Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Range-Wide Population Genetic Structure of the Pallid Bat (Antrozous pallidus) — Incongruent Results from Nuclear and Mitochondrial DNA

Male-biased dispersal with female philopatry is a common pattern for many mammals. Because mtDNA is inherited maternally, biparentally inherited nuclear markers are often utilized to estimate population structure and gene flow. The pallid bat (Antrozous pallidus) exhibits a relatively continuous distribution across arid western North America. A previous mtDNA study suggested little gene flow among populations and identified three distinct phylogroups. We examined population structure of A. pallidus using amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLP) in 187 individuals from 29 localities across the distribution of the species. Eight primer pairs identified 797 polymorphic loci. All analyses indicated that populations in California, British Columbia, and the Baja Peninsula were relatively distinct. Cluster analysis indicated gene flow has been occurring between the Baja Peninsula population and populations to the north and east. The pallid bat appears to be characterized by male-mediated dispersal and gene flow, while females are largely philopatric. While several populations appear to be somewhat distinct, the overall pattern of divergence for A. pallidus is indicative of isolation by distance throughout the majority its range, suggesting significant gene flow has been occurring since populations diverged during Pliocene desert formation and mountain building.
Genetic divergence in conilon coffee revealed by RAPD markers.

This study aimed to evaluate the genetic variability of 49 Coffea canephora clones of the breeding program of the Capixaba Institute of Research, Technical Assistance and Rural Extension (Incaper) based on RAPD markers. Thirty-one primers were used with polymorphism patterns that generated 333 markers, of which 231 (69.4%) were polymorphic. The group of genotypes based on the UPGMA algorithm and Tocher optimization methods detected high divergence in the genotypes. It was found that the component clones of each clone variety recommended by Incaper are distributed in various genetically dissimilar groups, in spite of common phenotypic traits. The relatively wide genetic diversity observed here demonstrates the importance of hybridizations between these germplasms. The RAPD markers efficiently estimated the genetic divergence in the 49 C. canephora genotypes studied.
Leaf Disc Regeneration of Passion Fruit

A leaf disc regeneration system was developed for passion fruit, Passiflora edulis Sims. Leaf discs were cultured on a modified MS medium containing 8.90 µM BAP or on 8.90 µM BAP and 2.32 µM KIN. Shoots appeared within four weeks. These could be rooted when transferred to the same medium containing 0.54, 2.69 and 5.37 µM NAA. Leaf discs cultured on medium supplemented with 11.42 µM IAA, 10.74 µM NAA and 1.86 µM KIN formed callus only. Those cultured on medium supplemented with 10.74 µM NAA and 2.32 µM KIN formed callus and roots. Keywords: Leaf disc regeneration, passion fruit, Passiflora edulis, tissue culture
Amylolytic enzymes produced by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens MIR‐41 in batch and continuous culture

Bacillus arnyloliquefaciens MIR-41 has been isolated from natural sources and characterized using statistical methods. The strain showed three types of glucanase activities : a-amylase, a-glucosidase and pullulanase in defined medium and starch as carbon source. Extracellular activity of a-amylase was approximately three times higher in continuous culture than in batch. Maximal productivity was found at a dilution rate of 016 h-l. Alpha-glucosidase was expressed as a cell-bound enzyme in batch culture, but in continuous culture was mostly extracellular. Pullulanase was cell-bound in all cases. The expression of the enzymes was dependent upon the system and the dilution rate used. No cell lysis was detected in the chemostat as compared with batch cultures.
Sequence Profile of the Parallel β Helix in the Pectate Lyase Superfamily

