Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Role of Fruits and Insects in the Nutrition of Frugivorous Bats: Evaluating the Use of Stable Isotope Models1

Abstract We estimated the relative contribution of fruits and insects as sources of dietary protein in two species of Neotropical frugivorous bats (Artibeus jamaicensis and Sturnira lilium) using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses. An insectivorous species (Pteronotus parnellii) was also included for comparison. We found constant patterns in stable carbon and nitrogen isotope composition in blood that separated the two species of frugivorous bats from the insectivorous bat. When we used these isotopic values (combined with those of dietary fruits and insects) to estimate the percent contribution of fruits and insects to the diet of the bats, we obtained different results, depending on assumptions and model adopted. We tested models using both δ15N and δ13C results simultaneously and separately and further used diet-tissue fractionation factors of 3‰ for nitrogen and 1 and 3.5‰ for carbon. We found that a carbon-based model with a diet-blood enrichment factor of 3.5‰ produced the most parsimonious results. The model estimated that A. jamaicensis and S. lilium obtained most of their protein requirements from fruits, whereas P. parnellii fed mostly on insects. No sexual or seasonal variations in the diet of the two frugivorous species were detected. We found no evidence that the diet of sexually active females differed from that of nonsexually active females in the two species of frugivorous bats. We suggest that future studies better define isotopic fractionation between diet and tissues of bats using captive rearing and controlled diets.
Forest Succession and Distance from Forest Edge in an Afro-Tropical Grassland1

Forest succession on degraded tropical lands often is slowed by impoverished seed banks and low rates of seed dispersal. Within degraded landscapes, remnant forests are potential seed sources that could enhance nearby forest succession. The spatial extent that forest can influence succession, however, remains largely unstudied. In abandoned agricultural lands in Kibale National Park, Uganda, recurrent fires have helped perpetuate the dominance of tall (2–3 m) grasses. We examined the effects of distance from forest and grassland vegetation structure on succession in a grassland having several years of fire exclusion. At 10 and 25 m from forest edge, we quantified vegetation patterns, seed predation, and survival of planted tree seedlings. Natural vegetation was similar at both distances, as was seed (eight species) and seedling (six species) survival; however, distance may be important at spatial or temporal scales not examined in this study. Our results offer insight into forest succession on degraded tropical grasslands following fire exclusion. Naturally recruited trees and tree seedlings were scarce, and seed survival was low (20% after 7 mo). While seedling survival was high (95% after 6 to 8 mo), seedling shoot growth was very slow (x̄ 0.5 cm/100 d), suggesting that survivorship eventually may decline. Recurrent fires often impede forest succession in degraded tropical grasslands; however, even with fire exclusion, our study suggests that forest succession can be very slow, even in close proximity to forest.
Comprehension and Production of Non - Literal Comparisons (NLC) via Visual Stimuli in Children

Abstract The present study focuses on the comprehension and production of non-literal comparisons (NLC) via visual means in three age groups: kindergarten, second grade and fifth grade students. Although non-literality is a cognitive process, the educational system does not take advantage of it in pedagogy, especially before the fourth grade. The research tools designed from scratch were based on the three categories of perceptual, visual similarities – features: Static-specific features (shape, size, color), static – general features (e.g., age: young – old) and dynamic features (e.g., motion). The results revealed that all of the children were capable of comprehending and producing NLC via visual stimuli, despite the assumption that non – literality is mastered only by older children. Furthermore, it appears that the visual aids play a key factor in both comprehension and production of NLC. Both comprehension and production of NLC increase with age, but production increase occurs at a very slow rate. Despite the fact that two separate studies were executed by the same researchers, there are slight indications that lead us to conclude that comprehending NLC is simpler than producing them. Another result is that NLC based on the static – specific features (shape, size and color) were not easier than the static – general features and dynamic features to comprehend and produce, as it has been supposed by previous studies on children’s language development and thought (e.g., Clark, 1993; Winner et al., 1988).
Fifty-Third Supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-List of North American Birds

