Reevaluating the Species Status of the Southern Ghost Pipe, Monotropa brittonii (Ericaceae)

Abstract— Relationships among members of Ericaceae subfamily Monotropoideae have been difficult to resolve due to reduction and convergent evolution in these parasitic plants. All species in this subfamily are fully mycoheterotrophic, meaning they obtain nutrients by parasitizing fungi rather than through photosynthesis. Here, we examine relationships and host specificity in one of the most widespread species in this subfamily, Monotropa uniflora. We use several lines of evidence to investigate whether there is support for recognizing a segregate, M. brittonii, as distinct. Based on molecular and morphological analysis of Monotropa collected throughout its range in the United States, we find two distinct lineages, one of which corresponds morphologically and geographically to Small’s M. brittonii. We identified several morphological characters that differ between the two species. We also observed a high degree of fungal host specificity in M. brittonii, which appears to parasitize almost exclusively Lactifluus subgenus Lactariopsis section Albati. Additionally, M. brittonii was primarily collected from Florida scrub, which are xeric, shrub-dominated habitats that differ substantially from the mesic forests where M. uniflora typically occurs. Based on these molecular, morphological, and ecological differences, we support recognition of M. brittonii as distinct from M. uniflora.

Sivas- Koyulhisar Orman (Fagus Orientalis Lipsky.) Toprakları ile Tarım Topraklarının Karbon Mineralizasyonu Yönünden Karşılaştırılması

In this study, the dynamism of forest areas was tried to be determined by determining the ecological differences between the areas where Fagus orientalis Lipsky. (Eastern beech, Fagaceae), a very important species for forestry in Turkey, and the soils of agricultural fields. lime %, total salt %, pH, texture, field capacity %, C%, N%, C/N ratios, 30-day carbon mineralization of the lands of Eastern beech forests and agricultural fields, which are naturally formed in Sivas province Koyulhisar district, under controlled conditions (28°C, 80 humidity %) was determined by the respiration method, and two areas in two different ecosystems were compared. When the carbon mineralizations of eastern beech soils were examined seasonally, it was determined as 19.54>18.23>17.87>17.18 mg C(CO2)/100g DS/30 day in spring>autumn>summer>winter seasons, while it was determined as 14.46>13.87>13.68>13.65 mg C(CO2)/100g DS/30 day in autumn>summer>spring>winter seasons in agricultural soils, respectively. Significant relationships were found between the C%, N%, 30-day carbon mineralization cumulative values and % carbon mineralization rates between both areas.

Games and enculturation: A cross-cultural analysis of cooperative goal structures in Austronesian games

While most animals play, only humans play games. As animal play serves to teach offspring important life-skills in a safe scenario, human games might, in similar ways, teach important culturally relevant skills. Humans in all cultures play games; however, it is not clear whether variation in the characteristics of games across cultural groups is related to group-level attributes. Here we investigate specifically whether the cooperativeness of games covaries with socio-ecological differences across cultural groups. We hypothesize that cultural groups that engage in frequent inter-group conflict, cooperative sustenance acquisition, or that have less stratified social structures, might more frequently play cooperative games as compared to groups that do not share these characteristics. To test these hypotheses, we gathered data from the ethnographic record on 25 ethnolinguistic groups in the Austronesian language family. We show that cultural groups with higher levels of inter-group conflict and cooperative land-based hunting play cooperative games more frequently than other groups. Additionally, cultural groups with higher levels of intra-group conflict play competitive games more frequently than other groups. These findings indicate that games are not randomly distributed among cultures, but rather relate to the socio-ecological settings of the cultural groups that practice them. We argue that games serve as training grounds for group-specific norms and values and thereby have an important function in enculturation during childhood. Moreover, games might server an important role in the maintenance of cultural diversity.

Geographical and Ecological Differences in Pepper Cultivation and Consumption in China

Peppers (Capsicum spp.) are used as food items, and particularly condiments, across most of the world. Accordingly, these vegetables occupy the largest annual stable planting area (>21,000 km2) in China. However, pepper growth, cultivation systems, yield formation, and cultivar traits vary among different environments. China is characteristic for its widely diverse terrains and high ecological heterogeneity, which determine its unique pepper consumption habits and cultivation patterns. The present study provides a comprehensive overview and analysis of the geographical and ecological characteristics of Chinese pepper consumption habits and cultivation systems, and the influence of climatic and human factors on the national pepper planting industry. For this, we analyzed detailed geospatial datasets and reviewed relevant policy papers and academic literature. Based on those findings, we then proposed sustainable management strategies for China's pepper industry; we offered suggestions for aligning the continued development of pepper cultivation with the national objective of achieving an ecological civilization and the nutritional requirements of an increasingly affluent and diverse population.

Desmodilliscus braueri crania compared to Pachyuromys duprasi (Desmodilliscini, Gerbillinae, Rodentia)

Molecular phylogenies support the monophyly of Desmodilliscus braueri and Pachyuromys duprasi as a clade basally split from all other gerbillines. While this monophyly supports their placement in a single tribe (Desmodilliscini), no morphological synapomorphies exist among desmodilliscines. This study compares the scale-independent cranial shapes of these two species using geometric morphometrics to determine how they differ and/or converge. Tribal synapomorphies, should they exist, may appear as interspecifically invariable cranial regions. No such invariable cranial regions were detected. The two species significantly differed in cranial size and shape. A small part of shape variation was allometric, with a weak unique allometric effect. No sexual size nor shape dimorphism was found. The sister taxa greatly differed in almost all cranial features, with Pachyuromys (when compared to Desmodilliscus) having a larger-sized cranium, with a larger bulla and suprameatal triangle, a more posteriorly placed palatine foramina, and more anteriorly shifted (and reduced) rostral cranial structures, due to being crowded by the hypertrophied bulla. Cranial variation patterns are consistent with the literature. The extreme morphological divergence among these species is explained by the distant divergence time and ecological differences. Absence of cranial shape synapomorphies does not preclude synapomorphies in other craniodental morphological features (e.g., detailed morphology of the dentition and cranial foramina) or in other morphological structures, such as the postcranial skeleton.

