LIFE-CYCLE EVOLUTION AS RESPONSE TO DIVERSE LAKE HABITATS IN PALEOZOIC AMPHIBIANS

The evolution of life cycles forms the subject of numerous studies on extant organisms, but is rarely documented in the fossil record. Here, I analyze patterns of development in time-averaged samples of late Carboniferous and early Permian amphibians, and compare them to paleoecological patterns derived from the same deposits located within a large sedimentary basin (Saar-Nahe, Germany). In 300-297 million years (myr) old Sclerocephalus haeuseri (1–1.7 m), adult size, morphology, and the course of ontogeny varied with respect to the habitats in which the species existed. These differences are best exemplified by ontogenetic trajectories, which reveal a full range of modifications correlating with environmental parameters (lake properties, food resources, competitors). In a 2- to 3-myr-long interval, six different lake habitats were inhabited by this species, which responded to changes by modification of growth rate, adult size, developmental sequence, skeletal features, prey preference, and relative degree of terrestriality.     

Wolf-Ernst Reif (1945–2009)

It has been claimed that olenellids, long regarded as trilobites, are more closely related to chelicerates than to the rest of the trilobite clade (Lauterbach 1980). This was based on an interpretation of the homologies of segmental arrangement in the thorax, and of the thoracic axial spine. It is shown that there are more synapomorphies uniting accepted trilobites with the olenellids, than there are uniting olenellids with chelicerates. At least seven characters serve to define Trilobita as a natural, monophyletic group. These include the presence of a pygidium, the unique optical system, the presence of eye ridges, circum‐ocular ecdysial sutures, and the construction of the hypostome. Olenelloids include the most primitive of the trilobites, retaining three (possibly four) primitive characters, including the permarginal suture, flange‐like thoracic articulation and highly expressed segmentation on the larval cranidia. If facial sutures are primitively absent in the Trilobita there is no obvious olenelloid autapomorphy, and they may constitute a paraphyletic group.     

Skull morphology and phylogenetic relationships of a new Middle Triassic plagiosaurid temnospondyl from Germany,and the evolution of plagiosaurid eyes

A partial skull from the Lower Keuper (Middle Triassic) of Germany is recognized as belonging to a new genus and species of plagiosaurid temnospondyl. It is readily identified by the following autapomorphies: (1) extremely large orbits medially extended to give very thin interorbital region and cheek; (2) posterior skull table abbreviated, with splint‐like supratemporals, postparietals and parietals; (3) supraorbital lateral line sulcus absent on frontal, with blind ending on parietal, and continued at the anterior margin of the postorbital; (4) occiput sloping posteriorly, with subtympanic fossa exposed in ventral view; (5) cultriform process and basicranial suture extremely narrow; (6) mandibular and maxillary teeth very long with crowns markedly curved inwards. The new taxon shares the following derived character states with Plagiosternum: (1) the pentagonal shape of orbits; (2) the slender interorbital region and cultriform process; (3) the small‐scale, polygonal pit‐and‐ridge ornament on posterior skull table, with single prominent tubercles rising from ridges. Phylogenetic analysis finds plagiosaurids to be monophyletic within a broad range of temnospondyls, nesting within a clade of short‐skulled stereospondyls. Plagio‐suchus is the most basal plagiosaurid, and Plagiosternum forms the sister group to the new taxon. The biological significance of the large orbits of plagiosaurids and their relationships to the eyeballs is discussed. The only type of eyeball that would be feasible for all known plagiosaurids would be a small spherical structure possibly situated near the anterior edge of the orbit. For those plagiosaurs with extremely large shallow orbits like Plagiosternum and Megalophthalma, a possible adaptation would be a lens‐less eye comprising a flat retinal plate across the entire orbit.     

Tono Reservoir fishery contribution to poverty reduction among fishers in northern Ghana

Fishery characteristics and livelihood status of fishers at Tono Reservoir, Ghana, were investigated between January 2015 and June 2016. Data on fisher demography, fishing gears, fishing methods, perceptions of the state of fish stocks, management practices, income and consumption of fishers were obtained through structured interviews. Censuses of fishers and fishing gears were conducted through direct observation and counts. The population of fishers was 950 and the majority (74%) of the sampled respondents fell within the ages of 24–41 years. Gillnet, cast net, trap and hook and line were the four main gears utilised. Illegal methods of fishing observed included the use of mosquito nets (nets with mesh <1.0 cm) and the use of brewer’s waste (pito mash) as bait. Brycinus nurse, Synodontis spp., Parailia spiniserrata and Chrysichthys spp. were perceived to have disappeared from the reservoir. The fishers were unaware of the existence of any fisheries regulations, hence there was no adherence to management practices. Their daily income was derived mainly from fishing. The incidence of poverty among fishers was low (8%). The Tono Reservoir has a great potential for supporting livelihood if it is properly managed.     

