Oil palm cultivation critically affects sociality in a threatened Malaysian primate

Human-induced habitat alterations globally threaten animal populations, often evoking complex behavioural responses in wildlife. This may be particularly dramatic when negatively affecting social behaviour, which fundamentally determines individual fitness and offspring survival in group-living animals. Here, we provide first evidence for significant behavioural modifications in sociality of southern pig-tailed macaques visiting Malaysian oil palm plantations in search of food despite elevated predation risk. Specifically, we found critical reductions of key positive social interactions but higher rates of aggression in the plantation interior compared to the plantation edge (i.e. plantation areas bordering the forest) and the forest. At the plantation edge, affiliation even increased compared to the forest, while central positions in the macaques' social network structure shifted from high-ranking adult females and immatures to low-ranking individuals. Further, plantations also affected mother–infant relationships, with macaque mothers being more protective in the open plantation environment. We suggest that although primates can temporarily persist in human-altered habitats, their ability to permanently adapt requires the presence of close-by forest and comes with a trade-off in sociality, potentially hampering individual fitness and infant survival. Studies like ours remain critical for understanding species’ adaptability to anthropogenic landscapes, which may ultimately contribute to facilitating their coexistence with humans and preserving biodiversity.

PECULIARITIES OF SEA BUCKTHORN NATURALIZATION (HIPPOPHAE RHAMNOIDES L.) IN THE URALS

Успешная интродукция древесных растений сопровождается их натурализацией – внедрением видов инорайонного происхождения в природные фитоценозы. Примером натурализации древесных интроду- центов на Урале может быть образование популяций Hippophae rhamnoides L. на берегах озера Чебаркуль Челябинской области и в зольных отвалах Рефтинской ГРЭС Свердловской области. Высокая изменчивость однотипных признаков определяет приспособленность вида к меняющимся условиям среды и указывает на ослабление жесткости генотипического контроля, слабую стабилизацию фенотипа и увеличение роли внешних факторов в формировании фенотипического признака.Цель исследований – установление изменчивости плодов и листьев облепихи крушиновидной при на- турализации ценопопуляций облепихи на Южном и Среднем Урале в начале экспансии в 1999 г. и через 20 лет. Методикой работы предусмотрены маршрутное обследование интродукционных популяций облепихи на берегах озера Чебаркуль, золоотвалах Рефтинской ГРЭС и определение уровня изменчивости плодов и листьев форм, образованных при спонтанной гибридизации с начала натурализации облепихи и в на- стоящее время. Уровень изменчивости морфологических признаков оценивался по эмпирической шкале уровней изменчивости С. А. Мамаева. В чебаркульской и рефтинской популяциях преобладают плоды облепихи с овальной, шаровидной и конусовидной формой с желтой, светло-оранжевой, оранжевой, красно-оранжевой окраской. По массе 100 шт. плодов наибольшее хозяйственное значение имеют формы чебаркульской популяции, отобранные в начале расселения облепихи на берегах обмелевшего озера Чебаркуль. Посевом семян от свободного опыления нами получен ряд перспективных форм с массой 100 шт. плодов от 40,9 до 70,2 г. Некоторые чебаркульские формы облепихи не уступают по данному признаку сортам этой культуры. Отбор крупноплодных форм облепихи стал возможен в начале плодоношения чебаркульской облепихи. Натурализация данной культуры происходит за счет микроэволюционных процессов в интродукционных популяциях и формообразования за пределами естественного ареала. The successful introduction of woody plants is accompanied by their naturalization – the introduction of species of foreign origin into natural phytocenoses. The population’s formation of Hippophae rhamnoides L. on the shores of Lake Chebarkul in the Chelyabinsk region and ash dumps of the Reftinskaya SDPP in the Sverdlovsk region can be an example of the naturalization of tree introduced species in the Urals.The high variability of the same type of traits determines the species adaptability to changing environmental conditions and indicates a weakening of the genotypic control rigidity, weak stabilization of the phenotype and an increase in the external factors’ role in the formation of the phenotypic trait.The purpose of the research is to establish the variability of fruits and leaves of sea buckthorn during naturalization of sea buckthorn cenopopulations in the South and Middle Urals at the beginning of expansion in 1999 and 20 years later.The methodology of the work provides for a route survey of the introduction populations of sea buckthorn on the shores of Lake Chebarkul, ash dumps of Reftinskaya SDPP and determination of the level of variability of fruits and leaves of forms formed during spontaneous hybridization from the beginning of naturalization of sea buckthorn and at present time. The level of morphological traits’ variability was assessed using an empirical scale of levels of variability by S.A. Mamaev. In the Chebarkul and Reftinskaya populations sea buckthorn fruits with an oval, spherical and conical shape, with a yellow, light orange, orange, red-orange color prevail. By the mass of 100 pieces of fruits, the forms of the Chebarkul population, selected at the beginning of the resettlement of sea buckthorn on the shores of the shallow lake Chebarkul, are of the greatest economic importance. By sowing seeds from free pollination, we obtained a number of perspective forms with a mass of 100 fruits from 40.9 g to 70.2 g. Some Chebarkul forms of sea buckthorn are not inferior to the varieties of this crop in this respect. Selection of large-fruited forms of sea buckthorn became possible at the beginning of fruiting of the Chebarkul sea buckthorn. Naturalization of this culture occurs due to microevolutionary processes in introduction populations and morphogenesis outside the natural area.

