bones of Valognes” by Georges Cuvier, Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville, Arcisse de Caumont, Jacques-Amand Eudes-Deslongchamps and Constant Duméril is revealed through unpublished documents.     

Genetic diversity and structure of a worldwide collection of Phaseolus coccineus L

Phaseolus coccineus L. is closely related to P. vulgaris and is the third most important cultivated Phaseolus species. Little is known about the patterns of its diversity. In this work, a representative collection of its worldwide diversity was initially developed. The collection includes 28 wild forms (WFs) and 52 landraces (LRs) from Mesoamerica (the crop domestication area), and 148 LRs from Europe (where the crop was introduced in the sixteenth century). The collection was studied by using 12 SSR molecular markers that were developed for the P. vulgaris genome. They were proved to be effective and reliable in P. coccineus in this work. Fourteen LRs of P. dumosus (previously identified as a subspecies of P. coccineus) were also studied. The genetic diversity, population structure and phylogenetic relationships were investigated. The results indicate that: (a) the European and Mesoamerican gene pools are clearly differentiated, (b) a certain reduction of diversity occurred with introduction into Europe, and (c) the Mesoamerican LRs (P. dumosus included) and WFs are closely related and are connected by a high gene flow. Inferences on the domestication process of P. coccineus are also presented. This study provides a picture of the genetic diversity distribution and outcomes with introduction into the Old World, which was not available before. It also underlines that the genetic diversity of both WFs and LRs is an important source for Phaseolus spp. breeding programs and deserves to be preserved in situ and ex situ.     

The introduction of Citrus to Italy, with reference to the identification problems of seed remains

While some consensus exists about the roles of southwestern China and northeastern India in the origin and diversification of the genus Citrus, the scarcity of its archaeological remains, as well as some methodological limits in unequivocally identifying taxa, do not facilitate reconstruction of the tempo and mode of spread of the genus towards other areas, notably the Mediterranean. Recent discoveries of archaeobotanical macro-remains (seeds and fruits) and pollen records from some important Italian sites in the Vesuvius area and Rome can be used to shed new light on this history. However, due to their morphological variability and the changes derived from the preservation processes, Citrus seeds appear difficult to recognise. In this paper, we present criteria to facilitate their precise identification, based on the observation of the morphology of modern seeds, and most of all the seed-coat patterns. The reference material consisted of “archaic” varieties of C. medica L. (citron), C. × limon (L.) Burm. f. (lemon) and seeds of C. × aurantium L. (bitter or Seville orange), C. × aurantiifolia (Christm.) Swingle (lime) and C. reticulata Blanco (tangerine, mandarin orange). Considering the fact that the general morphology of seeds, especially when mineralised, can confuse the identification of Citrus with Maloideae types, we also add criteria for the recognition of Cydonia oblonga Mill. (quince), Malus domestica Borkh. (apple), Pyrus communis L. (pear), Sorbus aria (L.) Crantz (whitebeam) and S. domestica L. (service tree). The observation of the keels and cell patterns was mostly useful to identify new material from Pompeii and Rome dating from the 3rd/2nd century b.c. and the Augustan period around the beginning of the Common (Christian) Era as C. medica L. (citron) and C. cf. × limon (L.) Burm. f. (possible lemon). The classical Greek and Latin sources helped us to understand the use and status of citrus fruits in the ancient world and, in combination with all available archaeobotanical remains compiled in this paper, have allowed us to discuss the spread of Citrus from its regions of origin to the eastern Mediterranean and then within the Mediterranean.     

Microphallidae (Digenea) d'Afrique du Sud,Parasites de Charadrii (Aves). Seconde Note

