Novel insertion sequence-like elements in phytoplasma strains of the aster yellows group are putative new members of the IS3 family

Novel insertion sequence (IS)-like elements were isolated and characterized from phytoplasma strains in the aster yellows (AY) group (16SrI). The IS-like elements were cloned from phytoplasma strains AY1 and NJAY or PCR-amplified from 15 additional strains representing nine subgroups in the AY group using primers based on sequences of the putative transposases (Tpases). All IS-like elements contained sequences encoding similar Tpases of 321 amino acids (320 for strain CPh). Substantial amino acid sequence variability suggested multiple species of Tpases or IS-like elements exist in the AY phytoplasma group. These Tpases have an identical DDE motif that is most similar to the DDE consensus of Tpases in the IS3 family.     

Characterization and evolution of major histocompatibility complex class II genes in the aye-aye, Daubentonia madagascariensis

Major histocompatibility complex genes (Mhc-DQB and Mhc-DRB) were sequenced in seven aye-ayes (Daubentonia madagascariecsis), which is an endemic and endangered species in Madagascar. An aye-aye from a north-eastern population showed genetic relatedness to individuals of a north-western population and had a somewhat different repertoire from another north-eastern individual. These observations suggest that the extent of genetic variation in Mhc genes is not excessively small in the aye-aye in spite of recent rapid destruction of their habitat by human activities. In light of Mhc gene evolution, trans-species and allelic polymorphisms can be estimated to have been retained for more than 50 Ma (million years) based on the time scale of lemur evolution.     

Mexicanolide limonoids from the Madagascan Meliaceae Quivisia papinae

An investigation of the seeds of the Madagascan Meliaceae Quivisia papinae has yielded five mexicanolide group limonoids, together with two known mexicanolide limonoids and two known triterpenoids. Quivisianolide A 9 possesses a hitherto unreported 9alpha,11alpha-epoxide ring, quivisianolide B 10 the corresponding delta(9(11)) double bond, and quivisianone 11 is a 17-keto seco-ring D compound.     

Participatory Ecological Monitoring of the Alaotra Wetlands in Madagascar

Participatory ecological monitoring is a realistic and effective approach in wetlands such as Alaotra, Madagascar, where important biodiversity is found in an area with high human population density. Since 2001, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, government technical services, regional non-governmental organisations and local communities have collected data on key species, such as waterbirds, a locally endemic lemur and useful natural resources. The monitoring was linked with environmental quizzes and an inter-village competition, which helped raise interest in the monitoring and publicise results. The monitoring has assisted wetland management by guiding amendments to and increasing respect for the regional fishing convention, raising awareness, catalysing marsh management transfer to communities and stimulating collaboration and good governance. The sustainability of the monitoring scheme and the usefulness of the data for detecting trends and guiding local managements are discussed.     

Parental care behavior in the monogamous,sexually dimorphic Madagascar paradise flycatcher: sex differences and the effect of brood size

I studied the parental care behavior of the Madagascar paradise flycatcher Terpsiphone mutata in northwestern Madagascar. I especially focused on feeding, brooding and vigilance behaviors. Feeding rate did not differ between males and females, but females spent more time at the nest than males. Females dedicated their time to brooding, while males perched on the nest and were vigilant. Both parents changed the feeding rate in relation to brood size, so the feeding rate per nestling was not different among nests of different brood size. Duration of brooding by females increased with decreasing brood size, suggesting that the Royama effect, the pattern of lower feeding rate per nestling in larger broods, did not apply in this study. Males spent more time on vigilance than females. Anti-predator vigilance by males should be important for nestling survival given the high predation pressure typical of this population. In conclusion, males provide considerable parental care probably to minimize nestling starvation and to avoid nest predation. My results are not consistent with the general pattern of less parental effort by males in monogamous, sexually dimorphic species.     

Ecogeographic size variations in Sifakas: a test of the resource seasonality and resource quality hypotheses

