Winter Distribution,Movements, and Annual Survival of Radiomarked Vancouver Canada Geese in Southeast Alaska

ABSTRACT Management of Pacific Flyway Canada geese (Branta canadensis) requires information on winter distribution of different populations. Recoveries of tarsus bands from Vancouver Canada geese (B. canadensis fulva) marked in southeast Alaska, USA, ≥4 decades ago suggested that ≥83% of the population was non-migratory and that annual adult survival was high (Ŝ = 0.836). However, recovery distribution of tarsus bands was potentially biased due to geographic differences in harvest intensity in the Pacific Flyway. Also, winter distribution of Vancouver Canada geese could have shifted since the 1960s, as has occurred for some other populations of Canada geese. Because winter distribution and annual survival of this population had not recently been evaluated, we surgically implanted very high frequency radiotransmitters in 166 adult female Canada geese in southeast Alaska. We captured Vancouver Canada geese during molt at 2 sites where adults with goslings were present (breeding areas) and 2 sites where we observed nonbreeding birds only. During winter radiotracking flights in southeast Alaska, we detected 98% of 85 females marked at breeding areas and 83% of 70 females marked at nonbreeding sites, excluding 11 females that died prior to the onset of winter radiotracking. We detected no radiomarked females in coastal British Columbia, or western Washington and Oregon, USA. Most (70%) females moved ≤30 km between November and March. Our model-averaged estimate of annual survival (Ŝ = 0.844, SE = 0.050) was similar to the estimate of annual survival of geese marked from 1956 to 1960. Likely <2% of Vancouver Canada geese that nest in southeast Alaska migrate to winter areas in Oregon or Washington where they could intermix with Canada geese from other populations in the Pacific Flyway. Because annual survival of adult Vancouver Canada geese was high and showed evidence of long-term consistency, managers should examine how reproductive success and recruitment may affect the population.     

Levels of IL-17F and IL-33 correlate with HLA-DR activation in clinical-grade human bone marrow–derived multipotent mesenchymal stromal cell expansion cultures

Background aims

Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC)-based medicines are extensively investigated for use in regenerative medicine and immunotherapy applications. The International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy (ISCT) proposed a panel of cell surface molecules for MSC identification that includes human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DR as a negative marker. However, its expression is largely unpredictable despite production under tightly controlled conditions and compliance with current Good Manufacturing Practices. Herein, we report the frequency of HLA-DR expression in 81 batches of clinical grade bone marrow (BM)-derived MSCs and investigated its impact on cell attributes and culture environment.

Evidence for thermal reactions following exposure of Didinium to intermittent ultraviolet radiations

1. The nature of ultraviolet injury and its variation with the same dose given at different intensities and wave lengths have been investigated in the protozoan Didinium nasutum, using time to the fourth division as a measure of injury. 2. The injury has been found to consist of a "slowdown" of division rate, which always occurs, and a "stasis," usually at the second division after irradiation, which appears in varying degrees among more severely injured samples. 3. Injury was found to be almost independent of intensity at three wave lengths out of four studied over a wide range of intermediate and high intensities, but was found to rise sharply with lower intensity at all except the longest wave length. 4. Flashed UV of high intensity is much more effective than the same dose of continuous radiation at high intensity and shorter total time of treatment. It is also more effective than the same dose at low intensity and equal time of treatment, though only slightly so. 5. An increase of injury with rise of temperature and with increase of dark period clearly indicates that injury depends on thermochemical reactions following the absorption of UV in Didinium. 6. The most reasonable assumption is that a similar conclusion applies to other organisms as well, and that its general application may be useful in the investigation of UV effects on protoplasm.     

Intracellular Regime for the Assembly of the Chlorophyll-Protein Complex CPI in Cyanidium caldarium

Mass cultures of Cyanidium caldarium exhibit a developmentalstage of temporary bleaching during cultivation in permanentlight (Zagon and Brandt, 1985). This loss of chlorophyll a isnot accompanied by a loss of the CPI-apoprotein. This essentialthylakoid protein is also inserted into the thylakoid membranewithout the presence of chlorophyll a. Subsequent assembly withthe pigment, however, increases the intrinsic binding of theCPI-apoprotein. The temporary bleaching of C. caldarium canbe imitated essentially by addition of levulinic acid or cycloheximide,but not by chloramphenicol or streptomycin. The cooperationof the nucleocytoplasm and of the photosyn-thetically activecompartments with respect to the assembly of CPI is discussed. Key words: Assembly, chlorophyll-protein complex, Cyanidium caldarium, regulation     

Do pollen feeding,pupal‐mating and larval gregariousness have a single origin in Heliconius butterflies? Inferences from multilocus DNA sequence data

Phylogenetic information is useful in understanding the evolutionary history of adaptive traits. Here, we present a well-resolved phylogenetic hypothesis for Heliconius butterflies and related genera. We use this tree to investigate the evolution of three traits, pollen feeding, pupal-mating behaviour and larval gregariousness. Phylogenetic relationships among 60 Heliconiina species (86% of the subtribe) were inferred from partial DNA sequences of the mitochondrial genes cytochrome oxidase I , cytochrome oxidase II and 16S rRNA, and fragments of the nuclear genes elongation factor-1α , apterous , decapentaplegic and wingless (3834 bp in total). The results corroborate previous hypotheses based on sequence data in showing that Heliconius is paraphyletic, with Laparus doris and Neruda falling within the genus, demonstrating a single origin for pollen feeding but with a loss of the trait in Neruda . However, different genes are not congruent in their placement of Neruda ; therefore, monophyly of the pollen feeding species cannot be ruled out. There is also a highly supported monophyletic 'pupal-mating clade' suggesting that pupal mating behaviour evolved only once in the Heliconiina. Additionally, we observed at least three independent origins for larval gregariousness from a solitary ancestor, showing that gregarious larval behaviour arose after warning coloration.  © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2007, 92 , 221–239.     

Janiridae (Crustacea, Asellota) from the Southern Hemisphere: laniropsis varians sp. n. and redescriptions of five little-known species

Ianiropsis varians sp. n. is described, and it is shown that dorsal pigment patterns of this species vary widely within a single population. The janirid species Austrofilius furcatus Hodgson, 1910, A. serratus Vanhöffen, 1914, Neojaera antarctica (Pfeffer, 1887). Notasellus chilensis (Menzies, 1962), and N. sarsii Pfeffer, 1887 are redescribed. Additionally, sexual dimorphisms of maxilliped, pereopods, and pleopod 3 observed in some janirid species are discussed.     

Population fluctuations of the house mouse in a Peruvian loma and the functional response of burrowing owls

Abstract In this study, we show that the house mouse (Mus musculus) is the most abundant small mammal in the National Reserve of Lachay in central Peru, and that its large population fluctuations are independent of seasonality. Also, we found that M. musculus is the main small mammal prey of burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia) in Lachay, and that owls respond functionally to mouse abundance. In addition, vegetation cover seems to have a strong effect on small mammal predation by burrowing owls, and possibly other predators such as eagles and foxes. We propose the hypothesis that burrowing owls in arid environments can survive several months eating only arthropods, but that their reproduction is synchronized with a highly nutritious diet, provided by small mammal consumption. The principal prediction of this alternative prey hypothesis is now supported by our data from a tropical ecosystem.