Environment versus dispersal in the assembly of western Amazonian palm communities

Aim It is a central issue in ecology and biogeography to understand what governs community assembly and the maintenance of biodiversity in tropical rain forest ecosystems. A key question is the relative importance of environmental species sorting (niche assembly) and dispersal limitation (dispersal assembly), which we investigate using a large dataset from diverse palm communities. Location Lowland rain forest, western Amazon River Basin, Peru. Methods We inventoried palm communities, registering all palm individuals and recording environmental conditions in 149 transects of 5 m × 500 m. We used ordination, Mantel tests and indicator species analysis (ISA) to assess compositional patterns, species responses to geographical location and environmental factors. Mantel tests were used to assess the relative importance of geographical distance (as a proxy for dispersal limitation) and environmental differences as possible drivers of dissimilarity in palm species composition. We repeated the Mantel tests for subsets of species that differ in traits of likely importance for habitat specialization and dispersal (height and range size). Results We found a strong relationship between compositional dissimilarity and environmental distance and a weaker but also significant relationship between compositional dissimilarity and geographical distance. Consistent with expectations, relationships with environmental and geographical distance were stronger for understorey species than for canopy species. Geographical distance had a higher correlation with compositional dissimilarity for small‐ranged species compared with large‐ranged species, whereas the opposite was true for environmental distance. The main environmental correlates were inundation and soil nutrient levels. Main conclusions The assembly of palm communities in the western Amazon appears to be driven primarily by species sorting according to hydrology and soil, but with dispersal limitation also playing an important role. The importance of environmental characteristics and geographical distance varies depending on plant height and geographical range size in agreement with functional predictions, increasing our confidence in the inferred assembly mechanisms.     

Character displacement in the fighting colours of Hetaerina damselflies

Aggression between species is a seldom-considered but potentially widespread mechanism of character displacement in secondary sexual characters. Based on previous research showing that similarity in wing coloration directly influences interspecific territorial aggression in Hetaerina damselflies, we predicted that wing coloration would show a pattern of character displacement (divergence in sympatry). A geographical survey of four Hetaerina damselfly species in Mexico and Texas showed evidence for character displacement in both species pairs that regularly occurs sympatrically. Hetaerina titia, a species that typically has large black wing spots and small red wing spots, shifted to having even larger black spots and smaller red wing spots at sites where a congener with large red wing spots is numerically dominant (Hetaerina americana or Hetaerina occisa). Hetaerina americana showed the reverse pattern, shifting towards larger red wing spots where H. titia is numerically dominant. This pattern is consistent with the process of agonistic character displacement, but the ontogenetic basis of the shift remains to be demonstrated.     

The seasonal dynamics of Copidodiaptomus numidicus (Gurney, 1909) and Thermocyclops dybowskii (Lande, 1890) in Castelo-do-Bode Reservoir

We investigated the population dynamics of Copidodiaptomus numidicus (Copepoda: Calanoida) and Thermocyclops dybowskii (Copepoda: Cyclopoida) in Castelo-do-Bode Reservoir (Portugal). Both species in the reservoir were regulated mainly by food availability during the summers of 1993 and 1994. C. numidicus was always more abundant than T. dybowskii in the reservoir. C. numidicus produced two generations during the sampling period of both years whereas T. dybowskii produced two and three generations in 1993 and 1994, respectively. Because of high temperatures and low rainfall in 1994, the reservoir was more eutrophic than in 1993. Higher clutch size and a higher percentage of ovigerous females suggest that both species were benefiting from better feeding conditions in 1994. Despite this, population growth was reduced in 1994 relatively to 1993. Vertebrate predation and predation by copepods seem to have been minor factors in explaining this decline. However, the presence of Mesostoma sp. in the reservoir may have contributed to the reduction of both copepod populations during specific periods in 1994 although the calanoid was more affected than the cyclopoid by this predation.     

A catalog of bird specimens associated with Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied and potential type material in the natural history collection in Wiesbaden

Bird specimens collected by 19^th century explorer and ornithologist Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied form one of the foundation collections of the American Museum of Natural History in New York. However, parts of his collection remained in Germany and came to the Museum Wiesbaden. Since Wied described numerous new species without designating types, some of these specimens might be type material. Here we present a catalog of the 30 Wiesbaden specimens associated with him and discuss their potential type status. We conclude that 17 individuals in 11 species are potential type specimens that should be considered in future taxonomic work.     

