Breeding ecology of the Sulawesi Red-Knobbed Hornbill Aceros cassidix

Data are presented for a four-year study of the breeding biology of the Sulawesi Red-knobbed Hornbill Aceros cassidix. The breeding season normally began in mid-June and lasted 27–30 weeks. Initiation of nesting appeared to be stimulated by the cessation of the rains and timed such that chicks emerged during a period of fruit abundance. Nesting period averaged 139 days and incubation was estimated at 35–40 days. Females remain sealed in the nest for an average of 108 days and nestlings fledged, on average, 28 davs after the female emerged. Nesting densities were up to 10.4/km², nesting success was high (up to 80%) and repeated use of nests between years was common. Males delivered a low-protein diet of ripe fruits (89% of total diet) from 12 families and 52 species; invertebrates composed only 1% of food items. Figs ( Ficus spp.) were the primary diet item, accounting for 81% of fruit biomass. Males increased feeding visits throughout the study, but the biomass of fruit delivered declined shortly after the female emerged. Reduced feeding prior to fledging may entice the nestling to emerge. The long developmental period of Sulawesi Red-knobbed Hornbills may result, in part, from the low protein content of the diet. Despite a 16% annual production, numbers in the study area have remained stable over the past 15 years. It is suggested that high post-fledging mortality or dispersal to degraded areas outside the reserve maintains population numbers. Distinguishing between these mechanisms is important for understanding the dynamics of hornbill populations.     

A COMPARISON OF METHODS FOR EVALUATING THE PERFORMANCE OF A TRAINED SENSORY PANEL1

Cluster analysis, consonance analysis, principal component analysis (PCA) and the GRAPES program (Schlich 1994) were compared for the evaluation of panel performance. Ten judges evaluated 25 Merlot wines for 24 color, aroma and flavor attributes. Cluster analysis grouped similar judges. PCA identified judges according to their attribute use. Consonance analysis determined a numerical index for attribute agreement and the GRAPES program compared judges in their use of the scale, reliability, discrimination and disagreement. Three of the four techniques provided a graphical representation of similarities and differences between judges. Methodologies were best used in conjunction with one another. Ultimately the application of these tools will serve to improve the quality of sensory evaluations.     

Siva in the Forest of Pines: An Essay on Sorcery and Self-Knowledge

Siva in the Forest of Pines: An Essay on Sorcery and Self-Knowledge . Don Handelman and David Shulman. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. 246 pp.     

The breeding system of Ramosmania heterophylla–dioecy or heterostyly?

OWENS, S.J., JACKSON, A., MAUNDER, M., RUDALL, P.JOHNSON, M.A.T., 1993. The breeding system of Ramosmania heterophylla– dioecy or heterostyly?Ramosmania heterophylla (Cafe Marron), endemic to Rodrigues, Mauritius, is now almost extinct, since it appears to exist in the wild as a single plant, but has recently been successfully established at Kew by means of vegetative cuttings. Despite plenty of flowers on the Kew plants, attempts to set seed by manual pollination for seed banking purposes have failed. This investigation showed that pollen is viable and that embryo sacs appear fully developed. Lack of seed set is a result of the non-functional stigmas on short styles. The most likely explanation is that the last-known plant is male, although heterostyly or a mutant stylar developmental gene cannot be ruled out. The plant has a chromosome number of 2n= 22.     

The activity and distribution of wheat bulb fly (Delia coarctata) (Diptera:Anthomyiidae) in cereal crops and over fallow land

The flight activity and local distribution of adult D. coarctata were studied on Rothamsted Farm during 1970-5 using several trapping methods. Changes in the activity and distribution of the flies were followed as the population aged, and in females these changes were associated with maturation of their eggs. Most females appeared to stay at their emergence sites in winter wheat until egg-laying started about 1 month later. They then dispersed and both sexes were found in previously uninfested cereals and grass as well as on fallow land where the eggs are laid. Flight occurred chiefly in the late afternoon and evening. The concentration of flies at their emergence sites for several weeks before egg laying could facilitate chemical control, provided the practical difficulties of application can be overcome.     