The parallel β helix structure found in the pectate lyase superfamily has been analyzed in detail. A comparative analysis of known structures has revealed a unique sequence profile, with a strong positional preference for specific amino acids oriented toward the interior of the parallel β helix. Using the unique sequence profile, search patterns have been constructed and applied to the sequence databases to identify a subset of proteins that are likely to fold into the parallel β helix. Of the 19 families identified, 39% are known to be carbohydrate-binding proteins, and 50% belong to a broad category of proteins with sequences containing leucine-rich repeats (LRRs). The most striking result is the sequence match between the search pattern and four contiguous segments of internalin A, a surface protein from the bacterial pathogenListeria monocytogenes.A plausible model of the repetitive LRR sequences of internalin A has been constructed and favorable 3D–1D profile scores have been calculated. Moreover, spectroscopic features characteristic of the parallel β helix topology in the pectate lyases are present in the circular dichroic spectrum of internalin A. Altogether, the data support the hypothesis that sequence search patterns can be used to identify proteins, including a subset of LRR proteins, that are likely to fold into the parallel β helix.
Genetic variation of red spruce in the Maritimes

Red spruce, Picearubens Sarg. , from 30 provenances was tested over a 23-year period at six locations in the Maritimes Region of Canada. Twenty-eight of the provenances were from the Maritimes Region and two were from West Virginia. Hybrid index was used to distinguish pure red spruce from red–black spruce derivatives. Trees from three of the Maritimes provenances were considered to be of hybrid origin. These three provenances produced the fastest-growing trees in the tests. The genetic variation pattern, at the provenance level, in pure red spruce of Maritimes origin is not well defined. Use of seed from provenances identified as superior for reforestation would result in about 10% greater height and diameter growth than would be obtained from average seed. The use of seed of poor provenances could result in a corresponding loss of growth. Height at ages 10, 15, and 23 years and diameter at age 23 years were all strongly correlated, suggesting that superior provenances of red spruce can be identified at a.
Morphological convergence and coexistence in three sympatric North American species of Microtus (Rodentia: Arvicolinae)

Aim Niche theory predicts that ecologically identical species cannot stably coexist in local communities. My aim was to investigate morphological diversity as a possible factor enabling the coexistence of a species‐rich Microtus (Rodentia: Arvicolinae) fauna in a hotspot of North American mammalian diversity, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE).
Genetic Structure, Evolutionary History, and Conservation Units of Bull Trout in the Coterminous United States

Abstract The bull trout Salvelinus confluentus is a broadly distributed char in northwestern North America that has undergone significant population declines. This species is currently protected under the Endangered Species Act across its range in the coterminous United States. To clarify patterns of phylogenetic structure and to assist with identification of conservation units, we examined genetic variation within and among 75 representative bull trout populations sampled throughout the USA. Genealogies from a 520-base-pair portion of the mitochondrially encoded NADH dehydrogenase 1 gene (ND-1) revealed reciprocal monophyly between coastal and interior lineages that differed by 1.34% in DNA sequence. The geographic distribution of the two lineages was divided by the Cascade Mountains, a pattern that likely reflects postglacial dispersal from separate glacial refugia. Analysis of microsatellite variation revealed that 76% of populations had an estimated effective population size less than 50 and indicated.
Autumn-Olive as a Nurse Plant for Black Walnut

Autumn-olive, Elaeagnus umbellata Thunb. , is a promising species for planting in mixture with black walnut, Juglans nigra L. In five plantations in Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana, walnut grown in mixture with autumn-olive averaged 82% taller after 9 yr than walnut grown in pure stands. Two southern Illinois plantings were selected for more detailed study, one in a well-drained bottomland and the other on a broad upland ridge. In both areas, interplanting with autumn-olive stimulated a 134% increase in walnut height compared with walnut grown alone. Increased height of the walnut trees in mixed plantations was first apparent about 4 yr after planting, and the best group of four plots averaged more than 6.8 m tall at age 9. During the growing season, the mixed plantings are characterized by greater soil nitrogen, lower soil and air temperature, and lower soil moisture than found in the pure walnut plantings.
A revision of Australian Cancellariidae (Gastropoda: Mollusca)