Detecting DNA polymorphism and genetic diversity in a wide pistachio germplasm by RAPD markers

Assessing the genetic diversity in the population is the prerequisite to start and develop plant breeding projects. Pistacia vera is considered as a commercial species of Pistacia genus. In Iran, Pistachio export is in the second place in terms of non-oil exports and in the first place among horticultural crops. Therefore, we collected and analyzed 11 pistachio genotype (Pistacia vera), from two provinces of Iran regions. Our aims were 1) to assess genetic diversity among some of Irainian pistachio cultivars 2) is there a correlation between species genetic and geographical distance? 3) Genetic structure of populations and taxa. We showed significant differences in quantitative morphological characters in plant species. Akbari cultivars depicted unbiased expected heterozygosity (UHe) in the range of 0.028. Shannon information was high (0.49) in Seifadini cultivars. Akbari cultivars howed the lowest value, 0.029. The observed number of alleles (Na) ranged from 0.261 to 2.700 in Shahpasand cultivars and Kalehghoochi cultivars. The effective number of alleles (Ne) was in the range of 1.021-1.800 for Akbari cultivars and Moosaabadi cultivars .Gene flow (Nm) was relatively low (0.38) in pistachio cultivars. The Mantel test showed correlation (r = 0.33, p=0.0001) between genetic and geographical distances. We reported high genetic diversity, which clearly shows the among some of Irainian pistachio cultivars can adapt to changing environments since high genetic diversity is linked to species adaptability. Present results highlighted the utility of RAPD markers and morphometry methods to investigate genetic diversity in pistachio cultivars.

Molecular identification and genetic diversity in Hypericum L.: A high value medicinal plant using RAPD markers markers

Genus Hypericum (Guttiferae, Hypericoideae) is perennial, belonging to the Hypericaceae family, having 484 species in forms of trees, shrubs, and herbs, distributed in 36 taxonomic sections. No detailed Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) studies were conducted to study Hypericum genetic diversity. Therefore, we collected and analyzed six species from five provinces of Iran regions. Overall, seventy plant specimens were collected. Our aims were 1) to assess genetic diversity among Hypericum species 2) is there a correlation between species genetic and geographical distance? 3) Genetic structure of populations and taxa. We showed significant differences in quantitative morphological characters in plant species. H. dogonbadanicum depicted unbiased expected heterozygosity (UHe) in the range of 0.10. Shannon information was high (0.32) in H. perforaturm. H. dogonbadanicum showed the lowest value, 0.17. The observed number of alleles (Na) ranged from 0.22 to 0.53 in H. dogonbadanicum and H. elongaturn. Gene flow (Nm) was relatively low (0.87) in Hypericum. The Mantel test showed correlation (r = 0.45, p=0.0001) between genetic and geographical distances. We reported high genetic diversity, which clearly shows the Hypericum species can adapt to changing environments since high genetic diversity is linked to species adaptability. Present results highlighted the utility of RAPD markers and morphometry methods to investigate genetic diversity in Hypericum species.

Comment: Sharing Our World with Wild Animals

Wild animals are falling increasingly under threat as their habitats are being disrupted by human activities and global warming. At the same time, we see wild animals such as wolves actually settling in human landscapes. This forces us to rethink how we can live together with other living beings, with whom we share one earth. The contributions in this book section can be seen as attempts to do just that. However, these developments also challenge the traditional ethical approach towards wild animals, concisely worded as “Let them be”. That falls short in the current era, in which semi-wild, contact zone, and liminal animals are recognized. Animals, whether living in natural or human landscapes, all make opportunistic use of all sorts of resources – including human ones. If circumstances change, either due to natural or human-made causes, they will enter into new interactions with their environment to survive. They are nodes in a dynamic, heterogeneous network of dependency relationships that increasingly includes humans. In this chapter a framework is proposed to indicate the presence of wild animals in the human landscape based on the species’ adaptability and their degree of dependence on humans. The framework shows that species strongly differ in their vulnerability and that a diversity of measures is required in a world in which human and animal domains increasingly merge. Recognizing that we do not have exclusive rights to the earth implies an impersonal care perspective for wild animals as fellow-earthlings. It requires the reconsideration of our ethics, philosophies, culture and politics.