Two new species of gorgonian octocorals from the Tropical Eastern Pacific Biogeographic Region (Cnidaria,Anthozoa, Gorgoniidae)

The gorgoniid Eugorgia is exclusively an eastern Pacific genus. It has a wide geographic and bathymetric range of distribution, found from California to Perú and extends down to 65 m deep. Two new species are herein described. The morphological characters were analyzed and illustrated by light and scanning electron microscopy. Eugorgia beebei sp. n. can be distinguished by its white, ascending, sparse colony growth. Eugorgia mutabilis sp. n. can be distinguished by its white colony that changes color after collection, and the conspicuous sharp-crested disc sclerites. From a morphological point of view the new species are related to the daniana-group, the rubens-group and the siedenburgae-group of Eugorgia; their affiliations, and the proposal of a new group are discussed. These new species increases the number of species in the genus to 15, and contribute to the knowledge of the eastern Pacific octocoral biodiversity.     

Influence of ionic strength and pH on the interaction between high-affinity heparin and antithrombin

Binding constants for the binding of high-affinity heparin to antithrombin at different ionic strengths were determined by fluorescence titrations and were also estimated from dissociation curves of the heparin-antithrombin complex. These curves were monitored by near-ultraviolet circular dichroism or fluorescence. The dependence of the binding constant on the activity of NaCl suggested that maximally 5–6 charged groups are directly involved in the interaction between the two macromolecules. Major pH-dependent changes of the interaction, as evident by changes of the spectroscopic properties of the complex between the molecules, were found to occur below pH 5.5 and above pH 8.5. The acid change, which was irreversible, was most likely caused by an irreversible conformational change of antithrombin. At alkaline pH, however, the gross conformation of antithrombin was stable up to pH 12, while the affinity of high-affinity heparin for antithrombin began to decrease markedly at pH 8.5. The dissociation curve, which was reversible, had a midpoint around pH 9.5. This is compatible with the loss of affinity being caused by either a local conformational change, by ionization of tyrosine or by titration of one or more amino groups.     

Two oligosaccharides from Marsdenia roylei

Phytochemical analysis of dried twigs of Marsdenia roylei (family Asclepiadaceae) has resulted in the isolation of a trisaccharide, maryal, and a diglycoside, rolinose. Their structures were determined as O-beta-D-oleandropyranosyl-(1-->4)-O-beta-D-digitoxopyranosyl++ +-(1-->4)-D- cymaral and ethyl O-beta-D-oleandropyranosyl-(1-->4)-O-3-O-methyl-6-deoxy-beta-D- allopyranoside, respectively, by chemical degradation and spectroscopic methods.     

Population Changes of Heterodera glycines and Soybean Yields Resulting from Soil Treatment with Alachlor,Fenamiphos, and Ethoprop

The population dynamics of Heterodera glycines as influenced by alachlor, fenamiphos, and ethoprop alone and in herbicide-nematicide combinations were studied in the field. Numbers of H. glycines juveniles and eggs were higher at midseason and harvest where nematicides were applied. Fenamiphos alone or in combination with alachlor provided better control of H. glycines and greater seed yields than treatments with ethoprop. Numbers of H. glycines eggs at harvest in 1980 were positively correlated with numbers of juveniles at planting in 1981 and negatively related to seed yield in 1981.     

Preparation of capacitor’s electrode from sunflower seed shell

Series of nanoporous carbons are prepared from sunflower seed shell (SSS) by two different strategies and used as electrode material for electrochemical double-layer capacitor (EDLC). The surface area and pore-structure of the nanoporous carbons are characterized intensively using N₂ adsorption technique. The results show that the pore-structure of the carbons is closely related to activation temperature and dosage of KOH. Electrochemical measurements show that the carbons made by impregnation-activation process have better capacitive behavior and higher capacitance retention ratio at high drain current than the carbons made by carbonization-activation process, which is due to that there are abundant macroscopic pores and less interior micropore surface in the texture of the former. More importantly, the capacitive performances of these carbons are much better than ordered mesoporous carbons and commercial wood-based active carbon, thus highlighting the success of preparing high performance electrode material for EDLC from SSS.