bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Critical periods for impact of climate warming on early seedling establishment in subarctic tundra
Authors: SHEVTSOVA ANNA , GRAAE BENTE JESSEN , JOCHUM TILL , MILBAU ANN , KOCKELBERGH FRED , BEYENS LOUIS , NIJS IVAN 
Published: April 2009

AbstractClimate warming is expected to shift bioclimatic zones and plant species distribution. Yet, few studies have explored whether seedling establishment is a possible bottleneck for future migration and population resilience. We test how warming affects the early stages of seedling establishment in 10 plant species in subarctic tundra. To zoom into the life phases where the effects of warming actually take place, we used a novel approach of breaking down the whole‐season warming effect into full factorial combination of early‐, mid‐, and late‐season warming periods. Seeds were sown in containers placed under field conditions in subarctic heath and were exposed to 3 °C elevation of surface temperature and 30% addition of summer precipitation relative to ambient. Heating was achieved with Free Air Temperature Increase systems. Whole‐season heating reduced germination and establishment, significantly in four out of 10 species. The whole‐season warming effect originated from additive effects of individual periods, although some of the periods had disproportionally stronger influence. Early‐germinating species were susceptible to warming; the critical phases were early summer for germination and mid summer for seedling survival. Graminoids, which emerged later, were less susceptible although some negative effects during late summer were observed. Some species with intermediate germination time were affected by all periods of warming. Addition of water generally could not mitigate the negative effects of whole‐season heating, but at individual species level both strengthening and amelioration of these negative effects were observed. We conclude that summer warming is likely to constrain seedling recruitment in open micro sites, which is a common seed regeneration niche in tundra ecosystem. Importantly, we described both significant temporal and species‐specific variation in the sensitivity of seedling establishment to warming which needs to be taken into consideration when modelling population dynamics and vegetation transitions in a warmer climate.
Identification and isolation of cDNA clones encoding the abundant secreted proteins in the saliva proteome of Culicoides nubeculosus
Authors: Russell C. L. , Heesom K. J. , Arthur C. J. , Helps C. R. , Mellor P. S. , Day M. J. , Torsteinsdottir S. , Björnsdóttir T. S. , Wilson A. D. 
Published: April 2009

Abstract Culicoides spp. are vectors of several infectious diseases of veterinary importance and a major cause of allergy in horses and other livestock. Their saliva contains a number of proteins which enable blood feeding, enhance disease transmission and act as allergens. We report the construction of a novel cDNA library from Culicoides nubeculosus linked to the analysis of abundant salivary gland proteins by mass spectrometry. Fifty‐four novel proteins sequences are described including those of the enzymes maltase, hyaluronidase and two serine proteases demonstrated to be present in Culicoides salivary glands, as well as several members of the D7 family and protease inhibitors with putative anticoagulant activity. In addition, several families of abundant proteins with unknown function were identified including some of the major candidate allergens that cause insect bite hypersensitivity in horses.
Peer teaching pilot programme for caries prevention in underprivileged and migrant populations
Authors: REINHARDT CLAUS H. , LÖPKER NADINE , NOACK MICHAEL J. , ROSEN EVELYNE , KLEIN KLAUS 
Published: April 2009

Background.  Focused caries prevention programmes for migrant children often fail because there is an important barrier of linguistic and cultural diversity.Aim.  The aim of this study was to evaluate whether a tailored peer teaching approach can improve oral health behaviours of underprivileged and/or multinational migrant first graders.Design.  Two fourth grade classes (30 children, mean age 9.6) and two first grade classes (38 children, mean age 6.6) with high migrant background participated. The fourth graders took part in a preparatory course of oral health and developed a concept for tutoring first graders in oral health concepts as well as the Fones toothbrushing method. Later then, the fourth graders instructed the first graders during two lessons. Toothbrushing of each first grader was filmed before and 7 days after instruction. Toothbrushing time, method, and systematic were evaluated.Results.  After instruction, circular toothbrushing movements and systematic toothbrushing were observed significantly more often (P = 0.0001); toothbrushing time did not change.Conclusions.  This pilot study shows that tutoring by older peers of similar origin resulted in significant changes towards better oral health in underprivileged and/or multinational migrant first graders. Authentic role models could be provided, and communication and cultural barriers circumvented.