Genetic diversity of Lonicera L. (Caprifoliaceae) estimated by molecular markers and morphological characters

Members of Lonicera are characterized by opposite, narrowly elliptic to obovate leaves, white, yellow, reddish, or purple-red corolla with capitate stigma and undulate calyx margin. In Flora Iranica, Wendelbo (1965) classified 19 species of the Lonicera into two subgenera (Chamaecerasus and Lonicera) and three sections, namely Isoxylosteum, Isika and Coeloxylosteum. The four studied species belong to subgenus Chamaecerasus and sections Isika and Coeloxylosteum. No detailed Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) studies were conducted to study Lonicera genetic diversity. Therefore, we collected and analyzed three species from 2 provinces regions. Overall, 45 plant specimens were collected. Our aims were 1) to assess genetic diversity among Lonicera species 2) is there a correlation between species genetic and geographical distance? 3) Genetic structure of populations and taxa. We showed significant differences in quantitative morphological characters in plant species. The Mantel test showed correlation (r=0.66, p=0.0001) between genetic and geographical distances. We reported high genetic diversity, which clearly shows the Lonicera species can adapt to changing environments since high genetic diversity is linked to species adaptability. Present results highlighted the utility of RAPD markers and morphometry methods to investigate genetic diversity in Lonicera species.

Oil Palm Cultivation Critically Affects Sociality in an Endangered Malaysian Primate

Human-induced habitat alterations globally threaten animal populations, often evoking complex behavioural responses in wildlife. This may be particularly dramatic when negatively affecting social behaviour, which fundamentally determines individual fitness and offspring survival in group-living animals. Here, we provide first evidence for critical behavioural modifications in sociality of Southern pig-tailed macaques visiting Malaysian oil palm plantations in search of food. Specifically, we found significant reductions of positive social interactions, an increase of aggression and shifts in the macaques' social network structure, with the central positions of high-ranking adult females and immatures being passed to low-ranking individuals, likely resulting from socio-ecological risks posed by plantations. Deviations from natural behaviour also affected the smallest but crucial social units within groups, mother-infant pairs, with increased maternal protectiveness at plantations. We suggest that although primates can persist in human-altered habitats, their ability to adapt comes with a trade-off for their natural sociality, potentially hampering infant development and individual survival. Studies like ours remain critical for understanding species’ adaptability to anthropogenic landscapes, which may ultimately contribute to facilitating their coexistence with humans and preserving biodiversity.

Leaf anatomy of valuable species of genus Primula

In this research, we discovered a number of structural adaptations and informative characteristics for the leaf blades of the studied species from the genus Primula L. The species under study were found to have anomocytic stomatal type. The leaf blades are hypostomatic (P. denticulata) or with the predominant abaxial stomata (P. macrocalyx, P. pallasii). The following indicators have low variation): size of stomata, number of cells in the upper and lower epidermis, height of cells in the upper mesophyll layer, lamina thickness near the midvein and central part, phloem cross-section area, and vascular bundle area. High and very high variation level is observed for the quantitative indicators describing the leaf indument density, number of stomata and stomatal index of the upper epidermis. The data obtained can be used to evaluate the species adaptability and to develop the appropriate light and hydrothermal regime for cultivating the species in the Western Siberia sub-boreal forest environment.

Effects of water deficit and pH on seed germination and seedling development in Cereus jamacaru

The lack of water and soil acidity are current problems occurring in many regions around the globe. Therefore, it is essential to investigate the effects of seed germination and seedling development, in order to determine the species adaptability to the ever-changing environment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of water deficit and pH on seed germination and seedling development in Cereus jamacaru. A completely randomized experiment was performed. A factorial scheme of 6 × 7, corresponding to six osmotic potential values (0.0, -0.2, -0.4, -0.6, -0.8, and -1.0 MPa) induced by PEG 6000, and seven pH levels (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9) with four replications was used. The variables analyzed were germination (G), germination speed index (GSI), mean germination time (MGT), normal seedling (NS), root length (RL), shoot length (ShL), seedling length (SL), and seedling dry mass (SDM). The statistical analysis included ANOVA and binomial models (G and NS), regression models with quadratic terms (GSI and MGT), and response surface method (ShL and SL) for the variables with at least one significant factor (p < 0.05). C. jamacaru showed susceptibility to water deficit at seed germination and seedling development stages, indicated by the decreases in G, GSI, NS, ShL, and SL at osmotic potential below to 0.0 MPa. The pH interaction with osmotic potential affected C. jamacaru seedling development. The increase in pH was favorable for seedling development, but not for seed germination.