CONSÉQUENCE DE LA VARIATION DES EFFECTIFS DES FEMELLES DE DINARMUS VAGABUNDUS,SUR LE PARASITISME DE L'UN DE LEURS HÔTES CALLOSOBRUCHUS MACULATUS

Lorsque 2 femelles ou 3 femelles de l'ectoparasite D. vagabundus parasitent conjointement un même lot d'hôtes l'intensité du grégarisme larvaire s'accroît par rapport à celui observé en présence d'une seule femelle pondeuse. Cela se traduit par une augmentation significative du nombre moyen de descendants des 2 sexes mais la production moyenne en fils est toujours très inférieure à celle des filles. Cependant, lorsque la densité de femelles pondeuses passe de 1 à 3, le rapport des sexes mâles/femelles des descendants évolue vers l'unité traduisant une augmentation plus rapide de l'effectif des fils que des filles.     

Community Structure of Wetland Birds During Spring Migration Through the Rainwater Basin

Abstract: Staging areas and migratory stopovers of wetland birds have the potential to function as geographic bottlenecks; entire populations within a flyway may be affected by the quality and quantity of available wetland habitat at stopover sites. Although approximately 90% of playa wetlands in the Rainwater Basin (RWB) region of south-central Nebraska, USA, have been destroyed, the area still provides essential stopover habitat for >10 million waterfowl each spring. We evaluated community patterns and species associations to assess importance of assembly rules in structuring wetland bird communities during migration and to better facilitate multispecies conservation and management strategies. We surveyed 36–40 playas twice weekly in the RWB and observed approximately 2.6 million individual migratory wetland birds representing 72 species during 3 spring migrations 2002–2004. We evaluated spatial and temporal species co-occurrence patterns of geese, dabbling ducks, diving ducks, and shorebirds using null model analysis. Goose species co-occurrence scores did not differ from random in any year of the study, suggesting that goose species frequently use the same habitats during migration. Co-occurrence patterns among dabbling ducks were not different than expected by chance in any year; however, when we evaluated co-occurrence at a weekly scale, dabbling ducks co-occurred less often than expected during weeks of peak migration (high abundance), indicating that dabbling duck species spatially segregated at high densities. Diving duck co-occurrence patterns did not differ from random in any year, suggesting that diving duck species used the same habitats during migration. Shorebird species co-occurred less often than expected in 2002 and 2004, and during weeks of high shorebird abundance, indicating that shorebird communities were distinctly structured during those times. Most association values among lesser snow geese (Chen caerulescens) and dabbling duck species were positive, indicating dabbling ducks did not avoid wetlands with snow geese, a concern for waterfowl managers. However, we frequently observed snow geese and dabbling ducks using different microhabitats within a wetland, which indicate species associations and co-occurrence patterns may have occurred at a finer spatial scale than we measured. This approach of co-occurrence analysis will allow wildlife managers charged with multispecies management at migration stopover sites to make informed conservation and management decisions based on community structure rather than historic single-species approaches.     

Barlow's Lark: a new species in the Karoo Lark Certhilauda albescens complex of southwest Africa

The Karoo Lark Certhilauda albescens complex, endemic to southwest Africa, is characterized by regional phenotypic variation. Recent consensus has been to recognize two species, Dune Lark Certhilauda erythrochlamys and Karoo Lark Certhilauda albescens, but intermediate forms around the mouth of the Orange River have resulted in some authors treating it as a single polytypic species complex. We reexamined the status of taxa in this group by sequencing a segment of the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b gene. Most samples were from the area around the mouth of the Orange River, where there is considerable local phenotypic variation. Our results indicate that the complex comprises three species, Karoo Lark, Dune Lark and Barlow's Lark Certhilauda barlowi, separated by 1.9-5.5% sequence divergence. There were no sequence differences among described subspecies, but there was limited variation among Dune Lark individuals (sequence divergence values 0.2-0.4%). The Red Lark Certhilauda burra is closely related to the Karoo Lark complex; indeed, it may be that Karoo Lark is the ancestral form. There was morphological (biometrics and plumage) and behavioural (male display song structure) support for the recognition of Barlow's Lark as a separate species. Species ranges within the complex are allopatric or narrowly parapatric, and they occur in different habitats and climatic conditions. Discriminant function analysis correctly identified 99% of skins assigned to taxa based on range, but a few individuals collected in the contact zone between Karoo and Barlow's Larks exhibited intermediate phenotypes, and further investigations are warranted to search for evidence of hybridization. The newly recognized Barlow's Lark has a maximum range of 18,000 km². It appears to have disappeared from heavily grazed farms around Aus, southern Namibia, and occurs almost exclusively in diamond mining areas, where domestic livestock are excluded. Changes to land use practices which reduce vegetation cover could seriously impact this species.     

