Influence of rainfall on sleeping site choice by a group of anubis baboons (Papio anubis)

For diurnal nonhuman primates, shifting among different sleeping sites may provide multiple benefits such as better protection from predators, reduced risk of parasitic infection, and closer proximity to spatially and temporally heterogeneous food and water. This last benefit may be particularly important in sleeping site selection by primates living in savanna‐woodlands where rainfall is more limited and more seasonally pronounced than in rainforests. Here, we examined the influence of rainfall, a factor that affects food and water availability, on the use of sleeping sites by anubis baboons (Papio anubis) over two 13‐month study periods that differed in rainfall patterns. We predicted that during wet periods, when food and water availability should be higher, the study group would limit the number of sleeping sites and would stay at each one for more consecutive nights than during dry periods. Conversely, we predicted that during dry periods the group would increase the number of sleeping sites and stay at each one for fewer consecutive nights as they searched more widely for food and water. We also predicted that the group would more often choose sleeping sites closer to the center of the area used during daytime (between 07:00 and 19:00) during wet months than during dry months. Using Global Positioning System data from collared individuals, we found that our first prediction was not supported on either monthly or yearly timescales, although past monthly rainfall predicted the use of the main sleeping site in the second study period. Our second prediction was supported only on a yearly timescale. This study suggests that baboons’ choice of sleeping sites is fluid over time while being sensitive to local environmental conditions, one of which may be rainfall.     

Reactivation and Dedifferentiation of Differentiated Murine Erythroleukemic Cell Nuclei

A murine erythroleukemic cell line, 745 A4-TG, deficient in hypoxanthine-guanine-phosphoribosyl transferase, can be induced with 3 mM hexamethylene bisacetamide to yield at least 50% of cells undergoing irreversible erythroid differentiation and finally losing capacity for cell divisions. The effects of such induced differentiation of 745 A4-TG on its ability to form viable and proliferating hybrids when fused with 3T3 1T22 fibroblasts were investigated. We found that when the induced 745 A4-TG cells were used, more continuously proliferating hybrids were obtained than could be accounted for by the residual uninduced cells which remained in these induced preparations. This suggests that some of the induced 745 A4-TG cells, when fused with 3T3 1T22 reverted from the induced phenotype of a limited capacity for cell proliferation to an uninduced state of continuous proliferation. This observation was further confirmed with the use of fully differentiated 745 A4-TG cells, which were obtained after selection with a bromodeoxyuridine suicide treatment to eliminate the uninduced and the partially differentiated cells in the preparations. When these selected, fully differentiated cells, as characterized by their lack of proliferation capacity and thymidine kinase activity, were fused with 3T3 1T22 (also deficient in thymidine kinase), it was found that not only were viable hybrid colonies obtained in a selection medium, which precluded the proliferation of either parental cells, but these hybrids continued to proliferate for more than two months in selection medium. These data thus confirmed that some fully differentiated erythroleukemic nucleus components in the hybrids were reactivated to regain capacity for cell proliferation and to dedifferentiate to synthesize thymidine kinase for survival in the selection medium. The lack of hemoglobin synthesis by these hybrids also indicates dedifferention of these murine erythroleukemic components in the hybrids.     

Isolation and characterization of microsatellites in Pacific white shrimp Penaeus (Litopenaeus) vannamei

Five polymorphic microsatellite loci were characterized for Penaeus (Litopenaeus) vannamei. Loci were isolated using a partial Sau3A1 genomic library by the sequencing of randomly selected clones and by a biotinylated (CT)₁₀ and (GT)₁₀ probes screening procedure. The last strategy resulted in the most useful data. About 40% of the clones showed a previously reported satellite/microsatellite (PVS1), reducing the chance of finding new microsatellite regions. Whereas two of the microsatellite loci with more than 10 alleles will be useful for mating analysis in a breeding program, the others might prove useful for population genetic studies.     

Geometric morphometric analysis of the effect of temperature on wing size and shape in Aedes albopictus

Wing geometry helps to identify mosquito species, even cryptic ones. On the other hand, temperature has a well‐known effect on insect metric properties. Can such effects blur the taxonomic signal embedded in the wing? Two strains of Aedes albopictus (laboratory and field strain) were examined under three different rearing temperatures (26, 30 and 33 °C) using landmark‐ and outline‐based morphometric approaches. The wings of each experimental line were compared with Aedes aegypti. Both approaches indicated similar associations between wing size and temperature. For the laboratory strain, the wing size significantly decreased as the temperature increased. For the field strain, the largest wings were observed at the intermediate temperature. The two morphometric approaches describing shape showed different sensibilities to temperature. For both strains and sexes, the landmark‐based approach disclosed significant wing shape changes with temperature changes. The outline‐based approach showed lesser effects, detecting significant changes only in laboratory females and in field males. Despite the size and shape changes induced by temperature, the two strains of Ae. albopictus were always distinguished from Ae. aegypti. The present study confirms the lability of size. However, it also suggests that, despite environmentally‐induced variation, the architecture of the wing still provides a strong taxonomic signal.