Estimation of coancestry in Iberian pigs using molecular markers

Genetic markers provide a useful tool toestimate pairwise coancestry betweenindividuals in the absence of a known pedigree. Inthe present work 62 pigs from two relatedstrains of Iberian breed, Guadyerbas andTorbiscal, belonging to a conservationprogramme with completely known pedigrees since1945, have been genotyped for 49microsatellites. Four coefficients thatsummarise molecular resemblance betweenindividuals together with eightestimators of coancestry have been calculatedfrom this information. Their values werecompared with the genealogical coancestry,calculated from the complete or partialpedigree. The eight estimations obtained usingmolecular information substantiallyunderestimate the coancestry calculated usingthe genealogical analysis. The correlationbetween the estimates and the genealogicalvalues was also calculated. This correlationwas high, between 0.78 and 0.93 for differentestimators, when all pairwise comparisons amongthe 62 animals were considered. However, thecorrelation decreases remarkably to 0.49–0.69and 0.37–0.47 for the Guadyerbas and Torbiscalpopulations respectively, when they wereanalysed separately. All the correlations weresimilar to those obtained when using simplecoefficients of molecular resemblance such asmolecular coancestry or similarity indexes.Finally, simulations were carried out tofurther explore the results obtained. It isconcluded that lack of information on theallele frequencies in the base population mayexplain the bias of these estimators inpopulations with complex pedigrees.     

Y-SNP haplogroups related to the Yqh+ heteromorphism in the Mexican northwestern population

Morphological variation of the Y chromosome has been observed in different populations. This variation is mostly related to the heteromorphic Yq12 band, which is composed of a variable block of constitutive heterochromatin. The Yqh+ heteromorphism has a worldwide frequency of 2.85% and is considered clinically innocuous. The aim of this study was to identify the ancestry of the Yqh+ heteromorphism present in individuals from western Mexico. For this purpose, 17 Y-chromosome single nucleotide polymorphisms were analysed by multiplex polymerase chain reaction and SNaPshot assays. In 28 Yqh+ males, only five haplogroups were observed; with a haplogroup diversity of 0.4841 ± 0.1094, which was less than that observed in a study of unselected Mexican mestizo population. Differences were specifically conferred by the high frequencies of haplogroups R1b1 and P*(xQ,R), and by the absence of the Amerindian haplogroup Q (Q*(xQ1a3a) plus Q1a3a) from the Yqh+ group. This study suggests a post-1492 incorporation for Yqh+ chromosomes into the Mexican northwestern population.     

Do reproductive activities compromise immunological competence as measured by phenoloxidase activity? Field and experimental manipulation in females of two damselfly species

Recent studies of female insects indicate that reproductive activities, such as mating and oviposition, can impair immune ability. Using the two tropical damselfly species Argia anceps Garrison and Hetaerina americana (Fabricius), egg production and phenoloxidase (PO) activity, a key enzyme in insect immunity, are measured in mating, ovipositing and perching females in December and March. Perching females of both species have fewer eggs compared with mating and ovipositing females, which suggests that perching females are not engaged in reproduction. There is seasonal variation in egg number for the three categories in H. americana but not in A. anceps, which can be interpreted in terms of adaptive changes in egg production depending on female–male interactions in the former species but not in the latter species. There is no difference in PO activity among mating, ovipositing or perching females within either species, although measurements in December and March indicate distinct seasonal changes. Juvenile Hormone (JH) is known to reduce the effectiveness of the immune system by favouring the use of resources for reproduction. A possible role for JH is examined in H. americana, using the JH analogue methoprene to manipulate hormone activity, revealing that PO activity is reduced in methoprene‐treated H. americana females. Thus, although the results of the present study are indicative of possible hormone‐driven changes in PO, there is not necessarily a down‐regulation of immune function (as determined by PO activity) during mating or oviposition. The results complement some recent studies countering the idea that reproductive activities reduce the immune ability in insects.     

Community assembly and inventory efficiency at a regional scale: the case of terrestrial Heteroptera (Insecta) in northern Patagonia,Argentina

The first step to understanding the species present in a particular area is to perform inventory and assemblage studies. To obtain a species inventory, it is important to determine parameters such as species richness and relative abundance. This information can be useful for future studies and decision-making purposes in the conservation area. Despite the fundamental role of the terrestrial Heteroptera in ecosystems, they remain poorly known. We expected that the terrestrial Heteroptera species assemblage would be strongly associated with plant communities. Presently, 840 samples were collected in northern Argentine Patagonia during two years, 2013 and 2014. A total of 1950 adults of terrestrial Heteroptera belonging to 12 families, 32 species, and 8 morphospecies were found. Various statistical techniques were applied to correct the observed data for undersampling bias. These suggested that the lower boundary of the summer Heteroptera species richness in northern Patagonia was about 44–54 species. We concluded that the high regional habitat heterogeneity along the west-to-east and south-to-north gradients was paralleled by the turnover of Heteroptera. However, the Patagonian steppe shared a high number of species with the Monte and Subantarctic provinces. The suction sampling technique is an efficient technique to collect Heteroptera in environments with different plant structure and should thus be used in a complementary way with the sweeping technique.     

