SHORT NOTE

Collins, Brian G. 1983. Seasonal variations in the energetics of territorial Cape Sugarbirds. Ostrich. 54:121-125.

Regardless of season, male and female Cape Sugarbirds Promerops cafer occupying nonbreeding territories in Mimetes hirtus at Betty's Bay, southwestern Cape, show greatest aggression early in the day, when nectar availability in favoured partially open inflorescences is highest. In the particular patch of M. hirtus studied, mean overall nectar availability doubled between July and September. During this interval, the original female P. cafer present reduced its territory to approximately half of its former size, with the remainder then being occupied by an adult male P. cafer that had not previously been seen in the patch.     

REVIEWS

Avian remains from the Early Miocene (～17 Ma) Moghra Formation of Egypt include new records of ‘waterbirds’ (storks, herons, pelicans and allies) and a ratite. Only a single avian fossil has been previously reported from Wadi Moghra and, thus, additional knowledge of the avifauna complements previously documented faunal and floral assemblages and provides a more complete picture of the Early Miocene ecosystem of that locality. The presence of ciconiiforms and pelecaniforms is consistent with the relatively abundant records of ‘waterbirds’ from other African freshwater fossil localities. Moreover, avian fossils from Wadi Moghra provide new insight into the avifaunal composition of the Early Miocene in Africa, a period that is relatively underrepresented in the avian fossil record of that continent.     

5. NOTES ON A FEW S. RHODESIAN BIRDS

The Aquatic Warbler is a threatened Afro-Palaearctic migrant with a largely unknown distribution in the winter (non-breeding) season. Protection of wintering sites may be crucial for the conservation of the species. Previous studies have identified extensive areas of north-western sub-Saharan Africa that could potentially be occupied by the species during winter. However, these studies have not necessarily differentiated between potentially suitable and unsuitable habitat types at a spatial resolution appropriate for targeting field surveys. To identify specific sites that could be occupied by non-breeding Aquatic Warblers at a scale appropriate for targeted field surveys, we adopted a modelling approach that combined recent sightings from Djoudj, Senegal, with land cover and climate data. We produced maps of potential distribution using three maximum entropy models. While a paucity of sightings prevented a full test of these maps on independent records, the areas that were predicted to be potentially occupied included areas around which there are historical records. We suggest field surveys should be targeted towards sites in the Inner Niger Delta and a number of marshes along and away from the Niger River in Mali, and to sites in southern Mauritania.     

Cloning of laminin gamma2 cDNA and chromosome mapping of the genes for the dog adhesion ligand laminin 5

Overexpression of the gamma2 chain of laminin-5 has been linked to tumor invasion and an unfavorable prognostic value, but the role of this adhesion molecule in cancer progression remains unclear. Because dog models of human cancers provide the opportunity of clarifying the relation between laminin-5 and tumor malignancy we have isolated and characterized the cDNA of dog gamma2 chain. Comparative analysis of the nucleotide sequence revealed high identity between the dog and the human gamma2, including the intermolecular molecule binding sites and the regulatory promoter sequences. Moreover, expression of a recombinant human gamma2 chain in dog keratinocytes results in assembly and secretion of hybrid laminin-5 molecules, which underscore the functional relevance of the gamma2 conserved domains. We have also determined the syntenic location of the dog laminin-5 loci on CFA7. Our study provides a basis for therapeutical approaches of epithelial cancers of gamma2 using dogs as large animal models.     

Spatial organization and recruitment of lynx (Lynx lynx) in a re-introduced population in the Swiss Jura Mountains

We monitored seven resident (three males and four females) and six dispersing subadult Eurasian lynx from to in a population that was re-introduced to the Swiss Jura Mountains in the early 1970s. Home-range areas of the neighbouring adults were 71–281 km², and significant core areas 34–252 km². Males occupied significantly larger areas than females. Home-range overlap was 9% for neighbouring males and 3%) for females. Core areas of males did touch, but those of females were clearly separated. Each male's home range covered those of one or two females. Population density was 0.94 lynx/100 km² for resident animals. Pre-dispersal mortality was estimated to be 50%. Juveniles dispersed from their mothers' home area at the age of 10 months. Of six monitored subadults. only one survived the first year of independence. Human-caused mortality (traffic accidents. illegal killing) was high. This was also the case among resident adults. This might be a threat to the long-term survival of the reintroduced population.