Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
In situ observations of Dungeness crab megalopae used to estimate transport distances by internal waves

Larvae of many coastal organisms develop offshore and must migrate to shore to set- tle. Two mechanisms of migration are proposed for crustacean postlarvae: onshore swimming and transport by internal waves. In the Northeast Pacific, to swim ashore organisms must swim east. Additionally, internal wave transport distance increases when organisms swim in the direction of wave propagation. Thus, larval behavior may strongly influence onshore migration, though few studies have examined larval behavior in situ. Megalopae of the Dungeness crab Metacarcinus magister (formerly Cancer magister) were observed in situ to determine if they orient the direction of their swimming and to determine swimming speed over ground. They were not oriented to the east, rather they swam at the surface in the direction of the current at speeds of ~9.8 cm s −1 which previous work suggests should increase transport distance by internal waves. We tested the influ- ence of these behaviors on transport by deploying a thermistor mooring for 24 d and calculating transport distances for all observed waves. We calculated transport potential for both passive par- ticles and particles that swam with the surface current at speeds ranging from 0 to 10 cm s −1 . Of the 69 waves observed none would have transported passive particles, but as swimming speed of organisms increased the number of transporting waves increased dramatically. At swimming speeds of 10 cm s −1 , all waves would have transported larvae. Megalopae of M. magister do not migrate ashore by swimming east rather they swim with surface currents, which may allow them to better exploit internal waves as a transport mechanism.
Metabolic activity of Sphagnum recurvum under different environmental conditions

Although peatlands dominated by Sphagnum mosses cover about 3% of the Earth’s land surface and Sphagna are amongst the most important carbon fixers in these habitats, studies of their physiology are scarce. Since in Hungary Sphagnum bogs are very rare and represent glacial relicts with special microclimatic characteristics, they are strictly protected. Because of their unique ecological niche, Sphagna can easily disappear if environmental factors change unfavourably. Therefore it is important to know their physiological responses under different environmental conditions and to determine their stress tolerance. Among the various groups of mosses, Sphagnum is unique in many respects. The most distinctive feature of peat moss morphology is the leaf with an unusual arrangement of two different kinds of cells: large hyaline cells (dead at maturity) and small slender chlorophyllose cells, which together have a great impact on the metabolic activity. This paper reports on experiments we have done so far, and shows some physiological properties of Sphagna (exemplified by S. recurvum) which has made them succesful and helped them survive in their exceptional habitat. Our data focus on the pigment composition, chlorophyll fluorescence induction parameters, the influence of temperature and tissue water status on the dependence of net phyotosynthesis (Pn), non-structural carbohydrate pool and acid invertase activity in S. recurvum.
LONG-TERM SPERM STORAGE IN THE DESERT TORTOISE (GOPHERUS AGASSIZII)

Many reptilian species exhibit the ability to store sperm in the female reproductive tract for extended periods of time (Gist and Jones, 1987; Birkhead and Moller, 1993). Sperm storage may be used to separate reproductive events such as copulation, fertilization, and hatching to optimize timing of these events (Birkhead and Moller, 1993). The redsided garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) ovulates and produces offspring in the spring but mate in the fall (Whittier and Crews, 1986). In this species, sperm from fall matings are thought to overwinter in the oviduct and fertilize ovum the following spring (Crews, 1984; Whittier and Crews, 1986). Reports of delayed egg laying in other species support the hypothesis that stored sperm are viable and used to fertilize subsequent clutches. Sperm storage has been inferred from oviductal flushings and/or observations of sperm in histological preparations of the oviduct (Gist and Jones, 1989; Gist et al., 1990). However, only controlled-mating experiments can demonstrate whether stored sperm are viable. Sperm storage and multiple insemination may play a significant role in turtle reproduction (Gist and Jones, 1989). The ability to store sperm from previous matings and produce viable offspring using these sperm would be necessary for species whose male and female reproductive cycles do not coincide. Discordant cycles have been observed in temperate-zone turtles where time of mating and gamete maturation do not always occur simultaneously (Moll, 1979; Licht et al., 1985). In males of Gopherus agassizii, spermatogenesis begins in early summer and terminates with the onset of fall
Food Habits of the Golden Eagle