The Auk, Vol. , Number , pages −. ISSN -, electronic ISSN -. ©  by The American Ornithologists’ Union. All rights reserved. Please direct all requests for permission to photocopy or reproduce article content through the University of California Press’s Rights and Permissions website, http://www.ucpressjournals. com/reprintInfo.asp. DOI: . /auk. . . .  FIFTY-THIRD SUPPLEMENT TO THE AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION
D-type cyclins and the DNA damage response

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS . 3 LIST OF TABLES . 8 TABLE OF FIGURES . 8 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT . 12 ABBREVIATION. 13 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION . 17 1.1 Cell cycle . 17 1.2 The Cell cycle machinery . 18 1.2.1 Cyclins . 18 1.2.2 Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) . 24 1.3 The DNA damage response . 29 1.3. 1 Overview of the DNA damage response . 29 1.3. 2 Components of the DNA damage response . 29 1.3. 3 DNA damage response and cell cycle . 31 1.4 Thesis . 33 1.4. 1 DNA damaging agents . 33 1.4. 2 Role of cyclin D1 in DNA damage response . 35 CHAPTER 2: MATERIALS AND METHODS . 39 2.1 Chemicals . 39 2.2 Buffers and Solutions . 39 2.3 Antibodies.41 2.4 Plasmids . 41
Abundance and Diversity of Euglossine Bees in the Fragmented Landscape of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest1

Abstract Male euglossine bees were sampled with chemical baits every two months from September 1997 to July 1999 at nine sites in the Desengano mountain range, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. Four sites were located in Atlantic Forest mature second growth, two sites in disturbed forest, and three sites in forest fragments of 200, 156, and 14 ha, respectively. We collected 3653 male euglossine bees from at least 21 species. Analyses of variance indicated no differences among the three habitat types for total number of bees, and 5 of the 6 dominant species. Bootstrapping indicated significant variation in species richness and diversity for some sites, but there was no clear indication of differences among habitats. Similarity as measured with the Morisita–Horn index was inversely related to distance between sites, but relatively high for most site combinations. These results suggest that the euglossine bee community in the three habitats was essentially the same. Although some species were associated with each habitat type, most appeared to respond to temporal local conditions. Our results do not support the hypothesis that forest fragmentation or habitat alteration reduces abundance and diversity of euglossine bees.
Size and Structure of Fine Root Systems in Old-growth and Secondary Tropical Montane Forests (Costa Rica)1

The fine root systems of three tropical montane forests differing in age and history were investigated in the Cordillera Talamanca, Costa Rica. We analyzed abundance, vertical distribution, and morphology of fine roots in an early successional forest (10–15 years old, ESF), a mid-successional forest (40 years old, MSF), and a nearby undisturbed old-growth forest (OGF), and related the root data to soil morphological and chemical parameters. The OGF stand contained a 19 cm deep organic layer on the forest floor (i.e., 530 mol C/m2), which was two and five times thicker than that of the MSF (10 cm) and ESF stands (4 cm), respectively. There was a corresponding decrease in fine root biomass in this horizon from 1128 g dry matter/m2 in the old-growth forest to 337 (MSF) and 31 g/m2 (ESF) in the secondary forests, although the stands had similar leaf areas. The organic layer was a preferred substrate for fine root growth in the old-growth forest as indicated by more than four times higher fine root densities (root mass per soil volume) than in the mineral topsoil (0–10 cm); in the two secondary forests, root densities in the organic layer were equal to or lower than in the mineral soil. Specific fine root surface areas and specific root tip abundance (tips per unit root dry mass) were significantly greater in the roots of the ESF than the MSF and OGF stands. Most roots of the ESF trees (8 abundant species) were infected by VA mycorrhizal fungi; ectomycorrhizal species (Quercus copeyensis and Q. costaricensis) were dominant in the MSF and OGF stands. Replacement of tropical montane oak forest by secondary forest in Costa Rica has resulted in (1) a large reduction of tree fine root biomass; (2) a substantial decrease in depth of the organic layer (and thus in preferred rooting space); and (3) a great loss of soil carbon and nutrients. Whether old-growth Quercus forests maintain a very high fine root biomass because their ectomycorrhizal rootlets are less effective in nutrient absorption than those of VA mycorrhizal secondary forests, or if their nutrient demand is much higher than that of secondary forests (despite a similar leaf area and leaf mass production), remains unclear.
Brazilian Páramos. III. Patterns and Rates of Postfire Regeneration in the Campos de Altitude1