A description is given and comparisons made, with both Recent and some Tertiary fossil species, of all known Recent species in the family Cancellariidae from Australian waters. Two species (1 new subsp., Cancellaria (Merica) melanostoma westralis) are included in Cancel/aria (Merica), 1 in C. (Nevia), 8 (1 new, Cancellaria (Sydaphera) panamuna) in C. (Sydaphera), 3 (1 new, Fusiaphera dampierensis) in Fusiaphera, 13 (3 new, Trigonostoma diamantina, Trigonostoma iota and Trigonostoma tessella) in Trigonostoma, 1 in Admetula, 3 (1 new, Gergovia haswelli) in Gergovia, 3 (1 new, Inglisella nympha) in Inglisella, 2 in Pep ta, 1 in Vercomaris (new), 1 in Bonellitia, and 1 (new, Zeadmete kulanda) in Zeadmete.
Deficiências nutricionais de macronutrientes e sódio em mudas de pupunheira

The peach palm (Bactrisgasipaes Kunth) cultivation has increased according to increasing demand of its products; however there are few studies, as well as knowledge about nutritional requirement of this specie. The objective was to evaluate the nutritional symptoms deficiencies, dry matter production, nutrient content and accumulation in peach palm seedlings, according to macronutrients and Na omission. The experiment was realized in greenhouse in randomized blocks design. The treatments were: complete nutrient solution; omission of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S and Na. The omissions promoted morphological alterations in shoots and roots characterized by visual symptoms easily interpretable. The elements N, P and K were the most limiting and the S and Na were the least limiting to leaves, stem, roots, shoots and total dry matter. The shoot/root relationship was K>Mg>Ca=P and P=complete=S=Na>N and the relative growth was complete>Na>S>Ca>Mg>K>P>N. The nutrient contents and accumulations follow mainly the sequence N>K>Ca>P>Mg>S>Na. The omissions caused symptoms typical to those observed in other species. The dry matter and relative growth were most limiting by N, P and K. The K, Mg, Ca and P were most limiting to roots and others nutrients were most limiting to shoots. The Na was important to peach palm, in the absence of Na of growth on reduced 10.6%. The nutrients in higher amounts in the specie are N, K and Ca.
Cone size and seed yield in young Piceamariana trees

Black spruce (Piceamariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) cones were collected in 1980, l981, and 1982 from young trees in four plantations of different ages. Nine measures of cone size, seed yield per cone, and seed weight were determined by cone analysis, and the variation among plantations and years was assessed by analysis of variance. Relationships among the nine measures were assessed by correlation. Cone length, cone weight, total scales per cone, potential filled seeds per cone, total seeds per cone, total filled seeds per cone, and seed efficiency were all depressed in 1981, the year of poorest cone production. Potential filled-seed yield and actual filled-seed yield were highly correlated with most cone-size measures but poorly correlated with each other. Pollen availability in 1982 was assessed by trapping and by counting pollen cones. The catch of pollen grains was positively correlated with the numbers of pollen cones per tree. Total filled seeds per cone in 1982 was strongly related to pollen availability.
Nutrient acquisition and physiological responses of dominant Serengeti grasses to variation in soil texture and grazing

1 Themeda triandra and Digitaria macroblephara are dominant grasses in the herbaceous layer of Serengeti National Park. Catena topography creates variation in soil texture and grazing that may have important physiological implications for these species. Through a combination of laboratory and field experiments, we tested whether variation in soil texture and grazing differentially affected growth, photosynthesis, leaf enzyme activities and nitrogen assimilation of the two species. 2 In the laboratory, simulated grazing (weekly clipping at 7 cm above soil) increased photosynthesis and enzyme activities for D. macroblephara. Clipping also increased photosynthesis for T. triandra, but did not affect enzyme activity. D. macroblephara and T. triandra were affected oppositely by soil texture; enzyme activities and photosynthesis were greater for D. macroblephara in sandy soils but greater for T. triandra in fine‐textured soils. 3 Across a natural catena gradient, species abundances of D. macroblephara and T. triandra were negatively correlated with each other and related to grazing frequency in opposite ways, D. macroblephara positively and T. triandra negatively. In a field experiment, rates of uptake for unclipped plants of D. macroblephara and T. triandra were similar and did not vary with soil texture. However, when clipped, uptake was stimulated in both species but in opposite ways across a gradient of percentage sand, positive for D. macroblephara and negative for T. triandra. 4 These results suggest that species responded to defoliation and variation in water availability created by different soil textures. At sites where D. macroblephara and T. triandra co‐occur, catena variation in soil texture and grazing may provide spatial variation in habitat suitability. Moreover, herbivory may promote species coexistence by facilitating differential physiological responses to topographic and soil heterogeneity. 5 This study illustrates how interactions between a direct biotic process and an indirect environmental variable can cause different plant physiological responses that may promote species coexistence in a heterogeneous environment.
Long-term feeding ecology of Great Black-backed Gulls (Larus marinus) in the northwest Atlantic: 110 years of feather isotope data