In March of 1948, 286 golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos), were killed in Carter County, Montana. The Montana Fish and Game Department paid a bounty of five dollars each. The bounty on golden eagles was initiated by demands from sportsmen and ranchers and action was taken when personnel of the Fish and Game Department observed eagles preying on antelope. The bounty served the dual purpose of reducing the number of eagles in the area, and as a means of collecting stomach samples. Fifty-one stomachs were saved from the bountied birds, and later sent to Montana State University for analysis of the contents. The stomachs were analyzed as to frequency of occurrence of the various food species present. Whenever possible, bone and dentition characteristics were used in identifying the mammals. If bones or teeth were not included in the stomach contents a hair key (Mathiak, 1938) was relied upon for identification. The feathers found in the stomachs were identified by comparison with museum specimens whenever possible. A total of eight stomachs (15.7 per cent) contained antelope remains. The infrequency of antelope in the stomachs is at variance with statements made by the two aerial hunters who accounted for the majority of the eagles brought in for bounty. One of them stated (Brown and Couey, 1950) "that 4/5 of the eagles he shot down showed signs of having fed on antelope; this was either in the form of hair in their claws or regurgitating antelope hair when hitting the ground. The other hunter stated that more than 1/2 of those he killed showed similar signs of having fed on antelope. " Reports indicate (Brown and Couey, 1950) that eagles attack and kill both mature and juvenile antelope by landing on the animal's back and riding intermittently until the antelope falls from exhaustion and loss of blood. The lifting power of an eagle remains a controversial subject, but it would seem to be possible for one to carry a young antelope fawn for a short distance. Casebeer, Rognrud and Brandborg (1950) recorded an observation of a bald eagle picking a young mountain goat weighing six to seven pounds from the face of a cliff and soaring about one-third of a mile before stopping. Gordon P. Seton (1937) wrote of an eagle lifting a 9Y pound lamb from a hillside and carrying it "some little distance" before stopping to rest. He (Seton) also mentioned a gamekeeper on the Isle of Skye who found an eagle with an eight pound steel trap on one foot. The trap was of a kind not used locally, and was thought to have been carried at least twelve miles across the sea. Lewis and Marion Walker (1939), after conducting experiments on the lifting power of a pet golden eagle, state: "We doubt very much if a wild eagle in perfect condition can lift eight
TWO NEW SPECIES OF ORIPODOIDEA (ACARI: ORIBATIDA) FROM VIETNAM

Two new species of oribatid mites of the superfamily Oripodoidea, Peloribates spiniformis n. sp. and Zygoribatula prima n. sp. , are described from dark loamy soil of Lagerstroemia forest of Cat Tien National Park (southern Vietnam). Peloribates spiniformis n. sp. can be included in the Peloribates species group having very short notogastral setae, however it clearly differs from other species by having interlamellar setae that are medio-distally dilated (setiform or spiniform in the other species). Zygoribatula prima n. sp. is the first species of Zygoribatula recorded from Vietnam; it can be included in the species group having a striate notogaster, but differs from other species by the specific localization of the striae. Peloribates rangiroaensis Hammer, 1972 is recorded for the first time in Vietnam. An identification key to all Vietnamese species of Peloribates is presented.
The effect of feeding cultures of Bacillus acidophilus, lactose, dry skim-milk or whole milk on the hydrogen ion concentration of the contents of the ceca of chickens

Abstract does not appear. First page follows. Introduction The experiments, herein reported, were undertaken to determine in what manner, if any, the hydrogen ion concentration of the cecal contents of chicks would be influenced by feeding them with milk or certain milk products, and the relation of any changes found to occur to the control of coecidiosis. Why milk feeding should be generally beneficial in intestinal infections of chicks is not made entirely clear by the published work of Rettger and his associates. (4), (5), (6), (7) The experiments of Beach and Corl(1) did not add any information regarding this point, although they proved the practical efficiency of milk in the control of avian coccidiosis. If the reasons for the value of milk feeding in the control of coccidiosis of chicks were known, it might be determined that some of the milk products which can be shipped long distances would be equally effective. In such a case a means of controlling coccidiosis would be available to poultrymen in localities for removed from dairying districts. These studies have been confined to the ceca because coccidial infection of chicks is usually confined to these parts of the intestinal tract.
SPECIES LIST AND HABITAT PREFERENCE OF MESOSTIGMATA MITES (ACARI, PARASITIFORMES) IN LATVIA

This paper provides a review of the Mesostigmata mite material collected from 1992 up to 2009 in Latvia in a wide range of habitats: dead wood, Aphyllophorales fungi, forests, meadows, dune habitats, agricultural habitats, bogs, epiphytic mosses, and mites associated with Insecta and Vertebrata. A list of 368 Mesostigmata species of 27 families in Latvia with occurrence in different habitats is provided, which can be used as a future reference. According to occurrence among the habitats, the species are classified as generalist species, habitat specialist species or other species. About half of the species recorded were found to be specialist for a given habitat type. The highest proportion of habitat specialist species was found associated with the Vertebrata habitat. In total 39 species were recorded as generalist species; of them two (Parasitus kraepelini and Eviphis ostrinus) were recorded in 8 of the 10 habitat types. The highest number of generalist species was recorded in the Parasitidae (11 species), Aceosejidae (7 species) and Laelaptidae (5 species). Variation of the numbers of habitat specialist species within families among respective habitats was observed. Rhodacaridae and Laelaptidae had high number of specialist species in some habitat types. In total 32 rare species were recorded.
Stilt roots and growth of arboreal palms.