Behavioural and electrophysiological responses of Triatoma dimidiata nymphs to conspecific faecal volatiles

The behavioural and electrophysiological (electroantennography) responses of the first two instars of Triatoma dimidiata (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) Latreille to fresh and dry faecal headspace volatile extracts from fifth instar conspecific nymphs and synthetic compounds were analysed in this study. Recently emerged nymphs (3–5 days) aggregated around filter paper impregnated with dry faeces and around filter paper impregnated with extracts from both fresh and dry faeces. Older first instars (10–15 days) and second instars aggregated around filter paper impregnated with fresh and dry faeces, and their respective headspace extracts. Dry faecal volatile extracts elicited the strongest antennal responses, followed by fresh faecal extracts. Gas chromatography?mass spectrometry analysis of dried faecal headspace volatiles demonstrated the presence of 12 compounds: 2‐ethyl‐1‐hexanol, 1,2,4‐trimethylbenzene, n ‐octadecane, n ‐nonadecane, n ‐eicosane, n ‐heneicosane, n ‐tricosane, n ‐pentaeicosane, n ‐hexaeicosane, n ‐octaeicosane, nonanal, and 4‐methyl quinazoline. In fresh faecal headspace extracts, only nonanal was clearly detected, although there were other trace compounds, including several unidentified sesquiterpenes. Four of the 11 compounds tested individually elicited aggregation behaviour at concentrations of 100 ng/µL and 1 µg/µL. A blend containing these four components also mediated the aggregation of nymphs. These volatiles may be valuable for developing monitoring methods and designing sensitive strategies to detect and measure T. dimidiata infestation.     

Neuromodulating Attention and Mind-Wandering Processes with a Single Session Real Time EEG

Our minds are continuously alternating between external attention (EA) and mind wandering (MW). An appropriate balance between EA and MW is important for promoting efficient perceptual processing, executive functioning, decision-making, auto-biographical memory, and creativity. There is evidence that EA processes are associated with increased activity in high-frequency EEG bands (e.g., SMR), contrasting with the dominance of low-frequency bands during MW (e.g., Theta). The aim of the present study was to test the effects of two distinct single session real-time EEG (rtEEG) protocols (SMR up-training/Theta down-training—SMR?Theta?; Theta up-training/SMR down-training—Theta?SMR?) on EA and MW processes. Thirty healthy volunteers were randomly assigned to one of two rtEEG training protocols (SMR?Theta?; Theta?SMR?). Before and after the rtEEG training, participants completed the attention network task (ANT) along with several MW measures. Both training protocols were effective in increasing SMR (SMR?Theta?) and theta (Theta?SMR?) amplitudes but not in decreasing the amplitude of down-trained bands. There were no significant effects of the rtEEG training in either EA or MW measures. However, there was a significant positive correlation between post-training SMR increases and the use of deliberate MW (rather than spontaneous) strategies. Additionally, for the Theta?SMR? protocol, increase in post-training Theta amplitude was significantly associated with a decreased efficiency in the orientation network.     

Temperature effects on fish production across a natural thermal gradient

Global warming is widely predicted to reduce the biomass production of top predators, or even result in species loss. Several exceptions to this expectation have been identified, however, and it is vital that we understand the underlying mechanisms if we are to improve our ability to predict future trends. Here, we used a natural warming experiment in Iceland and quantitative theoretical predictions to investigate the success of brown trout as top predators across a stream temperature gradient (4–25 °C). Brown trout are at the northern limit of their geographic distribution in this system, with ambient stream temperatures below their optimum for maximal growth, and above it in the warmest streams. A five‐month mark‐recapture study revealed that population abundance, biomass, growth rate, and production of trout all increased with stream temperature. We identified two mechanisms that contributed to these responses: (1) trout became more selective in their diet as stream temperature increased, feeding higher in the food web and increasing in trophic position; and (2) trophic transfer through the food web was more efficient in the warmer streams. We found little evidence to support a third potential mechanism: that external subsidies would play a more important role in the diet of trout with increasing stream temperature. Resource availability was also amplified through the trophic levels with warming, as predicted by metabolic theory in nutrient‐replete systems. These results highlight circumstances in which top predators can thrive in warmer environments and contribute to our knowledge of warming impacts on natural communities and ecosystem functioning.     