Variation in Microbial Exposure at the Human-Animal Interface and the Implications for Microbiome-Mediated Health Outcome

The human gut microbiome varies between populations, largely reflecting ecological differences. One ecological variable that is rarely considered but may contribute substantially to microbiome variation is the multifaceted nature of human-animal interfaces.

Not All Rivers Are Created Equal: The Importance of Spring-Fed Rivers under a Changing Climate

In the Western United States, volcanic spring-fed rivers are anticipated to become increasingly more important for salmonids and other native fishes, as these rivers will retain coldwater habitats as the climate warms. Despite this, little is known about the hydro-biogeochemical interactions within these ecosystems. A review of existing literature on spring-fed rivers, coupled with a decade of research on volcanic spring-fed rivers of northern California, finds that these systems are exceptionally productive and exhibit stable environmental conditions. These unique conditions stem from hydrogeologic processes typical of young volcanic terrains. Aquatic macrophytes, common to some nutrient-rich spring-fed systems, play a disproportionate role in hydrologic and geomorphic processes by facilitating ecological interactions and velocity conditions that improve juvenile salmonid growth. We find that volcanic spring-fed rivers are also resilient to climate change, due not only to their ability to dampen water temperature changes through deep groundwater flow but also because of their nutrient-driven high ecosystem productivity, which may enable coldwater species to metabolically compensate for marginal increases in water temperature. Understanding the fundamental geomorphic and ecological differences between these rare ecosystems and their numerically dominant runoff rivers is essential for developing long-term conservation strategies for coldwater species under a rapidly changing climate.

Thyroid hormones regulate the formation and environmental plasticity of white bars in clownfishes

Determining how plasticity of developmental traits responds to environmental conditions is a challenge that must combine evolutionary sciences, ecology, and developmental biology. During metamorphosis, fish alter their morphology and color pattern according to environmental cues. We observed that juvenile clownfish (Amphiprion percula) modulate the developmental timing of their adult white bar formation during metamorphosis depending on the sea anemone species in which they are recruited. We observed an earlier formation of white bars when clownfish developed with Stichodactyla gigantea (Sg) than with Heteractis magnifica (Hm). As these bars, composed of iridophores, form during metamorphosis, we hypothesized that timing of their development may be thyroid hormone (TH) dependent. We treated clownfish larvae with TH and found that white bars developed earlier than in control fish. We further observed higher TH levels, associated with rapid white bar formation, in juveniles recruited in Sg than in Hm, explaining the faster white bar formation. Transcriptomic analysis of Sg recruits revealed higher expression of duox, a dual oxidase implicated in TH production as compared to Hm recruits. Finally, we showed that duox is an essential regulator of iridophore pattern timing in zebrafish. Taken together, our results suggest that TH controls the timing of adult color pattern formation and that shifts in duox expression and TH levels are associated with ecological differences resulting in divergent ontogenetic trajectories in color pattern development.

Are Feeding Modes Concealing Morphofunctional Diversity? The Case of the New World Parrotfishes

In functional ecology, morphology is expected to reflect function; however, occasional decoupling of these two can be found. In the case of feeding ecology, the diversity of the diet or diversity of the feeding modes within a clade is expected to be positively related to the diversity of the morphological traits involved in the feeding performance. Parrotfishes are separated into two main groups, the “reef” clade and the “seagrass” clade. Both groups have important differences in their evolutionary history. Still, more interestingly, they have important morphological and ecological differences. The genera Scarus and Sparisoma are the most specious genera of parrotfishes. They belong to each of those main groups, respectively. All Scarus species have the same feeding mode, while in Sparisoma, there are three different feeding modes. We want to test if the morphological jaw diversity of these genera corresponds with the diversity in their feeding modes. Using a disparity analysis of feeding traits within a phylogenetical framework, we did not find a relationship between functional feeding morphology and feeding modes of the American parrotfishes of the genera Scarus and Sparisoma. Interestingly we found that some muscular traits are the source of the high disparity in the genus Scarus. We explore some possible morpho-functional reasons for this phenomenon and reappraise the parrotfishes’ scraper feeding mode’s functional diversity. We also consider that there could be more ecological differentiation between Scarus species that we are aware of. Using an ancestral reconstruction of feeding modes of 52 species of parrotfishes, we found that the scraping feeding mode exhibited by all Scarus species is an evolutionary convergence with the scraping feeding modes performed by some Sparisoma species. Different selective pressures or ecological conditions may have shaped the differences in the feeding ecology and the feeding morphology of these two genera. Probably, key novel structures and muscular properties found in the Scarus species’ jaw played an essential role in this genus’s morpho-functional diversification. Finally, we propose that feeding modes may not fully capture the complexity of feeding ecology in parrotfishes.