Patterns in the growth of palms support the hypothesis that stilt roots enable arboreal palms to produce an axis early in their development. The height of stilt roots is positively related to axis diameter for Socratea durissima and Iriartea gigantea. Both species achieve greater heights per unit diameter earlier in development than the non-stilt root species Welfia georgii; however, at maturity all three palms exhibit similar relationships of height and diameter. Stilt root production and axis elongation are more rapid for S. durissima than for I. gigantea. Among immature palms, W. georgii has a greater percent of biomass underground than the stilt root species. Comparing the stilt root species, S. durissima produces a lower percent of leaves but a higher percent of stilt roots than I. gigantea. THE GROWTH OF PALM STEMS iS characterized by a lack of secondary growth, a result of the absence of a vascular cambium. Growth is confined primarily to the apical meristem. The adult diameter is produced by a stepwise process, termed "establishment growth" by Tomlinson and Zimmermann (1966), whereby successive nodes are progressively wider through gradual ontogenetic change. Therefore, the developing axis, devoid of secondary vascular tissue, assumes an obconical shape that is necessarily mechanically unstable. In most arboreal palms (e.g., Welfia and Washingtonia) this instability is obviated by initial development of the axis below ground (Halle et al. 1978). Consequently, arboreal palms spend years locked in the understory as a "rosette" while developing an axis of sufficient diameter to produce a stem capable of arboreal support (Putz 1983). Our intention is to demonstrate that one group of arboreal Arecaceae, the stilt root or iriarteoid palms (Moore 1973), exhibit a fundamentally different growth pattern. The obconical axis begins elongation very early in life, often immediately after germination. As a result, the diameter of the axis increases along the height of the stem. Instability would result were it not for the development of adventitious roots that form a cone of stilt roots. Thus, some arboreal palms may achieve more rapid vertical growth early in development. In order to verify these two different developmental patterns, stilt root versus rosette, we measured growth parameters on palms of different sizes.
Diversity of conidial fungi and some abiotic variables of the water after the reopening of the Pirarungaua stream in the Jardim Botânico, São Paulo, São Paulo State, Brazil

To evaluate the fungal diversity in the Pirarungaua stream reopened after remaining channeled about 40 years in the Botanical Garden of Sao Paulo, Brazil, two experiments in the cold and dry season and two in the hot and rainy season were performed. Leaves of Tibouchina pulchra Cogn and mixed leaf litter were confined in nylon litter bags, submerged and collected monthly, together with free leaf litter samples. Some abiotic factors were measured in the water. The leaves were fragmented, incubated in sterile water at 22 oC and microscopically analyzed. We identified 33 conidial fungal taxa, among which, 23 are new to this area. Comparing seasons, the similarity of the mycota of confined T. pulchra leaves corresponded to 39% and to 56% regarding the confined mixed leaf litter. Similarities of 48-50% occurred between the mycota of confined and free leaf litter samples. Confined leaves showed a tendency to support higher numbers of species, whereas some rare fungi like Ulocoryphus mastigophorus Michaelides L. Hunter & W.B Kendr were more frequent in free leaf litter. Based on the results, it is recommended to monitor the limnological conditions of the stream and to promote awareness among the local population and visitors about the importance of a water body, even artificial, for the establishment of microclimatic features, and for the biodiversity of fungi.
Optimizing crop geometry for processing-grade tuber yield, quality and economics of potato in Grey Terrace Soil

ABSTRACT Crop geometry has great influence on economically important characteristics such as total yield, processing-grade yield, tuber size distribution and tuber quality in Grey Terrace Soil. An experiment was conducted to develop a suitable crop geometry for the production of higher processing-grade yield and quality of potato tubers. The treatment consisted of three levels of inter-row spacing (60, 67.5 and 75 cm) and four levels of intra-row spacing (20, 25, 30 and 35 cm). Crop geometry significantly influenced growth, yield contributing characters, tuber size distribution and yield of potato. The highest chips, French fry grade tubers and total potato tuber yield were found in 67.5 cm × 25 cm crop geometry without affecting processing quality but all were in the highly acceptable range. Intra-row spacing of 25 cm produced the maximum processing quality tubers, closely followed by 30 cm. The highest gross and net returns with a benefit–cost ratio of 1.75 were recorded in 67.5 cm × 25 cm crop geometry. Therefore, the 67.5 cm × 25 cm crop geometry can be recommended for higher potato tuber yield and processing-grade tubers as well as higher economic return.
Behavioral Isolation of the Tree Frogs, Hyla cinerea and Hyla andersonii