Abstract Postfire vegetation development was studied at two recent mountaintop burns in the Serra do Caparaó, Espírito Santo/Minas Gerais, and the Serra dos Órgãos, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Both fires occurred within the páramo-like “campos de altitude”, a system of orographic grass- and scrublands restricted to the highest peaks of southeast Brazil. Data collected included pre- and postfire heights and densities of shrubs and trees, and cover of all taxa. Slopes of different aspect and altitude were sampled at each site to evaluate the effects of varying physical environment on regeneration. Rapid vegetative regeneration was common among shrubs and bamboo, with most taxa surviving fire. Regeneration and postfire colonization rates varied among species, and appeared to depend both on physical variables associated with different slopes, aspects and altitudes, and biotic variables. Most plant species in the campos de altitude show some form of evolutionary adaptation to fire. The distribution of species and plant populations across the landscapes of the campos de altitude appears to be largely the result of fire and its interactions with the biota, local topography, and climate. Results suggest that fire is an integral part of the ecology in these humid, seasonally dry ecosystems. Successful management of these unique and highly threatened systems requires a detailed understanding of the fire regime and its role in structuring biotic communities.
Atlantic Forest Butterflies: Indicators for Landscape Conservation1

Abstract The Atlantic Forest region (wide sense) includes very complex tropical environments, increasingly threatened by extensive anthropogenic conversion (>90%). Ecologically specialized, short-generation insects (butterflies) are evaluated here as indicators for monitoring community richness, landscape integrity, and sustainable resource use in the region. The > 2100 butterfly species in the Atlantic Forest region have been censused in many sites over 35 years, giving comparable daily, weekly, monthly, and long-term site lists. The 21 most thoroughly studied sites include 218–914 species, of which half can be censused in a week or less. The butterfly communities are divided into six relatively distinct faunal regions, centered in the northeast, the central coastal tablelands, the southeast coastal plain, the mountains plus interior of the southeastern states, the central plateau, and the southern states. Species richness shows the highest values in coastal mountains from 15 to 23°S. Local butterfly communities show a high turnover, with 20 to 40 percent of the species, especially small Lycaenidae and Hesperiidae, recorded only as unstable populations or “tourists. ” Easily sampled species in the family Nymphalidae, and especially its bait-attracted subfamilies, are best correlated with the entire butterfly fauna and can be used as surrogates for species diversity. In most butterfly groups, species richness is well predicted by landscape connectivity alone, or by composite indices of environmental heterogeneity, natural disturbance, and (negatively) anthropogenic disturbance. Principal components and redundancy analyses showed that the richness and proportions of different butterfly groups in the local fauna are variably explained by disturbance, seasonality, temperature, vegetation, soils, and landscape connectivity. Various groups thus can be used as rapid indicators of different types of change in the community, its environment, and the landscape. Threatened and rare species also can be used as indicators of the most unique Atlantic Forest communities (paleoenvironments), which need special attention.
Giving Learners a Real Sense of Control Over Adaptivity, Even If They Are Not Quite Ready For It Yet

This chapter describes Tutor3, the latest in a sequence of systems that we have created to provide adaptation of hypertext where the user can maintain a real sense of control over the adaptivity. In Tutor3, the user always has access to precise details of what has been adapted to them, how this adaptation is controlled and they can alter it. We describe both the user’s and the hypertext author’s view of the system. We then report a qualitative evaluation of the system in terms of the ways that users were able to understand both the adaptation and their power to control it. We conclude that while users do expect adaptivity, they do not expect to be able to control it. We discuss the challenges this creates for building adaptive systems that users can control effectively.
Climate Change Impact on Water Quality: Model Results from Southern Sweden

