Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Social Ecology of the Chocolate Wattled Bat, Chalinolobus morio, in south-east Queensland, Australia

This thesis investigates aspects of the social ecology of the Australian Chocolate Wattled Bat (Chalinolobus morio) at a maternity roost in the Bunya Mountains, south-east Queensland. The maternity colony is located in the roof and walls of a disused building in the campground of the Bunya Mountains National Park. The study employs four primary lines of investigation to explore aspects of the social ecology of this species, examining the effect of microclimate on roost selection, the nature of interactions between roosting individuals, the colonies genetic structure through mtDNA analysis and patterns of roost usage and association between colony members. Thermal regimes in the maternity roosts were found to be different to those in all other roosts and may be a factor in determining use of the Bunya Mountains site, particularly for female bats. Video monitoring identified a range of behaviours including reciprocal, simultaneous allogrooming in both sexes. This is possibly the first time that such behaviour has been recorded in male vespertilionid bats. Mitochondrial DNA and PIT tag analysis indicated that maternity colonies consist of natally philopatric individuals with a negligible degree of contemporary mtDNA exchange between colonies. A typical ”Temperate Vespertilionid Breeding System” is suggested for this species where philopatric summer maternity colonies disperse over winter, allowing inter-colony mixing, and mating takes place in this expanded gene pool. This pattern maintains heterozygosity, while also allowing male and female natal philopatry to occur in summer maternity colonies during the non-mating period. Roost usage patterns were examined in detail and found to differ between males and females. A model is suggested to explain the fitness benefits that this pattern of roost usage is likely to confer.
Phylogeny and generic limits in New World Exosternini (Coleoptera: Histeridae: Histerinae)

Exosternini are a very species‐rich group of Histeridae, occurring nearly worldwide, with particular concentrations in the Neotropical and Afrotropical regions. In the New World, the group comprises over 400 described species, in 12 genera, with approximately 250 additional species awaiting description. Generic limits in this group are poorly defined. A phylogenetic analysis of all known New World species, described and undescribed, with over 50 outgroup taxa from other genera and tribes of Histerinae was undertaken, based on 259 morphological characters, adding 18S, 28S and cytochrome oxidase I sequences for a subset of 150 taxa. The genera Hypobletus Schmidt, Yarmister Wenzel, Kaszabister Mazur, Mecistostethus Marseul and Megalocraerus Lewis were each supported as monophyletic. Baconia Lewis was rendered paraphyletic by the inclusion of Strigister Caterino et al. The bulk of Operclipygus Marseul was monophyletic, although the O. plicicollis group was not always included. The genus Phelister Marseul was paraphyletic many times over, with members of Operclipygus, Mecistostethus, Kaszabister, Pseudister Bickhardt, Conchita Mazur and Nunbergia Mazur nested within, indicating that Phelister is in need of significant revision.
Microfluidic devices for mechanical characterization and manipulation of monocytes

• A submitted manuscript is the version of the article upon submission and before peer-review. There can be important differences between the submitted version and the official published version of record. People interested in the research are advised to contact the author for the final version of the publication, or visit the DOI to the publisher's website. • The final author version and the galley proof are versions of the publication after peer review. • The final published version features the final layout of the paper including the volume, issue and page numbers.
Ticks of the genus Amblyomma (Acari: Ixodidae) on wild birds in the Brazilian Amazon

Abstract The Amazon biome harbors the richest avifauna in the world. However, in the Brazilian Amazon only a single previous study has systematically evaluated wild birds for ticks. During 2012, wild birds were captured in two areas of the Brazilian Amazon forest, one located in the State of Amazonas, and another in the State of Pará. Overall, 581 wild birds representing 118 species were captured, but only 18 individuals (3.1% prevalence) were infested by ticks, comprising immature stages of Amblyomma calcaratum Neumann, 1899, Amblyomma geayi Neumann, 1899, Amblyomma humerale Koch, 1844, and Amblyomma longirostre (Koch, 1844). The only previous study of birds in the Brazilian Amazon reported 40.2% tick prevalence. Such contrasting prevalence values may stem from seasonal differences or differences in forest disturbance at the two sites.
Seasonal Dynamics of the Bacterial Community in Lake Namco, the Largest Tibetan Lake