A novel method for captive rearing and translocation of juvenile common loons

Common loons (Gavia immer) are diving waterbirds that are particularly challenging to keep in captivity due to their specific behavioral and physiologic needs, special housing requirements, and susceptibility to stress-related disease. We report a novel method for housing and captive rearing common loon chicks that was developed as part of the first-ever loon translocation effort in southeast Massachusetts, from 2015 to 2017. Thirteen loon chicks were reared in aquatic pens in a natural lake environment, utilizing noninvasive feeding and monitoring techniques that avoided human habituation. Chicks were reared in aquatic pens for 16–28 days before being released onto the lake. All chicks remained clinically normal and were monitored on the lake for up to 4 months following release. At least four of the chicks were subsequently confirmed to have survived to adulthood when they returned to the area in breeding plumage two to 3 years following release. Two of these confirmed adults displayed prolonged territorial pair behavior together, and this is an encouraging early sign that captive-reared individuals may form successful breeding pairs in the future. Because most immature loons remain on the ocean until at least 3 years of age, we expect additional captive-reared loons to return to the release area in subsequent years. These husbandry techniques could be applied to other loon and diving bird species that are notoriously difficult to house in captivity. The novel feeding techniques described here could also be adapted for loon chicks being reared in pools or other traditional captive settings.     

Bone Histology Reveals a High Environmental and Metabolic Plasticity as a Successful Evolutionary Strategy in a Long-Lived Homeostatic Triassic Temnospondyl

Evolutionary stasis (long-term stability of morphology in an evolving lineage) is a pattern for which explanations are usually elusive. The Triassic tetrapod Gerrothorax pulcherrimus, a gill-bearing temnospondyl, survived for 35 million years in the Germanic Basin of Central Europe persisting throughout the dinosaur-dominated Late Triassic period. This evolutionary stasis coincides with the occurrence of this species in a wide range of habitats and environmental conditions. By the combination of palaeoecological and palaeohistological analyses, we found great ecological flexibility in G. pulcherrimus and present substantial evidence of developmental and metabolic plasticity despite the morphological stasis. We conclude that G. pulcherrimus could show the capacity to settle in water bodies too harsh or unpredictable for most other tetrapods. This would have been made possible by a unique life history strategy that involved a wide reaction norm, permitting adjustment to fluctuating conditions such as salinity and level of nutrients. Growth rate, duration of juvenile period, age at maturity, and life span were all subject to broad variation within specimens of G. pulcherrimus in one single lake and in between different lakes. In addition to providing a better understanding of fossil ecosystems, this study shows the potential of such a methodology to encourage palaeobiologists and evolutionary biologists to consider the mechanisms of variation in extant and fossil organisms by using a similar time-scope reference.     

Granulocyte-CSF induced inflammation-associated cardiac thrombosis in iron loading mouse heart and can be attenuated by statin therapy

Background  

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), a hematopoietic cytokine, was recently used to treat patients of acute myocardial infarction with beneficial effect. However, controversy exists as some patients developed re-stenosis and worsened condition post G-CSF delivery. This study presents a new disease model to study G-CSF induced cardiac thrombosis and delineate its possible mechanism. We used iron loading to mimic condition of chronic cardiac dysfunction and apply G-CSF to mice to test our hypothesis.     

The stapes of Edops craigi and ear evolution in the lissamphibian stem group

The Lower Permian temnospondyl Edops craigi exemplifies an early and plesiomorphic condition of the single ear ossicle or stapes among the temnospondyls, the probable stem group of lissamphibians. In Edops, the 11-cm-long bone is more massive than in other temnospondyls, has a distinct neck, a dorsal crest and incompletely subdivided footplate and ventral process. Despite a range of invariances, temnospondyl stapes were much more diverse than previously conceived. A survey of described stapes gives insight into character evolution of the ear ossicle in the lissamphibian stem group. These include alternative patterns of paedomorphosis, proportional size change, morphology of tympanic region and reorientation of the auditory apparatus.