Starting from six regional climate change scenarios, nitrogen leaching from arable-soil, water discharge, and nitrogen retention was modeled in the Rönneå catchment. Additionally, biological response was modeled in the eutrophic Lake Ringsjön. The results are compared with similar studies on other catchments. All scenarios gave similar impact on water quality but varied in quantities. However, one scenario resulted in a different transport pattern due to less-pronounced seasonal variations in the hydrology. On average, the study shows that, in a future climate, we might expect: i) increased concentrations of nitrogen in the arable root zone (þ50%) and in the river (þ13%); ii) increased annual load of nitrogen from land to sea (þ22%) due to more pronounced winter high flow; moreover, remote areas in the catchment may start to contribute to the outlet load; iii) radical changes in lake biochemistry with increased concentrations of total phosphorus (þ50%), total nitrogen (þ20%), and planktonic algae such as cyanobacteria (þ80%).
Radial growth responses to drought of Pinus sylvestris and Quercus pubescens in an inner-Alpine dry valley

Abstract Question: Lower montane treeline ecotones such as the inner Alpine dry valleys are regarded as sensitive to climate change. In the dry Valais valley (Switzerland) the composition of the widespread, low altitude Pinus forests is shifting towards a mixed deciduous state. The sub-boreal P. sylvestris shows high mortality rates, whereas the deciduous sub-mediterranean Quercus pubescens is spreading. These species may act as early indicators of climate change. We evaluate this hypothesis by focusing on their differences in drought tolerance, which are hardly known, but are likely to be crucial in the current forest shift and also for future forest development. Methods: We used dendroecological methods to detect species-specific patterns in the growth response to drought. The relationship between radial growth of 401 trees from 15 mixed stands and drought was analysed by calculating response functions using yearly tree-ring indices and monthly drought indices. PCA was applied to the response ratios to discover spatial patterns of drought response. Results: A species-specific response to moisture as well as a sub-regional differentiation of the response patterns were found. While Quercus showed a response mainly to the conditions of the previous autumn and those of current spring, Pinus did not start responding before May, but showed responses throughout the whole summer. Quercus may restrict physiological activity to moist periods; growth of Pinus was much more dependent on prior growth. Conclusions: Given that the climate is changing towards (1) longer summer drought periods, (2) higher mean temperatures and (3) shifted seasonality of moisture availability, Quercus may benefit from adapting better to drier conditions. Pinus may increasingly face problems related to drought stress as it depends on summer moisture and has a smaller adaptive capacity due to its long-lived photosynthetic tissue.
INDIVIDUAL-LEVEL SELECTION AS A CAUSE OF COPE'S RULE OF PHYLETIC SIZE INCREASE

Abstract Cope's rule, the tendency for species within a lineage to evolve towards larger body size, has been widely reported in the fossil record, but the mechanisms leading to such phyletic size increase remain unclear. Here we show that selection acting on individual organisms generally favors larger body size. We performed an analysis of the strength of directional selection on size compared with other quantitative traits by evaluating 854 selection estimates from 42 studies of contemporaneous natural populations. For size, more than 79% of selection estimates exceed zero, whereas for other morphological traits positive and negative values are similar in frequency. The selective advantage of increased size occurs for traits implicated in both natural selection (e.g., differences in survival) and sexual selection (e.g., differences in mating success). The predominance of positive directional selection on size within populations could translate into a macroevolutionary trend toward increased size and thereby explain Cope's rule.
Mental Lexicon Architecture and Morphological Processing of French Verbs