Coccidian Parasites (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) from Insectivores. VI. Six New Species from the Eastern Mole,Scalopus aquaticus1

ABSTRACT Thirteen eastern moles, Scalopus aquaticus, collected in West Texas were examined for coccidian oocysts; 11 (85%) were infected and eight (73%) of these had multiple infections representing two or more species. One cyclosporan, three eimerians, and two isosporans were studied and all are described as new species. Sporulated oocysts of Cyclospora megacephali n. sp. were subspheroidal, 18.5 × 15.7 (14–21 × 12–18) μm; they had sporocysts pointed at one end with Stieda bodies nearly as wide as the sporocysts themselves, and were 15.0 × 7.2 (11–17 × 6–9) μm; C. megacephali was found in four (31%) hosts. Sporulated oocysts of Eimeria scalopi n. sp. were spheroidal to subspheroidal, 13.6 × 12.6 (11–17 × 11–15) μm with sporocysts lemon-shaped, 8.7 × 5.5 (7–10 × 4–7) μm; it was found in six (46%) hosts. Sporulated oocysts of Eimeria aquatici n. sp. were asymmetrically ellipsoidal, 17.0 × 10.6 (14–20 × 9–14) μm, with sporocysts elongately ovoidal, 9.0 × 5.2 (8–11 × 4–6) μm; it was found in two (15%) hosts. Sporulated oocysts of Eimeria motleiensis n. sp. were subspheroidal, 17.0 × 15.3 (15–20 × 13–18) μm with sporocysts ovoidal, 10.7 × 6.8 (10–13 × 6–8) μm; it was found in seven (54%) hosts. Sporulated oocysts of Isospora motleiensis n. sp. were spheroidal to subspheroidal, 13.6 × 12.0 (10–17 × 8–15) μm with sporocysts broadly ovoidal, 9.5 × 6.7 (7–11 × 4–8) μm; it was found in nine (69%) hosts. Sporulated oocysts of Isospora aquatici n. sp. were subspheroidal, 20.9 × 18.4 (15–24 × 13–21) μm with sporocysts ellipsoidal, 11.8 × 9.0 (9–14 × 7–11) μm; it was found in two (15%) hosts.     

PRODUCT OPTIMIZATION AND THE ACCEPTOR SET SIZE

The acceptability of a product, measured by the acceptor set size (percentage of consumers rating the product acceptable), is a function of the perception of its attributes. The attributes are themselves a function of the inputs to the product (such as ingredients, processing or storage variables). These assumptions lead to the following model:
Acceptor set size = F (attribute₁, attribute₂, …, attribute_n)
Attribute j = f (input₁, input₂, …, input_m)
If we assume that these functions are differentiable, we can estimate the partial derivatives of the acceptor set size, with respect to the input variables. The gradient vector obtained indicates the fastest way to maximize the acceptor set size. The gradient search method, using the acceptor set size as an objective measure, can be applied in a variety of situations: to improve existing products, to maximize the acceptability of new products, and to study the relationship between shelf-life and acceptability.     

An Ex Vivo Study of Congenital Pigmented Nevi in Epidermal Reconstructs

In order to study morphologic and functional characteristics of pigment cells in congenital pigmented nevi, autologous or heterologous reconstructs have been made using normal keratinocytes and nevus cells from the dermal-epidermal junction or from the dermis. All these cells, keratinocytes and nevus cells, were used as cell suspensions immediately after dissociation from the tissues or after subsequent brief cultivation in a serum-free medium. Reconstructed epidermis were cultured for 15 days at the air-liquid interface with or without ultraviolet (UV) B exposure. The reconstructs were examined macroscopically (formation of hyperpigmented macules), histologically (pigment cell nesting) and ultrastructurally (pigment structure and transfer). Typical nesting of nevus cells was observed in the dermal-epidermal junction or in the superficial dermis associated with macroscopically detectable small pigmented macules. UVB exposure induced an upward migration of nevus cells in the suprabasal layers of the epidermis. This tissue model can be considered as an excellent system for the ex vivo reproduction of pigmented nevi and as an assay of the sensitivity of nevus cells towards UVB irradiation.