Brachiopod Shell Proteins: Their Functions and Taxonomic Significance

The calcareous shell of the Brachiopoda is interspersed withorganic material, chiefly protein and polysaccharide. The aminoacid compositions of these proteins reflect their geneticallycoded biosynthesis and are phylogenetically and taxonomicallyinformative. The taxonomic scheme based on protein data agreeswith the scheme based on morphological and anatomical criteria.These findings indicate Crania occupies an anomolous position. Brachiopoda exhibit two main types of calcification, carbonateand phosphate. The hydroxyproline found in phosphatic inarticulateshell protein suggests an analogy with bone collagen, but theglycine content is too low to allow triple-helix formation. The number and nature of polypeptide chains making up the shellproteins have been determined by amino and carboxy end-groupanalysis as well as disc electrophoresis with SDS. In the nativestate the shell proteins are molecular aggregates and are dissolvedby 8 M urea, suggesting that the inter-chain links are largelyH–bonds. Articulate shell protein probably serves as a resilient cushioningbetween calcite fibers to protect against mechanical shock.This would be permitted by the amorphous flexible characterof the polypeptide chain. The shell proteins of the Inarticulataare different,their chitin-protein laminated shell is more sheet-likeand its structure requires less cushioning. Study of fossil protein can shed further light on shell proteinancestry and hence on brachiopod phylogeny.     

FINDING AUTONOMY IN BIRTH

Over the last several years, as cesarean deliveries have grown increasingly common, there has been a great deal of public and professional interest in the phenomenon of women 'choosing' to deliver by cesarean section in the absence of any specific medical indication. The issue has sparked intense conversation, as it raises questions about the nature of autonomy in birth. Whereas mainstream bioethical discourse is used to associating autonomy with having a large array of choices, this conception of autonomy does not seem adequate to capture concerns and intuitions that have a strong grip outside this discourse. An empirical and conceptual exploration of how delivery decisions ought to be negotiated must be guided by a rich understanding of women's agency and its placement within a complicated set of cultural meanings and pressures surrounding birth. It is too early to be 'for' or 'against' women's access to cesarean delivery in the absence of traditional medical indications – and indeed, a simple pro- or con- position is never going to do justice to the subtlety of the issue. The right question is not whether women ought to be allowed to choose their delivery approach but, rather, taking the value of women's autonomy in decision-making around birth as a given, what sorts of guidelines, practices, and social conditions will best promote and protect women's full inclusion in a safe and positive birth process.     

Nuclear sequences reveal mid-range isolation of an imperilled deep-water coral population

The mitochondrial DNA of corals and their anthozoan kin evolves slowly, with substitution rates about two orders of magnitude lower than in typical bilateral animals. This has impeded the delineation of closely related species and isolated populations in corals, compounding problems caused by high morphological plasticity. Here we characterize rates of divergence and levels of variation for three nuclear gene regions, then use these nuclear sequences as markers to test for population structure in Oculina , a taxonomically confused genus of corals. Rates of sequence divergence (obtained by comparison to Solenastrea hyades ) were at least five (and sometimes over 10) times faster for the three nuclear markers than for a mitochondrial reference sequence. Nuclear sequence variation was also high within populations, although it tended to decline north of Cape Canaveral. Significant subdivision was evident among samples from 10 locations from between North Carolina and the Florida Panhandle, but neither nominal species designation nor population depth explained much of this variation. Instead, a single population from the unique deep (> 70 m) water reefs at the Oculina Banks off central Florida was a strong genetic outlier: all pairwise measures of subdivision involving this population were greater than those involving all other populations, and multilocus clustering recognized the Oculina Banks as distinct from other populations, despite its close proximity (≤ 36 km) to populations from shallower waters nearby and its location at the centre of the sampled range. Genetic isolation of the Oculina Banks population suggests that focused efforts will be needed to conserve the foundation species of these monotypic reefs and that depth may play a role in isolating marine populations and perhaps facilitating initial steps towards speciation.