How words are recognized? How do we process word meaning? These questions have been pursued in lexical access and word recognition studies in the last half century of research in psycho-, neuro-, and linguistics. Morphological processing is an essential level of processing for information extraction during word recognition. In one extreme, full-entry models propose whole word storage in memory and post-lexical morphological processing based on paradigms; in the other extreme, decompositional models posit pre-lexical decomposition and morphemic activation based on rules; between then, dual-mechanism models consider two routes for word recognition, a whole-word associative route and a combinatorial rule-based route. In the present thesis, it was investigated the morphological processing of French inflected verbs in visual modality in five studies. Study 1 researched the mental lexicon organization in function of surface and cumulative frequencies; Study 2 explored different stem formation processes; Study 3 investigated morphological operations in the inflectional suffixes; Study 4 tested the verbal morphological processing in L2 French speakers; and Study 5 tested verbal violations coupled with electroencephalography acquisition. The results suggest that all inflected French verbs are processed by a single-mechanism model with pre-lexical morphological decomposition for lexical activation and word recognition. It is proposed different processing for the lexical and functional morphemes. Words are decomposed in atomic morphemes, morphemic representations are activated in the mental lexicon, and word constituents are recombined for word verification
Nocturnal Pollination by the Carpenter Bee Xylocopa tenuiscapa (Apidae) and the Effect of Floral Display on Fruit Set of Heterophragma quadriloculare (Bignoniaceae) in India1

Abstract We provide the first data on nocturnal pollination by bees. Heterophragma quadriloculare is a self-incompatible hermaphroditic tree solely pollinated at night by the carpenter bee Xylocopa (Mesotrichia) tenuiscapa Westwood, whose pollinating flights were lunar insensitive and unaffected by low nighttime temperatures (2–14°C). The number of carpenter bees visiting a tree per minute and the number of flowers visited per foraging bout were positively related to the size of the floral display. We found that floral display size was negatively related to fruit set but positively related to absolute fruit numbers. In pollen carryover experiments, cross-pollen did not travel far in sequences of non-emasculated flowers (up to the 4th flower), but traveled farther in emasculated flower sequences (up to the 15th flower) as evidenced by fruit set in these sequences. The relatively poor fruit set on trees with many open flowers may have resulted from deposition of self-pollen on touch-sensitive stigmas, which close on first contact. Because large-girth trees tend to have large floral displays, trees may increasingly realize a higher percentage of fitness through male rather than female function as they age. The steady-state flowering phenology of H. quadriloculare may limit reduction in the female function compared to the cornucopia strategy of many other members of the Bignoniaceae and may also provide a reliable resource for X. tenuiscapa.
THE EVOLUTION OF TRADE-OFFS: EFFECTS OF INBREEDING ON FECUNDITY RELATIONSHIPS IN THE CRICKET GRYLLUS FIRMUS

The evolution of traits is modulated by their interrelationships with each other, particularly when those relationships result in a fitness trade-off. In this paper we explore the consequences of genetic architecture on functional relationships between traits. Specifically, we address the consequences of inbreeding on these relationships. We show that the linear regression between two traits will not be affected if there is no dominance genetic variance in either trait, whereas the intercept but not the slope of the regression will change if there is dominance genetic variance in one trait only. We test the latter hypothesis using fecundity relationships in the cricket Gryllus firmus. Data from pedigree analysis and an inbreeding experiment show that there is significant dominance genetic variance in fecundity, but not head width (an index of body size) or dorsal longitudinal muscle (DLM) mass. Fecundity increases with head width, but decreases with DLM mass. As predicted, the intercepts of the regressions of fecundity on these two morphological traits decrease with inbreeding, but there is little or no change in slope. Gryllus firmus is wing dimorphic, with the macropterous (LW) morph having a lower fecundity than the micropterous (SW) morph. We hypothesize that the difference in fecundity arises primarily because of a competition for resources in the LW females between DLM maintenance (i.e., mass) and egg production. As a consequence, we predict that the fecundity within each morph should decline linearly with the inbreeding coefficient at the same rate in both morphs. The result of this will be a change in the relative fitness of the two morphs, that of the SW morph increasing with inbreeding. This prediction is supported. These results indicate that trade-offs will evolve and such changes will affect evolutionary trajectories by altering the pattern of relationships among fitness components.