Les auteurs apportent de nouvelles informations géographiques et diagnostiques concernant plusieurs microphallidés (Trematoda: Digenea) récoltés chez des Charadrii (Aves) des c^otes de Namibie (Afrique du Sud): Maritrema eroliae Yamaguti, 1939 de Charadrius marginatus Vieillot; Odhneria odhneri Travassos, 1921 de Arenaria interpres L.; Microphallus bilobatus Cable, Connor &; Balling, 1960 de C. marginatus; et Levinseniella propinqua Jägerskiöld, 1907 de C. marginatus et A. interpres. Ces espèces représentent une localisation géographique nouvelle et de nouveaux h^otes. Le phallus (organe copulateur m^ale) de M. bilobatus de Namibie et celui du type des Caraïbes sont comparés et illustrés. Les atriums génitaux de L. propinqua récoltés en Namibie ainsi qu'à Marcus Island (southwest Cape Province, Afrique du Sud) sont illustrés et discutés; l'espèce parait cosmopolite. Abstract The authors present new geographical and diagnostic information for microphallids (Trematoda: Digenea) from the coast of Namibia (southern Africa): Maritrema eroliae Yamaguti, 1939 from Charadrius marginatus Vieillot; Odhneria odhneri Travassos, 1921 from Arenaria interpres L.; Microphallus bilobatus Cable, Connor &; Balling, 1960 from C. marginatus; and Levinseniella propinqua Jägerskiöld, 1907 from C. marginatus and A. interpres. These are new geographical and host records. The position and variability of the phallus (male copulatory organ) in M. bilobatus from Namibia and in the type-species from the Caribbean Sea are compared and illustrated. The genital atria of L. propinqua from Namibia and from Marcus Island (southwest Cape Province, Southern Africa) are illustrated and compared. This species appears to be cosmopolitan.     

The Revival of Vivisection in the Sixteenth Century

In this article I examine the origins and progression of the practice of vivisection in roughly the first half of the sixteenth century, paying particular attention to the types of vivisection procedures performed, the classical sources for those procedures and the changing nature of the concerns motivating the anatomists who performed them. My goal is to reexamine a procedure typically treated as something revived by Vesalius from classical sources as a precursor to early modern discoveries by placing the practice of vivisection in its sixteenth-century context. There were a variety of reasons for employing vivisection in the sixteenth century, including exploring the differences between living and dead bodies, considering how parts of the body worked, and advocating the entirely new idea of the pulmonary transit. By exploring the discussions of Berengario, Niccolò Massa, Vesalius, Colombo and Juan Valverde I try to elaborate on these various reasons and their origins.     

TAXONOMIC, FAUNISTIC AND MISCELLANEOUS

Al -Dabagh , M. A. 1964. The incidence of blood parasites in wild and domestic birds of Columbus, Ohio. Amadon , D. 1966. The super:pecies concept. Bergstrand , J. L. & Klimstra , W. D. 1964. Ectoparasites of the Bobwhite Quail in Southern Illinois. Bernis , F. 1963. La invernada y migración de nuestros Ansares. Brinck , P., Svedmyr , A. & Zeipel , G. von . 1965. Migrating birds at Ottenby, Sweden, as carriers of ticks and possible transmitters of tick-borne encephalitis virus. Carrick , R. & Ingham , S. E. 1967. Antarctic sea-birds as subjects for ecological research. Carriker , M. A. 1966. New species and records of Mallophaga (Insectnt) from Neotropical owls (Strigiformes). Davis , P. 1963. Recent developments at Fair Isle. Diamond , A. W., Douthwaite , R. J. & Indge , W. J. E. 1965. Notes on the birds of Berneray, Mingulay and Pabbay. Dott , H. E. M. 1967. Numbers of Great Skuas and other seabirds of Hermaness, Unst. Evans , P. R. & Flower , W. U. 1967. The birds of the Small Isles. Grierson , J. 1962. A check-list of the birds of Tentsmuir, Fife. Gysels , H. 1964. Bijdrage tot de Systematiek van de Vogels, aan de hand van de elektroforese in agar van de oplosbare lens- en spierproteinen. Harris , M. P. 1964. Ring loss and wear of rings on marked Manx Shearwaters. Hytönen , 0. 1965. Fruhjahrsbeobachtungen uber die Vogelwelt der siidlichen Toskana. Jackson , E. E. 1966. The birds of Foula. Johnsgard , P. A. 1967. Sympatry changes and hybridisation incidence in Mallards and Black Ducks. Johnson , N. K. 1966. Bill size and the question of competition in allopatric and sympatric populations of Dusky and Gray Flycatchers. MOEPCKE, M. 1965. Zur Kenntnis einiger Furnariiden (Aves) der Küste und des westlichen Andenabhanges Perus. Lanyon , W. E. 1966. Hybridization in Meadowlarks. Maynard Smith , J. 1966. Sympatric speciation. Mayr , E. 1965. What is a fauna? Mc Clure , H. E. 1966. An Asian bird-bander's manual. Medway , Lord . 1966. Field characters as a guide to the specific relations of Swiftlets. Novobytov , A. 1968. [Bird strikes on aircraft in the Soviet Union.] Yuni Tekhnik [The Young Technician] Packard , G. C. 1967. House Sparrows: Evolution of populations from the Great Plains and Colorado Rockies. Pearson , J. M. & Scott , P. 1965. “Save the Flamingo”: was it a good idea? Pennie , I. D. 1962. A century of bird-watching in Sutherland. Pennie , I. D. 1966. Ornithology in Scotland: a historical review. Penny , R. L. & Sladen , W. J. L. 1966. The use of Teflon for banding Penguins. Prigogine , A. 1967. La faune ornithologique de l'ile Idjwi. Sandeman , P. W. 1965. Attempted reintroduction of White-tailed Eagle to Scotland. Sessions , P. H. B. 1966. Notes on the birds of Lengetia Farm, Mau Narok. Short , L. L. 1965. Variation in West Indian Flickers (Aves, Cokzptes). Sick , H. 1963. Hybridisation in certain Brazilian Fringillidae (Sporophila and Oryzoborus). Siaden , W. J. L. & Friedmann , H. 1961. Antarctic Ornithology. Sladen , W. J. L. 1965. Ornithological research in Antarctica. Slater , R. L. 1967. Helminths of the robin, Turdus nzigratorius Ridgway, from Northern Colorado. Smith , V. W. 1966. Birds seen on a trans-Saharan overland crossing in spring 1966. Strange , I. J. 1965. Beauchene Island. Voous , K. H. 1967. Man and predators. Vos , A. De . 1964. Range changes of birds in the Great Lakes region. Waters , W. E. 1962. The birds of St. Kilda—winter 1961–62. Weins , J. A. 1966. On group selection and Wynne-Edwards' hypothesis.     