Recent changes to the ecology of the northwest Atlantic are affecting feeding relationships at many trophic levels. With declining fish stocks and fewer fisheries discards, generalist birds such as Great Black-backed Gulls (Larus marinus L., 1758) may shift their diets. To test whether such a change has occurred, we measured stable nitrogen and carbon isotope ratios of flight feathers collected from modern and museum-preserved birds (1896–2006). We then compared trends in isotope ratios with trends in regional fisheries productivity to determine if gull diets and fisheries changes were associated. We found a significant decline in stable nitrogen isotope ratios of feathers over time, indicating that the gulls’ trophic feeding level has decreased by approximately 2.26‰, or 0.82 trophic units. In contrast, we found no significant change in carbon isotope ratios, giving no clear evidence for a shift to more offshore or terrestrial foraging. The declining stable nitrogen ratio was significantly and positively.
The classic theory of Mexican Transition Zone revisited: the distributional congruence patterns of Passalidae (Coleoptera)

Abstract. We incorporated new data to re-evaluate the biogeographical patterns in the Mexican Transition Zone (MTZ) through the recognition of congruence in the geographic distributions of Mexican passalids (Coleoptera : Passalidae). We used three different approaches to parsimony analysis of endemicity (PAE): (1) the use of specific distribution data; (2) the application of a null model of significant co-occurrence to the specific distribution data; and (3) the use of predicted potential distributions through ecological niche modelling. Overall, these approaches sharpened the delimitation of distributions in three general zones. General zone (GZone) 1 includes species of restricted distribution in the state of Chiapas; the grid cells that make up this zone lie mainly in the Chiapas biogeographical province. GZone 2 includes species of restricted distribution located mainly in the states of Veracruz, Puebla, Hidalgo and Queretaro; the grid cells of this zone lie mainly in the Sierra Madre Oriental province. GZone 3 includes species with restricted distribution occurring mainly in the states of Guerrero and Oaxaca; the grid cells of this zone lie mainly in the Sierra Madre del Sur biogeographical province. The patterns of distributional congruence found in this study revealed three important distributional zones for the passalid species within the MTZ highly coincident with patterns proposed by Halffter.
Morphometric analysis of proposed evolutionary lineages of Early Devonian land plant spores

Early Devonian miospore assemblages from ‘La Gileppe’ (Eastern Belgium) include five varieties of trilete spore belonging to the genus Emphanisporites. These five varieties show a continuous variation of their morphological characteristics. The variation in morphological characteristics can be related to the evolution of morphological features and allows us to define the Emphanisporites micrornatus Morphon. A statistical evaluation of this population highlights the interdependence of almost all morphological parameters. This study proves the increase in size of ornamental and structural parameters over several million years. The biometric changes and the progressive replacement of older morphotypes by younger ones indicate that a temporal link exists between these different varieties. Two phylogenetic hypotheses for the E. micrornatus Morphon are proposed. This morphological evolution is so far observed only on the Eastern Old Red Sandstone Continent and defines a palaeophytogeographic sinuosus–zavallatus Province.
Size‐dependent energy reserves, energy utilization and longevity in the yellow dung fly