Spatial–temporal analysis of species range expansion: the case of the mountain pine beetle,Dendroctonus ponderosae
Authors: Robertson Colin , Nelson Trisalyn A. , Jelinski Dennis E. , Wulder Michael A. , Boots Barry 
Published: April 2009

AbstractAim The spatial extent of western Canada’s current epidemic of mountain pine beetle,Dendroctonus ponderosaeHopkins (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae), is increasing. The roles of the various dispersal processes acting as drivers of range expansion are poorly understood for most species. The aim of this paper is to characterize the movement patterns of the mountain pine beetle in areas where range expansion is occurring, in order to describe the fine‐scale spatial dynamics of processes associated with mountain pine beetle range expansion.Location Three regions of Canada’s Rocky Mountains: Kicking Horse Pass, Yellowhead Pass and Pine Pass.Methods Data on locations of mountain pine beetle‐attacked trees of predominantly lodgepole pine (Pinus contortavar.latifolia) were obtained from annual fixed‐wing aircraft surveys of forest health and helicopter‐based GPS surveys of mountain pine beetle‐damaged areas in British Columbia and Alberta. The annual (1999–2005) spatial extents of outbreak ranges were delineated from these data. Spatial analysis was conducted using the spatial–temporal analysis of moving polygons (STAMP), a recently developed pattern‐based approach.Results We found that distant dispersal patterns (spot infestations) were most often associated with marginal increases in the areal size of mountain pine beetle range polygons. When the mountain pine beetle range size increased rapidly relative to the years examined, local dispersal patterns (adjacent infestation) were more common. In Pine Pass, long‐range dispersal (> 2 km) markedly extended the north‐east border of the mountain pine beetle range. In Yellowhead Pass and Kicking Horse Pass, the extension of the range occurred incrementally via ground‐based spread.Main conclusions Dispersal of mountain pine beetle varies with geography as well as with host and beetle population dynamics. Although colonization is mediated by habitat connectivity, during periods of low overall habitat expansion, dispersal to new distant locations is common, whereas during periods of rapid invasion, locally connected spread is the dominant mode of dispersal. The propensity for long‐range transport to establish new beetle populations, and thus to be considered a driver of range expansion, is likely to be determined by regional weather patterns, and influenced by local topography. We conclude that STAMP appears to be a useful approach for examining changes in biogeograpical ranges, with the potential to reveal both fine‐ and large‐scale patterns.
Genetic diversity and phylogeographic analysis of Pinus leiophylla: a post‐glacial range expansion
Authors: Rodríguez‐Banderas Abril , Vargas‐Mendoza Carlos F. , Buonamici Anna , Vendramin Giovanni G. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractAim  Mexico is a centre of diversity for species of the genus Pinus, most of which have restricted geographical distributions. An exception is Pinus leiophylla Schiede and Deppe, which is widely distributed throughout most of Mexico’s mountainous regions. We attempt to reconstruct the phylogeographic history of this species, in order to determine if its current broad distribution is associated with major events of environmental change that occurred during the Quaternary.Location  Coniferous forests in Sierra Madre Occidental, Eje Volcánico Transversal and Sierra Montañosa del Norte de Oaxaca, Mexico.Methods  A total of 323 individuals of both P. leiophylla var. leiophylla and P. leiophylla var. chihuahuana sampled from 22 populations were screened for variation at six paternally inherited chloroplast DNA microsatellite markers (cpSSR). In addition to haplotypic diversity estimates and neutrality tests, the following clustering methods were employed: principal components analysis (PCA), analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA), spatial analysis of molecular variance (SAMOVA), haplotype network and a technique similar to Croizat’s panbiogeographical method of individual and generalized tracks.Results  The combination of mutations at the six microsatellites yielded a total of 92 different haplotypes. The percentage of shared haplotypes between varieties (P. leiophylla var. leiophylla and P. leiophylla var. chihuahuana) was only 2.2%. The average haplotypic diversity for the species was H = 0.760. PCA and SAMOVA indicate the presence of four main genetic clusters. The estimated divergence time between the two most frequent haplotypes was between 75,000 and 110,000 years. Significantly large negative Fs values suggest that most of the sampled populations are currently expanding. Individual and generalized tracks identified three potential zones that may have harboured ancestral populations of P. leiophylla and from which the expansion of this species started, as well as two secondary contact zones between the two varieties.Main conclusions  The results indicate that one of the three potential areas hypothesized to have harboured ancestral populations of P. leiophylla may be related to the origin of P. leiophylla var. chihuahuana, while the other two may be related to the origin of P. leiophylla var. leiophylla. The current broad distribution of P. leiophylla is probably associated with its strong colonization ability.
