bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A meta-analysis of the effects of geolocator application on birds
Authors: Costantini David , Møller Anders Pape 
Published: February 2016

Abstract
An increasing trend in use of tracking devices such as geolocators is based on the assumption that the information gathered from such devices provides reliable information about the migratory behavior of free-living birds. This underlying assumption is rarely tested, as evidenced by the absence in many studies of controls, in particular treated controls, and so far never with a reasonable statistical power. Published studies have shown reduced survival prospects or delayed breeding in some species, suggesting that there may be reason to doubt that tracking devices provide unbiased information. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis of studies applying geolocators to wild birds to determine whether geolocators affected fitness components. Ge-olocators had an overall negative effect on fitness components, in particular survival, and ecological variables. Effect size was larger for aerial foragers than for other species. Moreover the leg band attachment method was more detrimental for birds than the leg-loop backpack harness. A meta-regression model of effect size showed independent negative effects of geolocators on aerial foragers, smaller species, species with smaller migration distances and in studies where geolocators were attached with a ring. These results suggest that geolocator studies should be interpreted with caution, but also raise questions whether it is ethically defensible to use geolocators on aerial foragers or small species without carrying out robust pilot studies.
Fading indirect effects in a warming arctic tundra
Authors: BêTY Joël , Graham-Sauvé Maude , Legagneux Pierre , Cadieux Marie-Christine , Gauthier Gilles 
Published: February 2016

Abstract
Indirect interactions in food webs can strongly influence the net effect of global change on ecological communities yet they are rarely quantified and hence remain poorly understood. Using a 22-year time series, we investigated climate-induced and predator-mediated indirect effects on grazing intensity in the tundra food web of Bylot Island, which experienced a warming trend over the last two decades. We evaluated the relative effects of environmental parameters on the proportion of plant biomass grazed by geese in wetlands and examined the temporal changes in the strength of these cascading effects. Migrating geese are the dominant herbivores on Bylot Island and can consume up to 60% of the annual production of wetland graminoids. Spring North Atlantic Oscillation, mid-summer temperatures and summer abundance of lemmings (prey sharing predators with geese) best-explained annual variation in grazing intensity. Goose grazing impact increased in years with high temperatures and high lemming abundance. However, the strength of these indirect effects on plants changed over time. Grazing intensity was weakly explained by environmental factors in recent years, which were marked by a sharp increase in plant primary production and steady decrease in grazing pressure. Indirect effects do not seem to be reversing the direct positive effect of warming on wetland plants. We suggest that cascading effects on plants may lag considerably behind direct effects in vertebrate dominated arctic communities, especially where key herbivore populations are strongly affected by factors outside of the Arctic.
Genealogy and phylogeography of Cyprinid fish Labeo rohita (Hamilton, 1822) inferred from ATPase 6 and 8 mitochondrial DNA gene analysis
Authors: Luhariya Rupesh K. , Lal Kuldeep K. , Singh Rajeev K. , Mohindra Vindhya , Gupta Arti , Masih Prachi , Dwivedi Arvind K. , Das Rakhi , Chauhan U. K. , Jena J. K. 
Published: February 2016

Abstract
ATPase 6/8 gene (842 bp) of mitochondrial DNA was sequenced in Labeo rohita samples (n = 253) collected from nine rivers belonging to four river basins; Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra and Mahanadi. Analysis revealed 44 haplotypes with high haplotype diversity (Hd) 0.694 and low nucleotide diversity (π) 0.001. The within population variation was larger (83.44%) than among population differences (16.56%). The mean FST value (0.166; P &lt; 0.05) for overall populations revealed moderate level of genetic structuring in the wild L. rohita populations. The haplotype network presented a single clade for wild L. rohita population, from different rivers. Negative values for Fu’s index (FS), mismatch distribution analysis indicated period of expansion in L. rohita population. The time after recent expansion was estimated for each population, between 0.042 to 0.167 mya. The pattern of Isolation by Distance (IBD) was not significant (r = -0.113, P &lt; 0.287), when all the sampling locations were compared (Mantel test), however, when an outlier (Indus, Brahmaputra and Mahanadi) was removed from the whole population set, a clear positive correlation between pairwise FST and geographic distance (Km) was seen. The analysis of data demonstrated that ATPase6/8 gene polymorphism is a potential marker to understand genetic population structure of wild L. rohita existing in different rivers. The study identified population substructure in wild L. rohita with common ancestral origin [Current Zoology 60 (4): 460–471, 2014].
A survey for Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans in Chinese amphibians
Authors: Zhu Wei , Xu Feng , Bai Changming , Liu Xuan , Wang Supen , Gao Xu , Yan Shaofei , Li Xianping , Liu Zetian , Li Yiming 
Published: February 2016