Abstract Teneral reserve components (soluble sugars, glycogen, lipids), as well as proteins, of laboratory‐reared yellow dung flies (Scathophaga stercoraria) are shown to increase hypo‐allometrically (slope < 1) with body size. This is also true for sugars and glycogen of field‐caught reproductive flies, the lipid content of which however, increases hyper‐allometrically (slope > 1), probably related to foraging or reproductive activity. The longevity, or starvation resistance, of adults subsisting exclusively on their teneral reserves equally increases with body size, and this positive relationship remains when flies have access to sugar, pollen or prey for 24 h after emergence. Energy use, by contrast, is generally not body size dependent, except for lipid (and possibly glycogen) utilization when flies were completely starved. All the results obtained are independent of sex after controlling for sexual size dimorphism. These net results clearly support the greater energy efficiency of larger flies (Kleiber’s law), whereas only weak evidence is obtained in support of the contrasting hypothesis of greater absolute energy demands of larger individuals, possibly because such effects are likely masked by stronger size‐dependent anabolic effects.
Mechanisms of aneuploidy induction in human oogenesis and early embryogenesis

The mechanisms of aneuploidy induction in human oogenesis mainly involve nondisjunction arising during the first and second meiotic divisions. Nondisjunction equally affects both whole chromosomes and chromatids, in the latter case it is facilitated by “predivision” or precocious centromere division. Karyotyping and CGH studies show an excess of hypohaploidy, which is confirmed in studies of preimplantation embryos, providing evidence in favour of anaphase lag as a mechanism. Preferential involvement of the smaller autosomes has been clearly shown but the largest chromosomes are also abnormal in many cases. Overall, the rate of chromosomal imbalance in oocytes from women aged between 30 and 35 has been estimated at 11% from recent karyotyping data but accruing CGH results suggest that the true figure should be considerably higher. Clear evidence has been obtained in favour of germinal or gonadal mosaicism as a predisposing factor. Constitutional aneuploidy in embryos is most frequent for chromosomes 22, 16, 21 and 15; least frequently involved are chromosomes 14, X and Y, and 6. However, embryos of women under 37 are far more likely to be affected by mosaic aneuploidy, which is present in over 50% of 3-day-old embryos. There are two main types, diploid/aneuploid and chaotic mosaics. Chaotic mosaics arise independently of maternal age and may be related to centrosome anomalies and hence of male origin. Aneuploid mosaics most commonly arise by chromosome loss, followed by chromosome gain and least frequently by mitotic nondisjunction. All may be related to maternal age as well as to lack of specific gene products in the embryo. Partial aneuploidy as a result of chromosome breakage affects a minimum of 10% of embryos.
Seventeen years of predation by one suburban cat in New Zealand

Abstract The 558 prey items brought home by one domestic cat, recorded over its 17‐year lifetime, included 221 mice, 63 rats, 35 rabbits, 4 hares and 2 weasels. The cat hunted up to 600 m from the house, and prey was caught both inside and outside the 0.5 ha garden. Of the 223 birds brought in, 54 were native, including 43 silvereyes (Zosterops lateralis), but those killed were quickly replaced, so there was always a resident population of 1–2 pairs. The other known native birds comprised five fantails (Rhipidura fuliginosa), four warblers (Gerygone igata), a kingfisher (Halcyon sancta), and a shining cuckoo (Chrysococcyx lucidus). Only nine skinks (Cyclodina aenea) and one frog (Litoria raniformis) were brought in. The abundance of birds and reptiles in the garden showed no apparent change over the 17 years compared with the previous 15‐year‐period without a cat. By contrast, the cat exterminated the rabbit population in the garden, and “farmed” surrounding burrows during its whole life; all other prey killed declined in frequency after the cat was 8–9 years old.
Volatile constituents of Jatropha gossypifolia L. grown in Nigeria

In this paper, the volatile constituents identified in the essential oil of Jatropha gossypifolia L. grown in Nigeria are been reported. The hydrodistilled oil was analyzed for its constituents by means gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The main constituents of the oil were the sesquiterpenoid germacrene D-4-ol (23.3%) and hexahydrofarnesylacetone (15.4%). Other significant compounds were δ-cadinene (7.7%), tetradecanal (6.8%) and cubenol (6.1%).