Nodavirus provokes subclinical encephalitis and retinochoroiditis in adult farmed Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua L
Authors: Gjessing M C , Kvellestad A , Ottesen K , Falk K 
Published: April 2009

AbstractViral nervous necrosis (VNN) caused by betanodavirus affects many species of farmed marine fish, in particular juveniles. Apparently healthy, normally feeding, adult farmed Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, were sampled in a farm 14 months after an outbreak of VNN with clinical signs. Following necropsy, brain and eye tissues were examined by histology, immunohistochemistry and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Nodavirus‐provoked cell death and inflammation was detected in eye and brain, particularly in the retina and cerebellum and differed from that previously described in Atlantic cod during clinical stages of VNN. Virus was detected both by PCR and immunohistochemistry. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first description of pathological changes associated with chronic subclinical nodavirus infection in Atlantic cod. Our observations suggest that severe infection and pathological changes may go undetected if investigations are restricted to clinical examination and macroscopic evaluation at necropsy.
The three‐way stopcock may be a weak component of total intravenous anaesthesia
Authors: ZECHA‐STALLINGER A. , SCHMÖLZ W. , WENZEL V. 
Published: April 2009

Background: An intravenous line is needed to administer anaesthesia, particularly when total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) is performed. A disadvantage of TIVA is that the intravenous concentration of anaesthetics cannot be easily measured compared with volatile anaesthetics. If a three‐way stopcock is accidentally unscrewed, TIVA drugs cannot reach the patient's veins, thus resulting in inadequate anaesthesia levels, possibly resulting in awareness. We therefore measured the required torque to open five different brands of three‐way stopcocks in an attempt to make an intravenous‐line including all elements safer.Methods: The torque required to open one, two or three three‐way stopcocks being connected in a perpendicular manner was measured with a biaxial servo hydraulic material testing machine.Results: The force required to open three‐way stopcocks connected with an intravenous catheter ranged in five different stopcock models from 5.03±0.75 to 2.21±0.51 N respectively; with two three‐way stopcocks from 2.68±0.42 to 1.31±0.59 N, respectively, and with three three‐way stopcocks from 1.29±0.27 to 0.82±0.05 N, respectively.Conclusion: Turning a three‐way stopcock to become loose with possibly leaking drugs requires minimal amounts of force and decreases significantly if not connected in‐line.
Attraction of Flatworms at Various Hunger Levels Toward Cues from an Odonate Predator
Authors: Collins Andrea M. , Gerald Gary W. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractDifferent hunger levels can modify a prey’s antipredator behavior in the presence or absence of food. Satiated animals often forego foraging if a predator is nearby, whereas starved animals may risk a predator encounter to search for food. This study evaluated the influence of nutritional state on the behavior of the flatworm Dugesia dorotocephala in the presence of food, predator, and crushed conspecific cues. We found that flatworms are attracted to cues originating from a food source, crushed conspecifics, and a predator (dragonfly larva) compared with control cues. Among the different hunger level treatment groups, levels of satiation had no influence on activity levels but significantly influenced time spent close to and distance from the cue source. Flatworm movement toward predator cues emitted from dragonfly larvae is contrary to our expectations. These results suggest either a unique case of chemical mimicry from the dragonfly larvae or an inherent attraction of planarians to odonate predators that allows them to scavenge the remains of other odonate prey items.