Abstract
For the last decade, chytridiomycosis was considered to be caused by a single species of fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), but a second chytrid species, Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bs), was recently isolated from an infected Salamandra salamandra in the Netherlands. To date, Bs has only been found in the Netherlands. To assess whether Bs is present in China, we analyzed a total of 665 samples, including 425 wild samples, 41 preserved specimens, and 199 captive samples, from 30 different species, including both urodeles and anurans. Our sample sites covered 15 provinces in China. All of the samples tested negative for Bs, resulting in a 95% confidence limit for a prevalence of 0.6%. The absence of Bs observed in this large-scale survey in China has significant implications for amphibian conservation and for border trade management strategies intended to control amphibian diseases. We strongly recommend the continued close monitoring of Bs to verify the status of this potentially devastating amphibian fungus in China.
Higher-Order Interactions: Understanding the knowledge capacity of social groups using simplicial sets
Authors: Greening Bradford R , Pinter-Wollman Noa , Fefferman Nina H 
Published: February 2016

Abstract
A predominant benefit of social living is the ability to share knowledge that cannot be gained through the information an individual accumulates based on its personal experience alone. Traditional computational models have portrayed sharing knowledge through interactions among members of social groups via dyadic networks. Such models aim at understanding the percolation of information among individuals and groups to identify potential limitations to successful knowledge transfer. However, because many real-world interactions are not solely pairwise, i.e., several group members may obtain information from one another simultaneously, it is necessary to understand more than dyadic communication and learning processes to capture their full complexity. We detail a modeling framework based on the simplicial set, a concept from algebraic topology, which allows elegant encapsulation of multi-agent interactions. Such a model system allows us to analyze how individual information within groups accumulates as the group’s collective set of knowledge, which may be different than the simple union of individually contained information. Furthermore, the simplicial modeling approach we propose allows us to investigate how information accumulates via sub-group interactions, offering insight into complex aspects of multi-way communication systems. The fundamental change in modeling strategy we offer here allows us to move from portraying knowledge as a “token”, passed from signaler to receiver, to portraying knowledge as a set of accumulating building blocks from which novel ideas can emerge. We provide an explanation of relevant mathematical concepts in a way that promotes accessibility to a general audience.
Regional and age-dependent differences in the effect of wind on the migratory routes of Eleonora’s falcon
Authors: Mellone Ugo , Limiñana Rubén , López-López Pascual , Urios Vicente 
Published: February 2016

Abstract
During migration, birds can show different responses to wind in relation to distance to the goal, experience, ecological barriers and visibility of landmarks. We analysed the effect of wind (tailwinds and crosswinds) on daily movement rates (forward and perpendicular) of Eleonora’s falcons using ARGOS satellite telemetry, during their trans-continental autumn migration to Madagascar, in relation to the different crossed regions and individuals’ age class. Our results showed that the effect of wind on daily movement rates was not uniform, being stronger in the farthest region from the migration goal, the Sahara desert, with adults being more affected than juveniles in this region. In the Sahel, the results were more conflicting, perhaps because daily movements were more shaped by the distribution of food resources. In Equatorial Africa, daily movement rates were mainly affected by crosswinds. Still, it remains unclear which orientation mechanism allows Eleonora’s falcons to reach such a narrow wintering area compensating also for wind displacement.
An experimental test of whether pied flycatchers choose the best territory for rearing the young
Authors: Mäntylä Elina , sirkiä Päivi M. , Klemola Tero , Laaksonen Toni 
Published: February 2016

Abstract
It is often assumed that birds are able to choose a breeding territory that will later on have the most food for nestlings. Studies on this essential question are, however, few. We studied territory choice of a long-distance migrant, the pied flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca in southwestern Finland. In one study area, we monitored the territory choice of males via the order of territory settlement. Female territory choice was studied experimentally in another study area where the correlation between male and territory quality was removed by not allowing males a free choice of territory. We defined several habitat characteristics and estimated the abundances of invertebrate prey from air, ground and trees with appropriate traps from the surroundings of the nest sites in both study areas. Against the expectation that parent birds would choose an arthropod-rich territory, neither males nor females seemed to choose those territories that later had the most food for nestlings. There was, however, some evidence that more eggs were laid in territories with more aphids and that more fledglings were produced in territories with high ant abundance. Our findings thus suggest that while it would be beneficial for birds to be able to choose food-rich territories, they may not be able to detect the right cues for doing so early in the breeding season. The possibility and importance of detecting the territories with the best prospects of rearing young may, however, vary among and within seasons and more studies on this topic are clearly needed.
Evolutionary responses to climate change and contaminants: Evidence and experimental approaches
Authors: Kimberly David A. , Salice Christopher J. 
Published: February 2016

