The federally endangered North American Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) and the closely related Melissa blue butterfly (L. m. melissa) can be distinguished based on life history and morphology. Western populations of L. m. samuelis share mitochondrial haplotypes with L. m. melissa populations, while eastern populations of L. m. samuelis have divergent haplotypes. Here we test...

The populations of brook lamprey Lampetra planeri of Portuguese Rivers were analysed phylogeographically using a fragment of 644 bp of the mitochondrial control region of 158 individuals from six populations. Samples representing L. planeri and migratory lampreys Lampetra fluviatilis of rivers draining to the North Sea and the Baltic Sea were also included to assess the relationships of Portugu...

Harnessing the traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) of local communities has the potential to enhance conservation planning in developing regions. Marine protected areas (MPAs) that incorporate traditional beliefs about reef tenure are generally more successful in reaching conservation goals and ensuring the participation of local fishermen on vulnerable tropical reef systems. Fiji possesses ...

Subspecies embody the evolution of different phenotypes as adaptations to local environmental differences in keeping with the concept of the Evolutionary Significant Unit (ESU). Sri Lankan mammals, being mostly of Indian-Indochinese origins, were honed, in part, by the events following the separation of Sri Lanka from Gondwana in the late Miocene. The emerging new Sri Lankan environment provide...

Absrract.-The U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) considers "distinct" populations of vertebrates to be "species" (and hence eligible for legal protection) but does not explain how distinctness should be evaluated. A review of the legislative and legal history of the ESA indicates that in implementing the ESA with respect to vertebrate populations, the Fish and Wildlife Senice and the National Ma...

The objectives of this study were to describe and evaluate potential drivers of genetic structure in Canadian breeding populations of the Ovenbird, Seiurus aurocapilla. We performed genetic analyses on feather samples of individuals from six study sites using nuclear microsatellites. We also assessed species identity and population genetic structure of quill mites (Acariformes, Syringophilidae)...

Landraces play an important role in agricultural sustainability, food security and the future crop improvement. Systematic information about evolution of crops is crucial for implementation effective conservation utilization strategies. Unlike Europe North America, historical data less complete other parts world, especially regions where high diversity genetic resources, such as Chile. In order...

Soil conservation and control of erosion is a basic problem in all countries. The goal of this research is to estimate erosion and sediment yield in Ekbatan Dam drainage basin by Erosion Potential Method (EPM), using Geographic Information System (GIS). The basin is located in Hamedan Province, west of Iran, in a cold and semi- arid region, with an average annual rainfall of 334mm. The study ar...

The physical characteristics of river systems exert significant control on the habitat for aquatic species, including the distribution of in-stream channel habitat units. Most previous studies on channel habitat units have focused on midlatitude rivers, which differ in several substantive ways from tropical rivers. Field delineation of channel habitat units is especially challenging in tropical...