Inter‐Population Variation in Hoarding Behaviour in Degus,Octodon degus
Authors: Quispe René , Villavicencio Camila P. , Cortés Arturo , Vásquez Rodrigo A. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractAlthough foraging comprises a set of behaviours that typically vary with resource availability and/or climatic conditions, few studies have analysed how foraging, particularly food hoarding, varies across populations inhabiting different habitats. We carried out an inter‐population study on foraging behaviour with the caviomorph rodentOctodon deguscollected from two geographically separated populations in central Chile, with contrasting climates. One population was located in a mountainous zone (at 2600 m elevation) characterized by a high‐altitude climate. The other population was from a low‐altitude Mediterranean climate zone (450 m elevation). Under laboratory conditions, we measured population‐specific differences in food consumption and hoarding by recording food utilization. We also assessed whether acclimation played a role in behavioural differences, by using two different sets of animals that had been in captivity for (1) 2 wk or (2) 6 mo, under common conditions. The results showed variation in food hoarding between populations. Individuals from the low‐altitude population exclusively displayed scatter hoarding behaviour. In contrast, high‐altitude animals carried out larder hoarding combined with scatter hoarding (37.4% and 62.6% respectively). There was no intra‐population variation between degus with different acclimation periods under captivity, thus inter‐population differences in larder hoarding were maintained despite 6 mo of acclimation to a common environment. The geographic variation observed suggests that larder hoarding is favoured under harsher environmental conditions. We discuss some probable causes for this variation. The lack of effect of acclimation suggests that inter‐population differences in larder hoarding might be the result of local adaptation or, less likely, it corresponds to an ontogenetically acquired irreversible behaviour.
Marmoset (Callithrix geoffroyi) Food‐Associated Calls are Functionally Referential
Authors: Kitzmann Carolyn D. , Caine Nancy G. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractSignals that are functionally referential provide listeners with information about a signaler’s external environment, such as the presence of a nearby predator. Just as alarm calls may signal the presence of a predator, food‐associated calls may signal the presence of food. To date, however, the only conclusive evidence that conspecifics perceive information about food from food‐associated calls comes from a single species, the domestic chicken. Geoffroy’s marmosets, small, arboreal New World primates, often emit food‐associated calls when finding or consuming food. We presented playbacks of food calls and control sounds to two groups of naturalistically housed marmosets and observed the frequency of food‐related behaviors (FRBs) during the 20‐min post‐playback period. Relative to the control playbacks, food call playbacks elicited an increase in the frequency of two FRBs (foraging and feeding), lasting throughout the post‐playback observations. Moreover, the effect of food call playbacks was robust, occurring without regard to the type of food eliciting the food calls, the rate of food calling, or whether the signaler was a member of the receiver’s group. To our knowledge, this research is the first to demonstrate that the food‐associated calls of a primate species, like the food‐associated calls of domestic chickens, meet the perception criterion for functionally referential communication. The results are discussed in light of the affective and cognitive mechanisms that may underlie the responses of receivers to hearing food‐associated calls given by marmoset conspecifics.