Monteiro's Storm‐petrel Oceanodroma monteiroi: a new species from the Azores

The existence of two seasonally distinct breeding populations of Oceanodroma storm‐petrels in the Azores islands was first documented in 1996. The discovery of morphological differences between the populations led to the suggestion that they may represent cryptic sibling species. Recent mtDNA and microsatellite analysis from storm‐petrel populations has considerably advanced our understanding of their taxonomic relationships. Here we present new information on the timing of breeding and moult of the two Azores populations, the extent of exchange of individuals between seasons, and diet from feather isotopes. We conclude that the hot‐season Azores population should be considered a new species for which we propose the name Oceanodroma monteiroi, Monteiro's Storm‐petrel. The species is both genetically distinct and genetically isolated from the sympatric cool‐season population of Madeiran Storm‐petrel Oceanodroma castro, and from all other populations of Oceanodroma castro in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans examined to date. Differences in the vocalizations permit species recognition, and the extent of primary feather wear and stage of moult aids separation of the two species in the Azores, which is especially valuable during August when both attend the breeding colonies in large numbers. Feather carbon and nitrogen isotopes reveal that the diet of Monteiro's Storm‐petrel differs from that of the sympatric Madeiran Storm‐petrel during both breeding and non‐breeding seasons, and unlike the Madeiran Storm‐petrel, Monteiro's Storm‐petrel appears to maintain the same foraging environment during the summer and winter months, though it shows a dietary shift to higher trophic levels during the non‐breeding season. Monteiro's Storm‐petrel is thought to be confined to the Azores archipelago, where it is currently known to nest on just two small neighbouring islets. The total population size was estimated at 250–300 pairs in 1999.     

SYSTEMATIC REVISION OF PSEUDOBEACONIA BORDAS, 1944, AND MENDOCINICHTHYS WHITLEY, 1953 (ACTINOPTERYGII: ‘PERLEIDIFORMES’) FROM THE TRIASSIC OF ARGENTINA

Abstract: The ‘perleidiform’Mendocinichthys and Pseudobeaconia from the Potrerillos and Santa Clara Abajo formations (Upper Triassic; Argentina) are reviewed. Mendocinichthys has been known from a review of this species that is not based on the type material, but on referred specimens in the American Museum of Natural History. However, those specimens are found here to represent a new species of Pseudobeaconia, P. celestae sp. nov. Consequently, Mendocinichthys is restricted here to the type material and, within it, to the only specimen that clearly represents a distinct taxon and is thus designated lectotype. We further performed a cladistic analysis and propose a new family, Pseudobeaconiidae for these two South American Triassic genera, which is mainly characterized by the presence of an incomplete dorsal ridge of spine‐like scales between the skull and the dorsal fin, and scales with straight posterior border, an elevated central region and marginal concentric ridges of ganoine. The cladistic analysis further indicates the existence of some lineages endemic to certain areas of Gondwana and Europe. Pseudobeaconia celestae sp. nov. represents the first record of Pseudobeaconia in the Cacheuta sub‐basin of the Cuyana Basin. The genus was previously known from the Santa Clara sub‐basin of the Cuyana Basin only, and the new record confirms the previous hypothesis of correlation between the sedimentary infilling of these sub‐basins.     

The effect of packing hydrophilization on bacterial attachment and the relationship with the performance of biotrickling filters

Many bioprocesses depend on the effective formation of a biofilm on a solid support. In the present study, three different surface treatments (sandblasting, pure‐O₂ plasma, and He–O₂ plasma treatments) were conducted on polypropylene (PP) Pall rings used as a support in biotrickling filters for air pollution control. The intent was to modify the ring surface and/or electrochemical properties in order to possibly improve cell adhesion, wetting properties, and possibly reduce the start‐up time and increase the performance of the biotrickling filters. The surface treatments were found to generally increase the hydrophilicity and the zeta potential of the surfaces. However, the startup and performance of lab‐scale biotrickling filters packed with treated Pall rings were not significantly different than the control with untreated rings. Cell and colloid deposition experiments conducted in flow cells showed that the treated surfaces and the hydrodynamic conditions were not favorable for cell deposition indicating that there could be significant opportunities for improving packings used in environmental bioprocess applications. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2009;103: 1060–1067. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.