Saltatory Search in Free-Living <Emphasis Type="Italic">Callithrix jacchus</Emphasis>: Environmental and Age Influences

Researchers generally categorize motile foraging behavior into 3 strategies: ambush, cruise, and saltatory searching. During saltatory searches, predators move from one location to the next, frequently pausing to scan for prey that are hard to detect and widely distributed. We investigated whether 1) the foraging strategy of free-living common marmosets conforms to the strategy; 2) scanning occurs solely when the individual is stationary; 3) the environment (dense and sparse vegetation) influences foraging behavior; and 4) the age of the marmosets is related to their foraging behavior. Bezerra carried out the observations in a 32-ha fragment of Atlantic Forest in the Northeast of Brazil and in an adjacent condominium. Using the focal sampling method, we observed 31 common marmosets, including adults, juveniles, and infants, Bezerra recorded the following behaviors (in dense and sparse vegetation): locomotion (subdivided into minor locomotion—moving distances ≤1 m; major locomotion—moving distances >1 m), scan, pause, and capture. The frequency of scanning behavior was significantly greater when individuals were stationary. Adults and juveniles exhibited the clearest differentiation in terms of locomotion, both adjusting the behavior in accordance with the environment; periods of major locomotion were more frequent in sparse vegetation, whereas minor locomotion was more frequent in dense vegetation. In contrast, infants exhibited major locomotion more frequently in dense vegetation. We conclude that common marmosets use a saltatory strategy when foraging, and that their foraging behavior is plastic, changing both with the age of the individual and with the density of the vegetation.     

Mosquito fauna of the Guapiaçu Ecological Reserve,Cachoeiras de Macacu,Rio de Janeiro,Brazil, collected under the influence of different color CDC light traps

The objective of the present study was to identify mosquito fauna and to evaluate whether different light bulb colors influence the attraction of light traps in the Guapiaçu Ecological Reserve. Samples were obtained monthly during the period of February, 2012 to January, 2013. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) light traps with incandescent light bulbs and LED (ultraviolet, blue, green, and red) bulbs were utilized. In total, 8,170 specimens were captured, including 59 species. The presence of Anopheles nimbus (Theobald 1902) and Orthopodomyia fascipes Coquillet 1906 were recorded for the first time in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The green LED trap attracted the highest number of specimens and presented the highest diversity and mosquito average. The blue and green LED traps attracted the highest number of species. However, the differences between lights were not significant. The most common species were Coquillettidia juxtamansonia (Chagas 1907), Culex declarator Dyar and Knab 1906, and Culex ribeirensis Forattini and Sallum 1985.     

Comparative anatomical analyses of the forearm muscles of Cebus libidinosus (Rylands et al. 2000): manipulatory behavior and tool use

The present study describes the flexor and extensor muscles in Cebus libidinosus' forearm and compares them with those from humans, chimpanzees and baboons. The data is presented in quantitative anatomical indices for similarity. The capuchin forearm muscles showed important similarities with chimpanzees and humans, particularly those that act on thumb motion and allow certain degree of independence from other hand structures, even though their configuration does not enable a true opposable thumb. The characteristics of Cebus' forearm muscles corroborate the evolutionary convergence towards an adaptive behavior (tool use) between Cebus genus and apes.     

Mating system in Mexican populations of the annual herb Solanum rostratum Dunal (Solanaceae)

Traditionally, annual colonising species are expected to have high rates of self‐fertilisation, although recent theoretical and empirical studies have shown that cross‐fertilisation can be selected for under heterogeneous pollination environments. Solanum rostratum is a self‐compatible annual herb that colonises disturbed habitats. Despite the lack of physiological mechanisms to prevent self‐fertilisation, pollen transfer between individuals is expected to be favoured because of its complex floral morphology. In previous studies of S. rostratum it has been shown that anther dimorphism within flowers results in precise pollen placement on the pollinator's body, and the presence of mirror‐image floral morphs within plants promotes outcrossing in experimental arrays. However, the mating system of natural populations of S. rostratum has never been assessed, and thus whether it is predominantly selfing or outcrossing remains unknown. We hypothesise that floral and inflorescence morphology of S. rostratum should facilitate cross‐fertilisation, making it a predominantly outcrossing despite its lack of a self‐incompatibility system. To test this hypothesis, we estimated outcrossing rates by genotyping 700 individuals at 13 microsatellite loci, sampled from four populations across a 690‐km transect in the species' native range. We found that populations had mean outcrossing rates of 0.70 ± 0.03, with multiple sires contributing to paternity of each progeny array (average effective number of sires = 8.97 ± 0.57). This indicates that natural populations S. rostratum have relatively high levels of outcrossing, probably facilitated by its floral and inflorescence morphology. We speculate that partial selfing in this species may be an unavoidable consequence of displaying multiple flowers at the same time (geitonogamy), as well as the result of self‐pollen transfer by illegitimate visitors.     

The influence of environmental factors on the morphology of red‐backed voles Myodes gapperi (Rodentia,Arvicolinae) in Québec and western Labrador

Geographical patterns of morphological variation in small mammals are often associated with environmental factors. The southern red‐backed vole Myodes gapperi is a widespread and abundant small mammal in Canada, occurring in environments as diverse as mixed‐wood forests and taiga. First upper molars and skulls from nine populations of southern red‐backed voles distributed across three ecozones and approximately 10° of latitude were analysed by means of geometric morphometric techniques, and their relationships with environmental variables were examined. A weak, non‐linear trend of size increase towards higher latitudes was observed in voles' skulls. Environmental variables appeared to be important drivers of shape differentiation among populations from the three distinct ecozones analysed. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2014, 112 , 204–218.     