Agonistic Behaviour and Sexual Conflict in Atypical Reproductive Groups: The Case of Bearded VultureGypaetus barbatusPolyandrous Trios
Authors: Bertran Joan , Margalida Antoni , Arroyo Beatriz E. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractSocial behaviour in species forced to form atypical breeding coalitions is poorly documented. The saturation of optimum territories in the Bearded vultureGypaetus barbatuspopulation in the Pyrenees has led floating males to settle in already occupied territories, thereby forming polyandrous trios. We examined the patterns of intrasexual aggression in five trios (nine reproductive events in total) during courtship. Alpha males initiated 82% of agonistic encounters that were mainly aimed at preventing or disrupting copulations. During the fertile period in recently formed groups, intrasexual aggression had a negative influence on the frequency of heterosexual copulations, which may be a contributing factor to the lower productivity of polyandrous trios. Females rejected a higher proportion of beta male‐ than alpha male‐initiated copulations, and rejected copulations with both alpha and beta males more often when the other male was present close by. These results indicate that alpha males cannot effectively prevent all copulation attempts by beta males and that females avoid harassment by minimizing sexual activity when both males are present. Aggression between males decreased with time, occurring less often in established than in recent trios, despite the fact that the frequency of heterosexual copulations – the cause of conflicts – was similar. The frequency of homosexual interactions tended to increase in established trios, suggesting that this behaviour may help to regulate aggression within these groups, although no significant relationship between homosexual interactions and aggression was found. In summary, reproductive conflicts in trios seem to be unavoidable, although they tend to decrease if the group is maintained. This suggests that, for birds in these groups, the maintenance of a quality territory is more important than solving sexual conflicts.
Spatial Neophilia and Spatial Neophobia in Resident and Migratory Warblers (Sylvia)
Authors: Mettke‐Hofmann Claudia , Lorentzen Sandy , Schlicht Emmi , Schneider Janine , Werner Franziska 
Published: April 2009

AbstractResidents and migrants use their environment very differently – the former remain in a given habitat throughout the year, whereas the latter are repeatedly confronted with unfamiliar environments. The difference in ecology may influence decision‐making processes whether, when and to which extent to explore an unfamiliar environment. We have investigated spatial neophobia and spatial neophilia – two important novelty reactions that may underlie decision‐making – in two closely related warbler species, the resident Sardinian warbler and the migratory garden warbler. Individuals of both species could access an unfamiliar room from a familiar cage. We assessed the conflict between the motivation to enter the novel room (spatial neophilia) and the motivation to avoid it (spatial neophobia) as the frequency and duration of perching on the dowel in the cage, which led to the unfamiliar room before entering it. Furthermore, we measured the latency to enter the novel room and compared the number of individuals of each species entering the room. The combination of the parameters measured allowed assessing the degree of both neophobia and neophilia. Finally, the time spent on each branch in the novel room was taken as a measure for spatial exploration. The migrants perched less often and spent less time on the dowel leading to the room, and entered the novel room quicker than the residents. Additionally, more migrants than residents entered the room. The migrants’ decision to enter the novel room can best be explained with a combination of low spatial neophobia coupled with high spatial neophilia, whereas the residents’ decision‐making is best explained with high spatial neophobia coupled with high spatial neophilia. The differences in neophobia support the migrant‐neophobia hypothesis. When in the room, the migrants spent less time on each branch than the residents, possibly indicating that the former collect less spatial information than the latter.
Wild Female Olive Baboons Adapt their Grunt Vocalizations to Environmental Conditions
Authors: Ey Elodie , Rahn Charlotte , Hammerschmidt Kurt , Fischer Julia 
Published: April 2009

AbstractSound propagates differently and visibility varies according to the habitat type. Animals should therefore adapt the acoustic structure and the usage of their vocal signals to the environment. In the present study, we examined the influence of the habitat on the vocal behaviour of wild olive baboons (Papio hamadryas anubis) in two populations: one living in Gashaka‐Gumti National Park, Nigeria, and the other in Budongo Forest, Uganda. We investigated whether female baboons modified the acoustic structure of their grunts and their rate of grunting when they wandered between closed and open habitat types. As an adaptation to the environmental conditions, baboons might utter calls with a longer duration, a lower fundamental frequency and/or energy concentrated in lower frequencies in a closed habitat like forest than in an open habitat. Baboons should also grunt more frequently in the closed habitat. Analyses showed that in both populations grunts uttered in forest were significantly longer than in open habitat. Additionally, baboons from Uganda showed a significantly higher grunt rate in forest than in open habitat. These results revealed a certain degree of plasticity in vocal production and call usage with regard to the habitat type. However, results in Nigeria suggested that, besides habitat structure, other proximate factors like the context of calling and the proximity between group members could also have an influence on the actual communication patterns.