Seasonal variations of bacterial abundance and diversity in Lake Namco, the large and deep high altitude lake, were first investigated using flow cytometry enumeration and 16S rRNA gene clone library analysis. Bacterial abundance varied from 1.5 × 105 to 12.3 × 105 cells mL−1 and exhibited a seasonal pattern that correlated with water temperature and phytoplankton abundance rather than nutrient. This indicated that temperature had a strong effect on bacterial abundance in cold and oligotrophic Lake Namco. Bacterial diversity and community compositions varied in different months. Bacterial community structure changes coincide with the variations of dissolved organic carbon and total nitrogen contents. The three best-represented bacterial groups in libraries, the Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria, and Beta-proteobacteria, had distinct temporal niches and dominated the bacterial communities in January, May, and June, respectively. Ice cover and nutrient appeared to be of important factors in structuring the seasonal variation of bacterial community composition in Lake Namco.
A TWO-STEP CONTROLLED LACTIC FERMENTATION OF CABBAGE FOR IMPROVED CHEMICAL AND MICROBIOLOGICAL QUALITIES*

ABSTRACT Traditionally, lactic fermentation of vegetables is spontaneous and uncontrolled leading to unstable and inconsistent product. The present work used Leuconostoc mesenteroides and Lactobacillus plantarum in a two-step controlled fermentation to ensure shelf stable, fermented cabbage with 0.5% added salt concentration. The pH, titratable acidity, lactic bacterial counts, sugar utilization and amino acid profile of the final product were periodically monitored. The pH in controlled cabbage fermentation dropped to less than 4.5, within 60 h of fermentation and glucose was completely utilized in 15 days while about 15–18% of glucose remained in spontaneously fermented cabbage. The spontaneously fermented cabbage samples had a significantly lower content of amino acids such as tyrosine, histidine, threonine, alanine, valine, phenylalanine, isoleucine, leucine, methionine and developed off-flavors at the end of 90 days of refrigerated storage. In contrast, controlled lactic fermentation stabilized the product in the first 15 days of fermentation and was organoleptically acceptable up to 3 months. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Use of defined single or mixed starters and precise control of the cabbage fermentation process go a long way in ensuring a consistent product without the need of any chemical preservatives or harsh processing conditions. The present work made use of the benefits of heterofermentative pathway to create a product similar to naturally fermented cabbage in terms of flavor and used the homofermentative pathway to stabilize the product and showed that it is possible to obtain a satisfactory and stable product by the two-step controlled fermentation as far as commercializing and mechanizing the product is concerned. The amino acid contents are also shown to be more in controlled than spontaneously fermented cabbage.
Asymmetric decrease in liquidity trading before earnings announcements and the announcement return premium

Investors are reluctant to trade in the high-information-asymmetry days before earnings announcements. We show that the decrease in liquidity trading before announcements is asymmetric. We analyze buy and sell orders of investors with passive investment strategies, and find they do not reduce their sales as much as their purchases in the days before announcements. Investors needing liquidity sell stocks at a discount relative to the post-announcement price, and these preannouncement liquidity sales are a significant driver of the average positive returns, or return premium, known to characterize announcement days.
The consequences of life without sex: an examination into taxonomy and evolution of the anciently asexual bdelloid rotifers

3 Acknowledgements . 4 Declaration of originality . 5 Table of contents . 6 Figures and tables . 10 Data accessibility . 14 Abbreviations . 15 Chapter 1: Introduction . 17 Rotifera . 18 Defining asexual species . 19 Ancient asexuality . 20 Bdelloid rotifers . 20 Oribatid mites (Acari: Arthropoda) . 21 Darwinulid ostracods (Ostracoda: Arthropoda). 21 Timema stick insects (Pterygota: Arthropoda) . 22 Root knot nematodes (Secernentea: Nematoda) . 22 Taxonomy . 22 Molecular techniques and their limitations: Issues with using one locus instead of many . 24 DNA barcoding . 24 DNA taxonomy . 26 Thesis structure . 27 Summary of aims . 29 Chapter 2: The widely used small subunit 18S rDNA molecule greatly underestimates true diversity in biodiversity surveys of the meiofauna . 31 Abstract . 3
Split distance: a key landscape metric shaping amphibian populations and communities in forest fragments