Ecogeographic size variations have been documented in some but not all sifakas. Few morphometric or body weight data have been available for two critically endangered subspecies of diademed sifakas: Perrier's sifakas (Propithecus diadema perrieri) and silky sifakas (Propithecus diadema candidus). The objectives of our study were to determine size variations in sifakas and if these variations are related to resource quality and/or resource seasonality. P. d. perrieri and P. d. candidus were captured, weighed, and measured in northern Madagascar. Body weights and morphometrics were compared with other subspecies of diademed sifakas and indris (Indri indri). Differences in body weights and morphometrics between taxa are particularly pronounced for P. d. perrieri compared to P. d. diadema, P. d. edwardsi, and I. indri. Most morphometrics varied in comparisons between P. d. candidus and the other Indriidae (P. d. diadema, P. d. edwardsi, and I. indri). Average body size in sifakas is positively correlated with annual rainfall and negatively correlated with length of dry season. Sifaka body size is not correlated with protein-to-fiber ratios. Thus, size variations in sifakas are related to resource seasonality rather than resource quality. The relationships between the temporal availability of food resources and sifaka body size reflect complex and regionally varying causalities. Detailed, longitudinal information on the ecological factors underlying food selection and nutrient requirements in sifakas are needed to determine the relationship between ecogeographic variables and body size in sifakas.     

Ontogenetic correlates of diet in Malagasy lemurs

There is a well-documented relationship between development and other life-history parameters among anthropoid primates. Smaller-bodied anthropoids tend to mature more rapidly than do larger-bodied species. Among anthropoids of similar body sizes, folivorous species tend to grow and mature more quickly than do frugivorous species, thus attaining adult body size at an earlier age. This pattern conforms to the expectations of Janson and van Schaik's "ecological risk aversion hypothesis," which predicts that rates of growth and maturation should vary in inverse relation to the intensity of intraspecific feeding competition. According to the ecological risk aversion hypothesis (RAH), species experiencing high intraspecific feeding competition will grow and mature slowly to reduce the risk of mortality due to food shortages. Species experiencing low levels of intraspecific feeding competition will shorten the juvenile period to reduce the overall duration of this high-risk portion of the life cycle. This paper focuses on development and maturation in lemurs. We show that folivorous lemurs (such as indriids) grow and mature more slowly than like-sized frugivorous lemurs (e.g., most lemurids), but tend to exhibit faster dental development. Their dental developmental schedules are accelerated on an absolute scale, relative to craniofacial growth, and relative to particular life-history landmarks, such as weaning. Dental development has a strong phylogenetic component: even those lemurids that consume substantial amounts of foliage have slower dental development than those indriids that consume substantial amounts of fruit. Implications of these results for the RAH are discussed, and an explanation for this hypothesis' failure to predict lemur growth schedules is offered. We propose that the differing developmental schedules of folivorous and frugivorous lemurs may reflect different solutions to the ecological problem of environmental instability: some rely on a strategy of low maternal input and slow returns, while others rely on a strategy of high maternal input and fast returns.     

Molecular characterization of the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae s.s. in Madagascar

Abstract.  Anopheles gambiae s.s. Giles (Diptera: Culicidae), the primary African malaria vector, has been characterized at the subspecies level in Madagascar, where only the molecular form S and haplotype gIA occur. The haplotype gIC proposed by other authors was not observed amongst the 35 mosquito genomes sequenced. These S/gIA characteristics are also found on the Comoros archipelago and in continental Africa.     

Notes on the postembryonic development and ecology of Grosphus hirtus Kraepelin, 1901 (Scorpiones, Buthidae) from the Parc National d’Ankarafantsika, northwest Madagascar

Among several specimens of Grosphus hirtus Kraepelin (Scorpiones, Buthidae), obtained in Madagascar, Mahajanga Province, Parc National d’Ankarafantsika, Station Forestière d’Ampijoroa, and then held in captivity, the courtship and mating behaviour of two females was observed. These two animals gave birth in captivity to 26 and 37 offspring of which two and three reached maturity, respectively. The duration of the five instars needed to reach the adult stage in both males and females averaged 14, 112, 117, 274, and 334 days. These developmental periods are much longer than those of Grosphus flavopiceus Kraepelin, the only other species in this genus studied, and longer than those of most examined species of Buthidae. Morphometric values for the different instars are presented from the individual offspring and from specimens collected in the wild. On the basis of these values, the average growth factor (Dyar's constant) per moult for three different measured structures was calculated from the pooled data. Dyar's constant is expressed for the first time in scorpions of the genus Grosphus. Instars growth factors are also comparable to other species of Buthidae.     

Chromosome numbers of miscellaneous Malagasy Acanthaceae

Meiotic chromosome numbers are reported for 12 species in eight genera of Acanthaceae from Madagascar. Chromosome numbers of 11 species are reported for the first time. Counts inMendoncia (n=19) andNeuracanthus (n=20) are the first for these genera. A new chromosome number (n=30) is reported inJusticia. Systematic implications of the chromosome counts are addressed and basic chromosome numbers for these eight genera of Malagasy Acanthaceae are discussed.