Abstract
A fundamental objective within ecotoxicology lies in understanding and predicting effects of contaminants. This objective is made more challenging when global climate change is considered as an environmental stress that co-occurs with contaminant exposure. In this multi-stressor context, evolutionary processes are particularly important. In this paper, we consider several non-”omic” approaches wherein evolutionary responses to stress have been studied and discuss those amenable to a multiple stressor context. Specifically, we discuss common-garden designs, artificial and quasi-natural selection, and the estimation of adaptive potential using quantitative genetics as methods for studying evolutionary responses to contaminants and climate change in the absence of expensive molecular tools. While all approaches shed light on potential evolutionary impacts of stressor exposure, they also have limitations. These include logistical constraints, difficulty extrapolating to real systems, and responses tied strongly to specific taxa, populations, and/or testing conditions. The most effective way to lessen these inherent limitations is likely through inclusion of complementary physiological and molecular tools, when available. We believe that an evolutionary context to the study of contaminants and global climate change is a high priority in ecotoxicology and we outline methods that can be implemented by almost any researcher but will also provide valuable insights.
Comparing techniques for measuring corticosterone in tadpoles
Authors: Burraco Pablo , Arribas Rosa , Kulkarni Saurabh S. , Buchholz Daniel R. , Gomez-Mestre Ivan 
Published: February 2016

Abstract
Glucocorticoids play a key role in mediating stress responses in vertebrates. Corticosterone (CORT) is the main glucocorticoid produced in amphibians, birds, and reptiles, and regulates several metabolic functions. The most common methods for quantifying CORT are competitive binding immunoassays: radioimmunoassay (RIA) and enzyme immunoassay (EIA). RIA has been broadly used since the 1980’s but it requires radioactivity. Commercial EIA kits permit quantifying hormone levels without radioactivity although the requirement for a larger sample volume may be a strong limitation for measurements involving larval amphibians. Here we used Xenopus laevis tadpoles to compare the performance of three commonly used procedures for determination of CORT: RIA on a chloroform extract of whole-body homogenate, EIA on plasma, and EIA on supernatant of whole-body homogenate. We treated tadpoles with exogenous CORT at 0, 25, 50, and 100 nM. RIA could distinguish between 0 and 25 nM, and EIA on plasma between 0 and 50 nM, whereas whole-body homogenate EIA only detected significant differences between 0 and 100 nM. Each procedure presents advantages and disadvantages regarding sensitivity, the use of radioactivity, sample size, handling time, and economic cost. RIA is preferred when studying small-bodied animals from which blood samples cannot be obtained. When CORT level differences are intermediate and blood sampling is possible, EIA on plasma is a good non-radioactive alternative. EIA on whole-body homogenates may be useful to assess qualitative changes in CORT levels when considerable differences are expected. Finally, we discuss our findings in the context of previous studies on CORT in amphibians.
Uprooting phylogenetic uncertainty in coalescent species delimitation: A meta-analysis of empirical studies
Authors: Caviedes-Solis Itzue W. , Bouzid Nassima M. , Banbury Barbara L. , Leaché Adam D. 
Published: February 2016

Abstract
Phylogenetic and phylogeographic studies rely on the accurate quantification of biodiversity. In recent studies of taxonomically ambiguous groups, species boundaries are often determined based on multi-locus sequence data. Bayesian Phylogenetics and Phylogeography (BPP) is a coalescent-based method frequently used to delimit species; however, empirical studies suggest that the requirement of a user-specified guide tree biases the range of possible outcomes. We evaluate fifteen multi-locus datasets using the most recent iteration of BPP, which eliminates the need for a user-specified guide tree and reconstructs the species tree in synchrony with species delimitation (= unguided species delimitation). We found that the number of species recovered with guided versus unguided species delimitation was the same except for two cases, and that posterior probabilities were generally lower for the unguided analyses as a result of searching across species trees in addition to species delimitation models. The guide trees used in previous studies were often discordant with the species tree topologies estimated by BPP. We also compared species trees estimated using BPP and *BEAST and found that when the topologies are the same, BPP tends to give higher posterior probabilities.
Comparative phylogeography and niche modeling for three species complexes of SE China (Paradoxornis spp., Pycnonotus spp., Spizixos spp.)
Authors: Klicka Luke B. , Campillo Luke C. , Manthey Joseph D. , Qu Yanhua 
Published: February 2016