Habitat split isolates forest fragments where terrestrial adults of many amphibian species live from aquatic‐breeding sites where their larvae develop, causing population declines and shifts in community structure. In contrast to most fragmentation theoretical frameworks which point to the relevance of fragment area and isolation, a recent theoretical model predicts that split distance, defined as the shortest distance between a forest fragment edge and the nearby stream, should affect negatively the abundance and occurrence probability of populations in forest fragments and, consequently, their total abundance and species richness. The model further predicts that the quality of the matrix between the two habitats, called split matrix, will modulate such responses. Here, we provide the first test of these theoretical predictions.
Lippia alba morphotypes cidreira and melissa exhibit signifi cant differences in leaf characteristics and essential oil profi le

Lippia alba (Mill.) N.E. Br. ex Britton & P. Wilson, Verbenaceae, is widely used in traditional Brazilian medicine for the treatment of abdominal distress. The species exhibits considerable chemical and morphological diversity, and various chemotypes have been characterized. A comparative study of L. alba, has been carried out of the morphoanatomical characteristics of the leaves and the profiles of the essential oils of the morphotypes cidreira and melissa grown in the Medicinal Plant Garden of the Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Ilheus, Bahia, Brazil. The mean plant height of cidreira was 1.80 m and the stems and branches were fairly erect, while melissa plants were smaller (1.60 m) and presented prostrate stems and branches. Although the leaf of the morphotypes look were similar, the mean values of length, width and area of the leaves of cidreira (respectively, 7.42 cm, 3.32 cm and 17.31 cm2) differed significantly from those of melissa (4.68 cm, 2.35 cm and 7.32 cm2). The morphotypes presented amphistomatic leaves with uniseriate epidermis on both surfaces. The mesophyll was dorsiventral, but in cidreira the palisade parenchyma was biseriate while in melissa it was uniseriate. Simple tector and capitate glandular trichomes were present on the adaxial and abaxial surfaces of the leaf blades of both morphotypes. Six distinct types of glandular trichomes could be distinguished: types I and II were present in both morphotypes, while type III was detected only in cidreira, and types IV to VI were present only in melissa. The two morphotypes also differed with respect to the composition of the essential oil, cidreira produced oil composed mainly of citral, while the oil from melissa was rich in citral, limonene and carvone.
Localization and Activity of Naphthylamidases in Germinating Seeds of Scots Pine, Pinus sylvestris

Extracts prepared from endosperms of germinating seeds of Scots pine, Pinus sylvestris L. , rapidly hydrolysed the β-naphthylamides of L-phenylalanine and L-leucine optimally at pH 6.5 and that of L-arginine at pH 7.7. Disc electrophoresis followed by activity staining showed that the activities were due to two naphthylamidases (aminopeptidases) with different substrate specificities. Seeds were allowed to germinate at 20°C on agar gel in the dark and the activities on the three substrates were assayed from separated endosperms and seedlings at various stages of germination. The activities in the endosperm of resting seeds were relatively high and they remained unchanged throughout the period of reserve protein mobilization (seedling length up to 50 mm), after which they began to decrease. The activities of the naphthylamidases are rather small compared with those of the two alkaline peptidases of pine, contributing about 17% of the total amino-peptidase activity in the endosperm of germinating seeds. The total aminopeptidase activity is sufficient to account for the rate of storage protein mobilization during germination. In the seedlings the naphthylamidase activities (per seedling) increased continuously during germination, and activities per g dry weight were higher than those in the endosperm.
The response of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) to ozone at higher elevations. III. Responses of leaf and canopy gas exchange, and chlorophyll fluorescence to ozone flux.

Spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L., cv. Albis) was grown in open-top chambers and exposed to four different levels of ozone (O3 ) from the three-leaf stage until maturity. The aim was to examine changes in leaf and canopy gas exchange, and in chlorophyll fluorescence, in response to O3 flux. Measurements were carried out periodically between full expansion and complete senescence of flag leaves. Fluxes to the canopy of CO2 (CERc .) (corrected for soilborne CO2 ), water vapour (Ec ) and O3 were determined by using open-top chambers as differential systems. Water use efficiency (WUEc .) was calculated from CERc , and Ec . Leaf CO2 (CERn ) and H2 O (En ) exchange rates, stomatal conductance (g,(H2 O)), and WUEn , were analyzed with a portable gas exchange analyzer. Effects of O3 flux on structural components of photosynthesis were examined by determining variable fluorescence (defined by the Fv /Fo ratio) in leaves after 60 minutes of dark-adaptation or during the night. The decline in CERc and CERn associated with senescence was accelerated by O3 . Average CERn between flag leaf unfolding and late milk stage declined linearly with increasing O3 flux. The corresponding decline in average CERc was less pronounced. The quantitative effect of O3 flux on CERc corresponded well with the effect on grain yield. In young leaves, gs (H2 O) was reduced in response to O3 but WUEn was unaffected. With progressing leaf age, WUEn declined. Thus, in the young leaves, O3 affected the stomata directly and, consequently, limitation of photosynthesis was primarily due to reduced CO2 diffusion. In contrast, in senescent leaves, the effect of O3 was mainly due to reduced carboxylation. Compared with WUEn WUEc responded differently to increasing O3 flux. During O2 fluxes at above-ambient levels, WUEC tended to increase rather than to decrease. It is suggested that under O3 stress, factors controlling WUE at the canopy level differ from those operating at the level of single flag leaves. The decline in Fv /Fo measured after anthesis was stimulated by O2 , but no effect of O3 was detected when Fv /Fo was measured during the night. This leads to the conclusion that the effect of O3 on photosynthetic structures is reversible and the reduction in photosynthesis in response to O3 flux is due to metabolic changes rather than to direct damage to structural components.
INGESTION, ASSIMILATION, SURVIVAL, AND REPRODUCTION BY DAPHNIA PULEX FED SEVEN SPECIES OF BLUE‐GREEN ALGAE1,2

Daphnia pulex (Crustacea, Cladocera) was fed the blue-green algae (Cyanophyceae) Anacystis nidulans, Synechococcus elongata, S. cedrorum, Merismopedia sp. , Anabaena flosaquae, Synechocystis sp. , and Gloeocapsa alpicola. The green algae (Chlorophyceae) Ankistrodesmus falcatus and Chlorella vulgaris were used for comparison. Direct observations were made of D. pulex feeding in depression slides filled with the test food. Food labeled with 14C was used to determine ingestion and assimilation. Life tables were constructed for cohorts fed blue-greens, greens, and no food, and survivorship (lx), net reproductive rate (Ro), median age of death, and intrinsic rate of natural increase (r) were calculated. In all cases, ingestion, assimilation, survivorship, and reproduction of D. pulex fed blue-green algae were lower than of those fed green algae, although there were differences among the blue-greens in their effects on these parameters. Anacystis nidulans, Merismopedia sp. , and Synechocystis sp. showed some toxicity or inhibition towards D. pulex. Although some blue-green algae can be ingested and assimilated by D. pulex, few if any of those tested provide sufficient nutrition to support a population that does not have other food available.
Sensitivity of imago and larvae of the lesser mealworm Alphitobius diaperinus (Panzer 1797) in a sawdust litter to selected species and strains of Steinernematidae and Heterorhabditidae under laboratory conditions.

Sensitivity of imago and larvae of the lesser mealworm Alphitobius diaperinus (Panzer 1797) in a sawdust litter to selected species and strains of Steinernematidae and Heterorhabditidae under laboratory conditions. Sensitivity of imagines and larvae of the lesser mealworm to selected species and strains of entomopathogenic nematodes was studied in a pine sawdust litter on which chicken were kept from one to six weeks according to their production cycle (Niemiec 1998). The following nematode species and strains were used: S. feltiae from bioinsecticides Ovinema and Nemaplus, S. af nis, S. carpocapsae and H. bacteriophora strain Brecon. S. feltiae from biopreparation Ovinema appeared most invasive to the larvae and imagines of A. diaperinus.
Whole wheat and white wheat flour— the mycobiota and potential mycotoxins

