The systematics of the Phelsuma madagascariensis species group of day geckos (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) in the Seychelles

Conventional taxonomy of the Seychelles populations of the Phelsuma madagascariensis species group has failed to illustrate the principal patterns of phenetic variation between island populations. The taxonomic history of the populations is discussed critically, and a revised nomenclature is suggested from the results of a recent comprehensive study of the forms using multivariate morphometrics. Three phenetic groups from the granitic islands are referred to as Phelsuma sundbergi sundbergi from the north western islands; P. s. ladiguensis from the north eastern islands; and P. s. longinsulae from the southern islands. Phelsuma abbotti populations from Aldabra and Assumption are considered subspecifically distinct, and not conspecific with the granitic island forms. The other coralline island populations are closely allied to the races from the granitic islands and probably represent recent colonization or introductions by man.     

Bryozoan populations reflect nutrient enrichment and productivity gradients in rivers

1. The hypothesis that nutrient enrichment will affect bryozoan abundance was tested using two complementary investigations; a field‐based method determining bryozoan abundance in 20 rivers of different nutrient concentrations by deploying statoblast (dormant propagule) traps and an experimental laboratory microcosm study measuring bryozoan growth and mortality. These two methods confirmed independently that increased nutrient concentrations in water promote increases in the biomass of freshwater bryozoans. 2. Statoblasts of the genus Plumatella were recorded in all rivers, regardless of nutrient concentrations, demonstrating that freshwater bryozoans are widespread. Concentrations of Plumatella statoblasts were high in rivers with high nutrient concentrations relative to those with low to moderate nutrient concentrations. Regression analyses indicated that phosphorus concentrations, in particular, significantly influenced statoblast concentrations. 3. Concentrations of Lophopus crystallinus statoblasts were also higher in sites characterised by high nutrient concentrations. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the presence of L. crystallinus statoblasts was significantly associated with decreasing altitude and increasing phosphorus concentrations. This apparently rare species was found in nine rivers (out of 20), seven of which were new sites for L. crystallinus. 4. Growth rates of Fredericella sultana in laboratory microcosms increased with increasing nutrient concentration and high mortality rates were associated with low nutrient concentrations. 5. Our results indicate that bryozoans respond to increasing nutrient concentrations by increased growth, resulting in higher biomasses in enriched waters. We also found that an important component of bryozoan diets can derive from food items lacking chlorophyll a. Finally, bryozoans may be used as independent proxies for inferring trophic conditions, a feature that may be especially valuable in reconstructing historical environments by assessing the abundance of statoblasts in sediment cores.     

Magical Pursuits: Legitimacy and Representation in a Transnational Political Field

ABSTRACT  In this article, I examine the strategies of Salvadoran state actors to contain and control transnational political subjects in the postwar period. The civil war in El Salvador (1980–92) precipitated massive emigration, most of it to the United States. Most Salvadoran migrants have been excluded from formal participation in national politics in both El Salvador and the United States. However, they have become important transnational political actors, owing in no small part to the increasing dependence of El Salvador on migrant remittances. This contradiction between their formal exclusion and their informal influence shapes an emergent regime of transnational governmentality, a system of domination that submits mobile subjects to the tactics of containment and control traditionally reserved for nonmobile citizens. This transnational governmentality depends on the appropriation of popular forms of organizing and expression associated with civil society as a way to mask the inequality at the heart of this relationship.     

Polymorphic microsatellite markers,isolated using a simple enrichment procedure,in the threatened smooth snake (Coronella austriaca)

The smooth snake, Coronella austriaca, is particularly rare within the UK and little is known about the genetic variability within the species. Here we report the isolation of 16 polymorphic microsatellite markers in the smooth snake, using a simple enrichment procedure. Despite screening individuals from a potentially isolated population, levels of polymorphism were high. These microsatellite markers will prove very useful in investigating population parameters, which will lead to effective conservation and management plans for this rare species.