Orthostatism and heat acclimation.

Three groups of subjects (6 subj in each group) underwent the following precedures: group A was given a 20-min head-up tilt at 21 degrees C followed by 4 h of exercise at 33.9 degrees C DB, 32.2 degrees C WB, and a repetition of tilting after exercise in heat; group B underwent the same procedure at 21 degrees C; group C was tilted at 21 degrees C, rested in heat for 4 h and was retilted in heat. The above procedures were repeated for 8 days, and on the last day groups B and C underwent the same treatment as group A. Group A showed the usual decreases in heart rate and rectal temperature and an increase in sweat rate on acclimation. This corresponded to marked improvements in heat-orthostatism. While five subjects in group A fainted during post-exposure tilting on the first exposure, none fainted on the last day. Resting in heat (group C) did not cause any acclimation to work in heat. This corresponded to poor heat-orthostatism after the work-heat procedure when five subjects fainted. Mild training at 21 degrees C (group B) resulted in minor improvements to work in heat as evident by some improvements in heart rate responses after the 1st and 2nd h of exposure. This corresponded to better heat-orthostatism and fewer men fainting than in group C. The results indicated that heat-orthostatism improves on acclimation to the same extent as exercise heart rate and rectal temperature.     

Population and genetic structure of a male-dispersing strepsirrhine,Galago moholi (Primates,Galagidae), from northern South Africa,inferred from mitochondrial DNA

Primates - The habitats of Galago moholi are suspected to be largely fragmented, while the species is thought to be expanding further into the southernmost fringe of its range, as well as into...     

Assessing,with limited resources,the ecological outcomes of wetland restoration: a South African case

Resources for evaluating the ecological outcomes of ecosystem restoration projects are often limited, especially within government‐funded programs. In order to rapidly assess the ecological outcomes of wetland restoration, an improved approach has been developed, which was applied in the assessment of the ecological outcomes at nine restoration sites of South Africa's Working for Wetlands program. The sites encompass a diversity of restoration problems and land use contexts. The approach begins by distinguishing hydrogeomorphic (HGM) units, for which ecological condition is assessed and reported for hydrology, geomorphology, and vegetation pre‐ and post‐restoration. These three components are closely linked but, as demonstrated at some of the sites, may respond differentially to restoration interventions. For most HGM units, overall ecological condition was improved by between 10 and 30%, with the greatest contribution of restoration generally being to the hydrology component. Having determined the integrity and costs of the interventions, cost‐effectiveness is then reported in South African Rands per hectare equivalent restored, which was found to vary by more than an order of magnitude across the HGM units assessed. Cost‐effectiveness must be interpreted in the light of the long‐term integrity of the interventions, the site's landscape context, and the contribution of restoration to ecosystem services provision. Some sites may be considerably less cost‐effective than others, but the cost may nonetheless be justified if the sites make key contributions to ecosystem services provision. The study was conducted in the context of a formative evaluation and the findings are envisaged to improve wetland restoration practice.     

Towards an urban marine ecology: characterizing the drivers,patterns and processes of marine ecosystems in coastal cities

Human population density within 100 km of the sea is approximately three times higher than the global average. People in this zone are concentrated in coastal cities that are hubs for transport and trade – which transform the marine environment. Here, we review the impacts of three interacting drivers of marine urbanization (resource exploitation, pollution pathways and ocean sprawl) and discuss key characteristics that are symptomatic of urban marine ecosystems. Current evidence suggests these systems comprise spatially heterogeneous mosaics with respect to artificial structures, pollutants and community composition, while also undergoing biotic homogenization over time. Urban marine ecosystem dynamics are often influenced by several commonly observed patterns and processes, including the loss of foundation species, changes in biodiversity and productivity, and the establishment of ruderal species, synanthropes and novel assemblages. We discuss potential urban acclimatization and adaptation among marine taxa, interactive effects of climate change and marine urbanization, and ecological engineering strategies for enhancing urban marine ecosystems. By assimilating research findings across disparate disciplines, we aim to build the groundwork for urban marine ecology – a nascent field; we also discuss research challenges and future directions for this new field as it advances and matures. Ultimately, all sides of coastal city design: architecture, urban planning and civil and municipal engineering, will need to prioritize the marine environment if negative effects of urbanization are to be minimized. In particular, planning strategies that account for the interactive effects of urban drivers and accommodate complex system dynamics could enhance the ecological and human functions of future urban marine ecosystems.     

A third major locus for autosomal dominant hypercholesterolemia maps to 1p34.1-p32

Autosomal dominant hypercholesterolemia (ADH), one of the most frequent hereditary disorders, is characterized by an isolated elevation of LDL particles that leads to premature mortality from cardiovascular complications. It is generally assumed that mutations in the LDLR and APOB genes account for ADH. We identified one large French pedigree (HC2) and 12 additional white families with ADH in which we excluded linkage to the LDLR and APOB, implicating a new locus we named "FH3." A LOD score of 3.13 at a recombination fraction of 0 was obtained at markers D1S2892 and D1S2722. We localized the FH3 locus to a 9-cM interval at 1p34.1-p32. We tested four regional markers in another set of 12 ADH families. Positive LOD scores were obtained in three pedigrees, whereas linkage was excluded in the others. Heterogeneity tests indicated linkage to FH3 in approximately 27% of these non-LDLR/non-APOB ADH families and implied a fourth locus. Radiation hybrid mapping located four candidate genes at 1p34.1-p32, outside the critical region, showing no identity with FH3. Our results show that ADH is genetically more heterogeneous than conventionally accepted.     