Abstract Mold growth has detrimental effects on the quality of flour and may result in mycotoxin contamination. The search for potential mycotoxins—almost 400 are known—is time-consuming and expensive. However, detailed knowledge about the mycobiota and especially the toxin producing fungi enables the effective search for these toxic fungal metabolites. Therefore, a whole wheat flour and a white wheat flour (type 405) were investigated for their total qualitative as well as quantitative mycobiota. Overall, 51 species belonging to 14 different genera could be isolated. Total fungal counts of the whole wheat flour amounted to 1833 molds while the white wheat flour contained 1730 cfu 2 g−1. The mycobiota of both flours was dominated by Aspergillus spp. accounting for 84% and 77·3% of the isolations, respectively. Fungi of the genus Penicillium spp. occurred only to a minor degree: 8% of the isolations in whole wheat flour and 15% in white wheat flour. Aspergillus candidus was the most frequently encountered mold.Penicillium aurantiogriseum , Cladosporium cladosporioides, A. flavus, Eurotium herbariorum,P. griseofulvum , P. brevicompactum and P. viridicatum were isolated to a lesser degree. From the 3563 identified fungi 93·3% (32 species) belong to the group of toxigenic molds.
Structure and interactions within the pelagic microbial food web (from viruses to microplankton) across environmental gradients in the Mediterranean Sea

We have investigated here the structure of the pelagic microbial food web and quantified the carbon fluxes from viruses to microplankton along trophic gradients in the Mediterranean Sea. To explore the complex trophic pathways of the pelagic food web, we conducted independent and replicated experiments to measure (i) predation on prokaryotes by microzooplankton, (ii) predation on prokaryotes by heterotrophic nanoflagellates, (iii) virus‐induced prokaryotic mortality, and (iv) microzooplankton grazing on nanoplankton and microphytoplankton. Our study covered more than 5000 km, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Levantine basin, and from conditions of high primary production and nutrient availability to ultraoligotrophic and phosphate‐limited waters. Microphytoplankton abundance and biomass were typically scarce across the entire Mediterranean basin, with almost negligible levels in the eastern part. Also, nanoplankton biomass was typically low. Conversely, prokaryotes, and particularly the heterotrophic components, were abundant and represented the only significant food source for both nanoplankton and microplankton grazers. Viral infections were not the primary agents of prokaryotic mortality, but in some areas, such as the Ligurian Sea, they had a key role in prokaryotic dynamics. The scenario depicted in this study in summer reveals the pivotal role of microzooplankton in the pelagic food web of the Mediterranean Sea, with a key role in the potential transfer of biomass to higher trophic levels. We also show that converse to theoretical expectations, the microbial food web was relatively complex under the mesotrophic conditions (Atlantic and western Mediterranean) and was much more simplified in the ultraoligotrophic conditions of the eastern Mediterranean.
Geochemical and Biological Diversity of Acidic, Hot Springs in Lassen Volcanic National Park

We used phylogenetic approaches and chemical/physical analyses to investigate the diversity of microorganisms in geochemically distinct acidic hot springs of Lassen Volcanic National Park (LVNP) in northern California. Geochemical composition was analyzed for twelve sites within LVNP, and 16S rRNA clone libraries were prepared and analyzed for three sites (DK12 -93.5°C, pH 1.2; USW5 -86.2°C, pH 2.2; and SW3 -82°C, pH 1.2) using universal and Archaeal-specific primers. Phylogenetic relationships of sequences were estimated using parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian methods. The geochemical composition of the features varied widely even among proximate sites having similar temperature and pH values. Acridine Orange Direct Counts indicated cell concentrations of 106 to 108 cells/ml in the sites analyzed, which is comparable to neutral pH, mesophilic environments. In contrast to similar studies of less-acidic hot springs in which members of the Bacterial order Aquificales have been shown to dominate, no Bacterial sequences were detected in any of the libraries. Using 97% sequence identity as a cutoff value, approximately 65 phylotypes were detected, many with low similarity (<85%) to the closest database sequences. The most prevalent clones exhibited ∼92% identity with the Crenarchaeotes Stygioglobus azoricus and Sulfolobus solfataricus, while others exhibited high similarity (∼97%) to Vulcanisaeta distributa. These descriptive studies will help direct cultivation efforts and aid in modeling relationships among geochemistry, temperature, pH, and microbial diversity, to investigate the role of biotic processses (and population dynamics) in the geochemistry of these systems.