Abundance,survival, and annual rate of change of Cuvier's beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) on a Navy sonar range

Bayesian mark-recapture estimates of survival, abundance, and trend are reported for Cuvier's beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) using a Navy training range off southern California. The deep-diving beaked whale family is exceptionally vulnerable to mid-frequency active sonar (MFAS), which has been implicated in mass strandings and altered foraging behavior. Extremely low sighting probabilities impede studies of population-level impacts of MFAS on beaked whales. The San Nicolas Basin hosts a Navy training range subject to frequent MFAS use and attracts high densities of Z. cavirostris. An 11-year (2007–2018) photo-identification program leveraged automated acoustic detection and location capabilities on the range's 1,800-km² hydrophone array to enhance capture probability. Estimated population parameters for Z. cavirostris using the range included mean (90% credibility intervals) apparent annual survival of 0.950 (0.899–0.986), annual number of individuals as 121 (71–219), and annual rate of change of −0.8% (−5.6%–4.1%). Simulations show the probability of detecting abundance changes is currently low, but can be greatly improved through continued monitoring and increased effort. Complementary data collection on habitat use and demographic rates in San Nicolas and surrounding basins is also essential to relating direct effects of MFAS use to changes in vital rates and broader population outcomes.     

Partly decoupled tree-ring width and leaf phenology response to 20th century temperature change in Sweden

The recent warming trend, and associated shifts in growing season length, challenge the principle of uniformitarianism, i.e., that current relations are persistent over time, and complicates the uncritical inferences of past climate from tree-ring data. Here we conduct a comparison between tree-ring width chronologies of Pinus sylvestris L. (Scots pine), Picea abies (L.) Karst. (Norway spruce) and Betula pubescens Ehrh. (Downy birch) and phenological observations (budburst and leaf senescence) of Fagus sylvatica L. (European beech), Quercus robur L. (European oak), Betula sp. (Birch), Norway spruce and Scots pine) in Sweden to assess to what extent the tree-ring width–temperature relationship and the timing of phenological phases are affected by increased temperature. Daily meteorological observations confirm a prolongation of the thermal growing season, most consistently observed as an earlier onset of around 1–2 weeks since the beginning of the 20th century. Observations of budburst closely mimic this pattern, with budburst of the deciduous trees occurring 1–2.5 weeks earlier. In contrast to the changes seen in phenology and observational temperature data, the tree-ring width–temperature relationships remain surprisingly stable throughout the 20th century. Norway spruce, Scots pine and Downy birch all show consistently significant correlations with at least one 30 day-long window of temperature starting in late June–early July season. Norway spruce displays the largest degree of stability, with a consistent 60 day-long temperature window with significant correlation starting around Julian calendar day 150. Thus, our results suggest that the principle of uniformitarianism is not violated during the period covered by modern meteorological observations. Further research is needed to determine at what thresholds the temperature sensitivity of these species may alter or deteriorate as a consequence of the ongoing climate change.