MyD88-, but Not Nod1- and/or Nod2-Deficient Mice,Show Increased Susceptibility to Polymicrobial Sepsis due to Impaired Local Inflammatory Response

Pathogen recognition and triggering of the inflammatory response following infection in mammals depend mainly on Toll-like and Nod-like receptors. Here, we evaluated the role of Nod1, Nod2 and MyD88-dependent signaling in the chemokine production and neutrophil recruitment to the infectious site during sepsis induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) in C57Bl/6 mice. We demonstrate that Nod1 and Nod2 are not involved in the release of chemokines and recruitment of neutrophils to the infectious site during CLP-induced septic peritonitis because these events were similar in wild-type, Nod1-, Nod2-, Nod1/Nod2- and Rip2-deficient mice. Consequently, the local and systemic bacterial loads were not altered. Accordingly, neither Nod1 nor Nod2 was involved in the production of the circulating cytokines and in the accumulation of leukocytes in the lungs. By contrast, we showed that MyD88-dependent signaling is crucial for the establishment of the local inflammatory response during CLP-induced sepsis. MyD88-deficient mice were susceptible to sepsis because of an impaired local production of chemokines and defective neutrophil recruitment to the infection site. Altogether, these data show that Nod1, Nod2 and Rip2 are not required for local chemokine production and neutrophil recruitment during CLP-induced sepsis, and they reinforce the importance of MyD88-dependent signaling for initiation of a protective host response.     

Species richness and functional structure of fish assemblages in three freshwater habitats: effects of environmental factors and management

In this study, the inverted trophic hypothesis was tested in the freshwater fish communities of a reservoir. The distribution of fish species in three freshwater habitats in the Jurumirim Reservoir, Brazil, was examined using both species richness and the relative proportions of different trophic groups. These groups were used as a proxy for functional structure in an attempt to test the ability of these measures to assess fish diversity. Assemblage structures were first described using non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS). The influence of environmental conditions for multiple fish assemblage response variables (richness, total abundance and abundance per trophic group) was tested using generalised linear mixed models (GLMM). The metric typically employed to describe diversity; that is, species richness, was not related to environmental conditions. However, absolute species abundance was relatively well explained with up to 54% of the variation in the observed data accounted for. Differences in the dominance of trophic groups were most apparent in response to the presence of introduced fish species: the iliophagous and piscivorous trophic groups were positively associated, while detritivores and herbivores were negatively associated, with the alien species. This suggests that monitoring functional diversity might be more valuable than species diversity for assessing effects of disturbances and managements policies on the fish community.     

Gait variability analysis through phase portrait estimated from the Hilbert transform

Abstract

Gait variability has been used to evaluate the ability to control gait. Several studies approached this topic by analysing the influence of different conditions on gait variability, such as different walk speeds, inclined surfaces, load carriage, or comparing characteristics of subject groups, such as age, sedentarism and impairment level. The aim of this study was to develop and assess a new method, based on the property of the Hilbert transform of easily creating a phase portrait from a single time series, capable of estimating variability within gait cycles. The obtained results were based on a comparison of the proposed method with a traditional one whilst analysing a data set related to gait evaluation on inclined surfaces. Furthermore, the influence of noise over the estimated gait variability was assessed. The results showed that the proposed method is less sensitive to the presence of noise, with the advantage of not relying on signal interpolation, being thus an alternative to the analysis of gait variability.     

Labeling and quality control of 188Re-lanreotide.

Lanreotide was labelled with 188Re obtained from 188W/188Re generator, using stannous ion as reducing agent, ascorbic acid as stabilizers and hydroxy ethylidene bisphosphonate (HEDP) as intermediary ligand at different molar ratios, pH and incubation times. Best yields (>95%) were obtained using molar ratios SnF2/lanreotide, ascorbic/lanreotide and HEDP/lanreotide of 40, 12 and 260, respectively, pH 1-2 with an incubation at 100 degrees C for 30 min. Quality control evaluation and stability of the radiolabel compound was done by the following selected methods: chromatography in Whatman 3 MM with MEK and NaCl 0.15 M as solvents, ITLC-SG with ethanol-HCl 0.01N (90:10); reverse phase extraction cartridge (Sep-pak C18, Waters Associated) and RP-HPLC with radiometric and UV detection (220 nm) using MCH-5 n-capp column with linear gradient from 90% H2O (TFA 0.1%): 10% ACN (TFA 0.1%) up to 10% H2O (TFA 0.1%):90% ACN (TFA 0.1%) in 30 min, at flow 1 ml/min. Biodistribution in normal mice showed that 188Re-lanreotide is excreted mainly through the hepatobiliary system: more than 70% I.D. is present in gallbladder and intestines at 2 hr post injection. The stability of the 188Re-peptide bond by cysteine challenge test at 37 degrees C, during 2 and 24 hr of incubation time, reveals that approximately 300 and 100 molar ratio cys/peptide is required to displace 50% of the 188Re from the complex. In vitro stability of 188Re-lanreotide at room temperature (Rt) was demonstrated during 24 hr Future works must be done in order to investigate its binding capacity to somatostatin receptors.