Species decline--but why? Explanations of carabid beetle (Coleoptera,Carabidae) declines in Europe

We investigated some of the causes of ground beetle decline using atlas data from Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands, countries in which natural environments have all but disappeared. We used ordinal regression to identify characteristics that are significantly correlated with the decline of carabid beetle species over the last 50-100 years, using a stepwise selection procedure to select the optimal model according to the Akaike Information Criterion. The results showed that large-bodied carabid populations have declined more than smaller ones, possibly because of their lower reproductive output and lower powers of dispersal. Habitat specialist populations (i.e. species with small niche breadths) have also decreased more than habitat generalist populations. Species with both long- and short-winged individuals have been less prone to decline than those that are exclusively either short-winged or long-winged. Dimorphic species may survive better in highly altered environments because long-winged individuals are good at dispersing between suitable habitats and short-winged individuals are good at surviving and reproducing in these newly colonised habitats. Finally, populations of large carabids associated with coastal, woodland or riparian habitat types were less prone to decline than populations of large carabids associated with various, open or grassland habitat types. The pattern is reversed for carabid species smaller than 8 mm in size. These results are explained in the context of habitat restoration and destruction in these highly modified western European countries.     

Genetic Origins of Lactase Persistence and the Spread of Pastoralism in Africa

In humans, the ability to digest lactose, the sugar in milk, declines after weaning because of decreasing levels of the enzyme lactase-phlorizin hydrolase, encoded by LCT. However, some individuals maintain high enzyme amounts and are able to digest lactose into adulthood (i.e., they have the lactase-persistence [LP] trait). It is thought that selection has played a major role in maintaining this genetically determined phenotypic trait in different human populations that practice pastoralism. To identify variants associated with the LP trait and to study its evolutionary history in Africa, we sequenced MCM6 introns 9 and 13 and ∼2 kb of the LCT promoter region in 819 individuals from 63 African populations and in 154 non-Africans from nine populations. We also genotyped four microsatellites in an ∼198 kb region in a subset of 252 individuals to reconstruct the origin and spread of LP-associated variants in Africa. Additionally, we examined the association between LP and genetic variability at candidate regulatory regions in 513 individuals from eastern Africa. Our analyses confirmed the association between the LP trait and three common variants in intron 13 (C-14010, G-13907, and G-13915). Furthermore, we identified two additional LP-associated SNPs in intron 13 and the promoter region (G-12962 and T-956, respectively). Using neutrality tests based on the allele frequency spectrum and long-range linkage disequilibrium, we detected strong signatures of recent positive selection in eastern African populations and the Fulani from central Africa. In addition, haplotype analysis supported an eastern African origin of the C-14010 LP-associated mutation in southern Africa.     

Volatiles associated with different flower stages and leaves of Acacia cyclops and their potential role as host attractants for Dasineura dielsi (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae)

Acacia cyclops (Fabaceae) is an Australian species which was introduced into South Africa in the nineteenth century. Because of its invasive status in South Africa, a gall midge, Dasineura dielsi (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), was released in 2001 in order to impact its reproduction by inducing galls on the flowers and thereby preventing seed set. Nothing is known about the cues used by D. dielsi for locating its host flowers. As part of an initial investigation into whether or not chemical cues might play a role in host finding, we analysed headspace samples of Acacia cyclops volatiles from leaves and reproductive parts at different stages (early bud, late bud, early flowering, and senescing flowering stages) using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). In total, 72 different compounds were detected of which 62 were identified. The analyses showed that open flowers, the stage used by D. dielsi for oviposition, and yellow buds had similar odour compositions with (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol acetate, 4-oxoisophorone, (Z)-β-ocimene, an unknown aliphatic compound, heptadecane, and nonadecane dominating in open flowers. Leaf volatiles were distinct from those in the reproductive plant parts by their high relative amount of (Z)-β-ocimene. (Z)-3-Hexen-1-ol acetate had its maximum relative amount in the green bud samples and was much lower in the later floral stages. In contrast, 4-oxoisophorone peaked in yellow buds and open flowers with little or none of it found in younger or older stages. The volatile compounds of the different flower stages and leaves are discussed in relation to their potential role as attractants used by the biocontrol agent D. dielsi to locate its host plant.     

Phylogeography, genetic structure and population divergence time of cheetahs in Africa and Asia: evidence for long-term geographic isolates

The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) has been described as a species with low levels of genetic variation. This has been suggested to be the consequence of a demographic bottleneck 10 000–12 000 years ago (ya) and also led to the assumption that only small genetic differences exist between the described subspecies. However, analysing mitochondrial DNA and microsatellites in cheetah samples from most of the historic range of the species we found relatively deep phylogeographic breaks between some of the investigated populations, and most of the methods assessed divergence time estimates predating the postulated bottleneck. Mitochondrial DNA monophyly and overall levels of genetic differentiation support the distinctiveness of Northern‐East African cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus soemmeringii). Moreover, combining archaeozoological and contemporary samples, we show that Asiatic cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) are unambiguously separated from African subspecies. Divergence time estimates from mitochondrial and nuclear data place the split between Asiatic and Southern African cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus jubatus) at 32 000–67 000 ya using an average mammalian microsatellite mutation rate and at 4700–44 000 ya employing human microsatellite mutation rates. Cheetahs are vulnerable to extinction globally and critically endangered in their Asiatic range, where the last 70–110 individuals survive only in Iran. We demonstrate that these extant Iranian cheetahs are an autochthonous monophyletic population and the last representatives of the Asiatic subspecies A. j. venaticus. We advocate that conservation strategies should consider the uncovered independent evolutionary histories of Asiatic and African cheetahs, as well as among some African subspecies. This would facilitate the dual conservation priorities of maintaining locally adapted ecotypes and genetic diversity.