Abstract
Contrasting multiple organisms with similar contemporary distributions, researchers can identify shared evolutionary patterns and provide historical context for community composition. We used three species complexes with overlapping distributions in Southeastern China and surrounding islands to explore the phylogeographic history of the region. Despite similar geographic distributions, genetic data revealed few congruent patterns, but all complexes displayed genetic divergence for Taiwanese populations. Additionally, niche modeling and divergence dating did not find support for diversification associated with the Last Glacial Maximum.
Functional Genetic Screen to Identify Interneurons Governing Behaviorally Distinct Aspects ofDrosophilaLarval Motor Programs
Authors: Clark Matt Q. , McCumsey Stephanie J. , Lopez-Darwin Sereno , Heckscher Ellie S. , Doe Chris Q. 
Published: February 2016

AbstractDrosophila larval crawling is an attractive system to study patterned motor output at the level of animal behavior. Larval crawling consists of waves of muscle contractions generating forward or reverse locomotion. In addition, larvae undergo additional behaviors including head casts, turning, and feeding. It is likely that some neurons are used in all these behaviors (e.g. motor neurons), but the identity (or even existence) of neurons dedicated to specific aspects of behavior is unclear. To identify neurons that regulate specific aspects of larval locomotion, we performed a genetic screen to identify neurons that, when activated, could elicit distinct motor programs. We used 165 JaneliaCRM-Gal4lines – chosen for sparse neuronal expression – to express the warmth-inducible neuronal activator TrpA1 and screened for locomotor defects. The primary screen measured forward locomotion velocity, and we identified 63 lines that had locomotion velocities significantly slower than controls following TrpA1 activation (28°C). A secondary screen was performed on these lines, revealing multiple discrete behavioral phenotypes including slow forward locomotion, excessive reverse locomotion, excessive turning, excessive feeding, immobile, rigid paralysis, and delayed paralysis. While many of the Gal4 lines had motor, sensory, or muscle expression that may account for some or all of the phenotype, some lines showed specific expression in a sparse pattern of interneurons. Our results show that distinct motor programs utilize distinct subsets of interneurons, and provide an entry point for characterizing interneurons governing different elements of the larval motor program.
Cellular aspects of gonadal atrophy in P-M hybrid dysgenesis
Authors: Dorogova Natalia V. , Bolobolova Elena Us. , Zakharenko Lyudmila P. 
Published: February 2016

AbstractGonadal atrophy is the most typical and dramatic manifestation of intraspecific hybrid dysgenesis syndrome leading to sterility ofDrosophila melanogasterdysgenic progeny. The P-M system of hybrid dysgenesis is primarily associated with germ cell degeneration during the early stages ofDrosophiladevelopment at elevated temperatures. In the present study, we have defined the phase of germ cell death as beginning at the end of embryogenesis immediately following gonad formation. The early stages of germ cell formation in dysgenic flies showed sensitivity to developmental temperature increases at any stage of theDrosophilalife cycle including the imago. Analysis of germ cell reactions to hybrid dysgenesis induction revealed significant changes in subcellular structure, especially mitochondria, prior to germ cell breakdown. The mitochondrial pathology can be the reason for the activation of cell death pathways in dysgenic germ cells and lead to gonadal atrophy.SummaryWe investigated the hybrid dysgenesis in the context of germ cell development and observed the dysgenic effect is associated with dramatic pathological changes in structure of germ cell mitochondria and lead to massive and quick cell death. The temperature-dependent screening of germ cells developmental pattern in dysgenic background showed that these cells are susceptible to the hybrid dysgenesis at any drosophila life-cycle stage, including in the imago.
Of bad-seed, black-sheep and prodigal-sons
Authors: Smith Robert 
Published: February 2016

Purpose– In small-business-communities trust is important inter/intra family particularly in relation to familial dynamics. Seldom is mistrust or distrust examined in an academic context. In business families “Black-Sheep” often rebel against familial expectations by engaging in criminal activity. This is important because entrepreneurs are eulogised by society and as an institution, family business is venerated. The very idea that small business owners would knowingly engage in crime is anathema. The paper aims to discuss these issues.Design/methodology/approach– Using retrospective ethnography and immersion techniques this quasi-longitudinal study of (dis)organized crime in a small-business-community (SBC) starts the bridging process.Findings– There is an assumption that business crime is best accommodated under the rubric of white-collar-criminality typically regarded as an excusable middle-class crime compared to organized working-class crime. By focusing on the black-sheep of business families collectively this work illustrates how there may be a stronger link between organized-crime-groups and the local-business-community than previously assumed because a small minority of businessmen engage in the commission of ordinary crime by choice.Research/limitations/implications– The methodology used is a limitation as is replicating it in other small-business-communities.Practical/implications– This study provides an alternative heuristic through which to understand the application black-sheep-thesis in business settings. The knowledge developed has practical implications for the investigation of crime in such communities and for researchers in the field.Social/implications– This study extends knowledge of white-collar-criminality within the business domain.Originality/value– This is an original and novel study which extends our knowledge and understanding of trust based issues in business settings and the SBC.