With the greater availability of genetic data, large genome-wide scans for positive selection increasingly incorporate data from a range of sources. These data sets may be derived from different sequencing methods, each of which has potential sources of error. Sequencing errors, compounded by alignment errors, greatly increase the number of false positives in tests for adaptive evolution. Genom...

Galling arthropods create plant structures inside which they fi nd shelter. Factors acting on galler diversity are still being discussed, with this fauna considered more diverse in xeric than mesic environments (higrothermic stress hypothesis, HSH), and also in more plant diverse sites. Here we compare galler abundance (N), equitability (E), species richness (S) and composition between adjacent...

Galling arthropods create plant structures inside which they find shelter. Factors acting on galler diversity are still being discussed, with this fauna considered more diverse in xeric than mesic environments (higrothermic stress hypothesis, HSH), and also in more plant diverse sites. Here we compare galler abundance (N), equitability (E), species richness (S) and composition between adjacent ...

Phragmites communis Trin. (common reed) is a recognized model plant for studying its adaptation to contrasting and harsh environments. To understand the inherent molecular basis for its remarkable resistance to combined stresses, we performed a comprehensive proteomic analysis of the leaf proteins from two ecotypes, i.e. swamp and desert dune, naturally growing in the desert region of northwest...

We sampled consumers and organic matter sources (mangrove litter, freshwater swamp-forest litter, seagrasses, seagrass epiphytes, and marine particulate organic matter [MPOM]) from four estuaries on Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia for stable isotope (sigma13C and sigma34S) analysis. Unique mixing solutions cannot be calculated in a dual-isotope, five-endmember scenario, so we tested IsoS...

The Coastal Plain Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana nigrescens) was originally described from a small number of specimens from the tidal marshes of the Nanticoke River in southeastern Maryland. Based on our quantitative analysis of a larger series of specimens, we found that Swamp Sparrows collected during the breeding season from the Chesapeake and Delaware bays (and tributaries) and near the...

Research indicates that living in neighborhoods with high concentrations of boarded-up vacant homes is associated with premature mortality due to cancer and diabetes, but the mechanism for this relationship is unclear. Boarded-up housing may indirectly impact residents' health by affecting their food environment. We evaluated the association between changes in vacancy rates and changes in the d...

The extensive papyrus (Cyperus papyrus) swamps of East and Central Africa form a habitat of great ecological importance due to their extent, the extreme and chronic hypoxia of the interior swamp, and the unique assemblages of water-breathing insects that characterize these communities, including zygopteran (damselfly) larvae. The major goal of this study was to quantify physiological and behavi...

We studied the denning chronology, den type, and den-site characteristics of Ursus americanus oridanus (Florida Black Bear) in Ocala National Forest (ONF) and the adjacent residential area of Lynne, FL. We monitored 35 radio-collared females for 62 den years from 1999 through 2003. Den entry dates did not differ between parturient females (females that gave birth to cubs during the winter) and ...

The water buffalo plays a key role in the socio-economy of South-East Asia as it is the main draught power for paddy rice cultivation. While in the Indian subcontinent the water buffalo is the riverine type, in South-East Asia the majority of buffaloes are of the swamp type. In the poor remote northern province of Ha Giang in Vietnam, improvement of the swamp buffalo breed may be one of the bes...