The results of a cross between the tree frogs Hyla andersonii and H. cinerea indicate a high level of genetic compatibility. Reproductive contact between the two species in the area of sympatry in North Carolina is minimal because of breeding habitat differences. The mating calls of the two species are similar, in many respects, but differ in average call-repetition rate and in spectral composition. In discrimination experiments with females of both species, each animal initially responded to the mating calls of a male of its species. However, females of H. andersonii often responded to the calls of H. cinerea when these were closer and thus relatively more intense than conspecific calls. Females of H. cinerea were more selective in that they consistently responded to conspecific calls even when those of H. andersonii were closer. Hybridization between the two species may occur in areas where habitat isolation breaks down and mixed breeding aggregations form.
Nest Mass Variation over the Nesting Cycle in the Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula Hypoleuca)

Nest parameters are most commonly measured only once during the nesting cycle. However, the condition of a nest is not constant but can substantially change from one nesting stage to the other, especially between incubation and nestling periods. These temporal changes may drive modifications in nest characteristics. We investigated the change in nest fresh mass between the early stage of incubation and shortly after the nestlings fledged and examined whether nest dry mass measured after the completion of the nesting cycle, which is commonly used in avian studies, is correlated with initial and final nest fresh mass in a small migratory passerine – the Pied Flycatcher. Nest fresh mass after the nestlings fledged constituted 180% of the initial fresh mass and the magnitude of mass increase was dependent on the number of fledglings and probably was partly associated with increasing water content in nesting material. Nest dry mass was strongly correlated with nest fresh mass measured both at the beginning of incubation and after the nestlings fledged, and also with the number of fledglings. Because in the Pied Flycatcher changes in the nest fresh mass are dependent on brood characteristics, in order to obtain the most reliable estimate of the initial nest fresh mass, we recommend weighing the nest shortly after its completion, taking care to make the measurement when the humidity of the habitat is rather low.
Molecular studies on the repetitive DNA of Plasmodium falciparum

Two different repetitive DNA families of the human malaria parasite P.falciparum were analysed, rep20 and Mrep5. They were found to differ not only in organisation but also in copy number. The rep20 family of repetitive DNA sequences give isolate specific banding patterns when hybridised to restricted genomic DNA. This banding pattern was found to be stable even after prolonged culture in vitro. Sequencing analysis of one of these clones showed that they consist of tandem repetitions of a 21 bp unit which show sequence heterogeneity. Similar clones were found in every P.f'alciparum isolate analysed. Comparison of the 21 bp repeat consensus from different geographical isolates showed a remarkable degree of conservation supporting the idea that P.falciparum probably consists of a single interbreeding population. These sequences are transcriptionally silent, contain stop codons in every reading frame and do not appear to be evenly dispersed throughout the genome but probably occur in large blocks. Therefore, it is possible that they are localised in heterochrornatic regions of chromosomes. About 14 1/6 of the genome consists of sequences belonging to the rep20 family. Recombination appears to be an active process in P.f'alciparum. The rep20 hybridisation pattern was obtained for the parents and progeny of a P.falci•parum genetic cross. Most of the bands in the progeny could be traced to one or other parent showing that their inheritance was Mendelian. It is possible that P.falciparum takes advantage of the different repetitive DNA content in different isolates to increase the chances of unequal exchanges during meiosis which might result in the generation of new parasite forms through DNA translocations.
The reprodudtion and condition factor of rose bitterling in Shin Tone River.

about 700 eggs in 1981. Fish of the s ame length weighed more in summer than in winter. Condition factor als o showed higher values in summer. Seasonal fattening cycle was observed between February and December in 1981. Unlike many temperate fish spies where fattening cycle has an inverse relationship with gonadal cycle, the body lipid content of this fish, after an initial increase before the start of spawning, stays high throughout the spawning season and drops low at the end of the spawning season. Young, small fish were found to have little ipid reserve at the start of winter while larger fish increasingly recovered their lipid rserve soon after the end of spawning . The smaller fish are assumed to be in a less advantageous ituation to pass the winter.
Nutrient utilization traits vary systematically with intraspecific cell size plasticity

We are grateful to the North Queensland Algal Identification and Culturing Facility (NQAIF), in particular Stan Hudson and Florian Berner. We are grateful to the Ecological Modelling Research Group at James Cook University, especially Dr Loic Thibaut for comments on modelling techniques and R codes. Also, thanks to the High Performance Computing team at James Cook University. We thank Dr Lyndon Llewellyn, Dr Christian Lonborg and Dr Catia Carreira for helpful advice. Finally, we thank A/Prof A. Martiny and an anonymous reviewer for detailed and constructive comments on the manuscript. This research was supported by AIMS@JCU (aims.jcu.edu.au), the Australian Institute of Marine Science (www.aims.gov.au), the Advanced Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (Project 2.3.4) and James Cook University (www.jcu.edu.au). The authors declare no conflict of interest.