Amphibious behaviour and feeding ecology of the four-eyed blenny (Dialommus fuscus, Labrisomidae) in the intertidal zone of the island of Santa Cruz (Galapagos, Ecuador)

The labrisomid Dialommus fuscus , endemic to the Galapagos archipelago, is a predator of crustaceans, which moves up and down the intertidal zone with the tides. Its divided eye and elongated body permit it to forage in the wet sections of the intertidal habitat during low tide, both on the rocks and below the water line and in tide pools. Compared with other intertidal fishes (e.g. Bathygobius sp.), it was present on the rock flat in significantly smaller tide pools nearer to the water line during low tide.     

Latitudinal variation in population structure of wintering Pacific Black Brant

ABSTRACT.   Latitudinal variation in population structure during the winter has been reported in many migratory birds, but has been documented in few species of waterfowl. Variation in environmental and social conditions at wintering sites can potentially influence the population dynamics of differential migrants. We examined latitudinal variation in sex and age classes of wintering Pacific Black Brant ( Branta bernicla nigricans ). Brant are distributed along a wide latitudinal gradient from Alaska to Mexico during the winter. Accordingly, migration distances for brant using different wintering locations are highly variable and winter settlement patterns are likely associated with a spatially variable food resource. We used resightings of brant banded in southwestern Alaska to examine sex and age ratios of birds wintering at Boundary Bay in British Columbia, and at San Quintin Bay, Ojo de Liebre Lagoon, and San Ignacio Lagoon in Baja California from 1998 to 2000. Sex ratios were similar among wintering locations for adults and were consistent with the mating strategy of geese. The distribution of juveniles varied among wintering areas, with greater proportions of juveniles observed at northern (San Quintin Bay and Ojo de Liebre Lagoon) than at southern (San Ignacio Lagoon) locations in Baja California. We suggest that age-related variation in the winter distribution of Pacific Black Brant is mediated by variation in productivity among individuals at different wintering locations and by social interactions among wintering family groups.     

Delimitation and classification ofBromus fasciculatus (Poaceae)

The syntypes ofBromus madritensis var.delilei Boiss. comprise two different elements: specimens ofB. haussknechtii Boiss. and ofB. fasciculatus C. Presl s.l. By its lectotypification and on the basis of new morphological characters, the validation ofB. fasciculatus subsp.delilei (Boiss.)H. Scholz 1971 was substantiated. This subspecies represents the eastern marginal segregate of the south-Mediterranean species.B. fasciculatus var.alexandrinus Thell. is a minor variant of the typical subspecies.Dedicated to Prof.K. H. Rechinger on the occasion of his 80th birthday.     

Modeling rendille household herd composition

Previous analysis of Rendille household herd composition revealed a transition from camel to cattle ownership for sedentary impoverished Rendille pastoralists of northern Kenya. In an attempt to delineate determinants of livestock holdings, logistic regression analysis of 112 household herds from the Rendille settlement of Korr, Marsabit District, Kenya was undertaken. Results indicated that household wealth, measured in present livestock holdings, past drought losses, and livestock sales, formed better predictors of cattle ownership than did household characteristics pertaining to labor supply, wage earners, age-set membership, and birth order of household head. These results are discussed in light of pastoral strategies designed to minimize risk.     

Regional environmental simulation of African cattle herding societies

Regional analyses of the interaction between human populations and natural resources must integrate landscape scale environmental problems. An approach that considers human culture, environmental processes, and resource needs offers an appropriate methodology. With this methodology, we analyze problems of food availability in African cattle-keeping societies. The analysis interrelates cattle biomass, forage availability, milk and blood production, crop yields, gathering, food subsidies, population, and variable precipitation. While an excess of cattle leads to overgrazing, cattle also serve as valuable food storage mechanisms during low rainfall periods. Food subsidies support higher population levels but do not alter drought-induced population fluctuations. Variable precipitation patterns require solutions that stabilize year-to-year food production and also address problems of overpopulation.     

Nemerteans of the Great Barrier Reef 6. Enopla Hoplonemertea (Polystilifera: Reptantia)

Two new genera and species of reptantic polystiliferous hoplonemerteans from the Great Barrier Reef province of Australia are described and illustrated. Urichonemertes pilorhynchus gen. et sp. nov. and Xenonemertes rhamphocephalus gen. et sp. nov. are both placed in the family Drepanophoridae (Polystilifera: Eureptantia: Aequifurcata).     

New perspectives on the “Proto-cromagnons” from Israel

The present paper deals with the two identifiedHomo sapiens groups in the Middle Palaeolithic from the Near East, the Neandertals and the Modern Humans. Their main morphological characteristics are discussed, comparing also both populations, one with another, as well as with the European Neandertals or Predmost III. The data confirm the presence in the Levant of Near Eastern Neandertal and Modern Human lineages from at least 150 Ky., relating the most ancient documents, respectively, to Tabun I and Zuttiyeh individuals. The coexistence of both human groups, having the same cultural background, along the whole Middle Palaeolithic is demonstrated, while the possibility of interbreeding is not excluded.     

DEFORMATIVE DISEASE IN IRIDAEA LAMINARIOIDES (RHODOPHYTA): GALL DEVELOMENT ASSOCIATED WITH AN ENDOPHYTIC CYANOBACTERIUM1

This study is the first report of an algal disease, developed in close association with an endophytic organism, documented for the southeastern Pacific. We describe a disease affecting wild populations of the red alga Iridaea laminarioides Bory in central Chile, characterized by gall development on the surface of sporophytic, cystocarpic, and immature thalli. These abnormal growths result in severe morphological alterations of the affected thalli. Diseased fronds display an aggregated spatial distribution and occur throughout the year, with a maximum in summer followed by a decline in winter. The presence of galls was not associated with broken or torn fronds. Although causality has not been unequivocally demonstrated, our field and laboratory observations indicate a strong association of the galls with infections by an endophytic cyanobacterium, probably belonging to the genus Pleurocapsa.     

Phosphorylation of the androgen receptor by a nuclear cAMP-independent protein kinase

The androgen receptor was purified from rat ventral prostate. The purified receptor migrated as a single band of mol. wt. 87000 on SDS-polyacrylamide gels, had a kd for R-1881 (17 beta-hydroxy-17 alpha-methyl-estra-4,9,11-trien-3-one) binding as 6 nM, and sedimentation coefficient of 4.5 S. Phosphorylation of the purified receptor was studied by incubating it with [gamma-32P]ATP in the presence of several purified protein kinases including cAMP-dependent protein kinase, and four cAMP-independent protein kinases (which were active towards substrates such as phosvitin and casein). Phosphorylation of the 87000 mol. wt. androgen receptor protein occurred only in the presence of a nuclear cAMP-independent protein kinase (of the N2 type). No auto-phosphorylation of the receptor was detected. The results indicate that the androgen receptor is a phosphoprotein. Further, phosphorylation of the androgen receptor by only a specific nuclear cAMP-independent protein kinase may be important in determining the dynamics of its function.