Breeding biology of a relictual Maghreb Magpie (Pica mauritanica) population in Tunisia

Background The Maghreb Magpie (Pica mauritanica) is an endemic North African species. Available knowledge on this species is limited to historic descriptive data with no ecological information provided. Populations continue to dramatically decline in Tunisia, where only one relic population survives. Investigating the breeding biology of this species is essential for conservation purposes. The purpose of this study was to increase our understanding of the Tunisian relic population and provide detailed data on breeding biology over two breeding seasons (2017 and 2018). Methods This study occurred on a private farm of 650 ha, located 10 km from Dhorbania village at Kairouan Governorate, in central Tunisia. Active nests were monitored weekly during egg laying period and twice a week during hatching period. The Ivlev’s electivity index was used to assess whether the frequency of use of nesting trees and bushes matched their availability in the study area. We recorded nest measurements and positions, and compared them using Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Variations of breeding parameters as number of eggs laid, hatchlings, and fledglings over years were performed using Mann–Whitney U-test and χ2 tests. We used a Generalized Linear Mixed Model (GLMM) to investigate how egg volume varied with clutch size and laying date. Results We investigated clutch size, egg size, hatching and fledging success, and evaluated how these parameters varied according to laying date and nest characteristics. Clutch size averaged 5.00 ± 0.19 but was significantly greater in 2017. Hatching success was 2.78 ± 0.34 eggs hatched per nest and fledging success reached 1.69 ± 0.30 young/nest. Causes of nest failure included the depredation of nestlings by shrikes, cobras and rats (e.g. Lanius meridionalis, Naja haje and Rattus rattus), death of parents by the Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus caeruleus) and nest parasitism by the Great Spotted Cuckoo (Clamator glandarius). Clutch size, brood size and fledgling success were unaffected by laying date, nest volume and nest elevation. Egg volume decreased with laying date but was unaffected by clutch. Conclusion Our study provides the first and only detailed data on reproductive parameters of the Maghreb Magpie in its entire geographic range (North Africa). Information gleaned from this study provides valuable information for monitoring and long-term conservation plans of the endangered Tunisian Magpie population. Additionally, our data provide an avenue of large-scale comparative studies of the reproductive ecology of the magpie complex.

FIGARO simulation: FIlaments & GAlactic RadiO simulation

We produce the first low to mid-frequency radio simulation that incorporates both traditional extragalactic radio sources as well as synchrotron cosmic web emission. The FIlaments & GAlactic RadiO (FIGARO) simulation includes 10 unique 4° × 4° fields, incorporating active galactic nucleii (AGNs), star-forming galaxies (SFGs), and synchrotron cosmic web emission out to a redshift of z = 0.8 and over the frequency range 100–1 400 MHz. To do this, the simulation brings together a recent 1003 Mpc3 magnetohydrodynamic simulation (Vazza et al. 2019, A&A, 627, A5), calibrated to match observed radio relic population statistics, alongside updated ‘T-RECS’ code for simulating extragalactic radio sources (Bonaldi et al. 2019, MNRAS, 482, 2). Uniquely, the AGNs and SFGs are populated and positioned in accordance with the underlying matter density of the cosmological simulation. In this way, the simulation provides an accurate understanding of the apparent morphology, angular scales, and brightness of the cosmic web as well as—crucially—the clustering properties of the cosmic web with respect to the embedded extragalactic radio population. We find that the synchrotron cosmic web does not closely trace the underlying mass distribution of the cosmic web, but is instead dominated by shocked shells of emission surrounding dark matter halos and resembles a large, undetected population of radio relics. We also show that, with accurate kernels, the cosmic web radio emission is clearly detectable by cross-correlation techniques and this signal is separable from the embedded extragalactic radio population. We offer the simulation as a public resource towards the development of techniques for detecting and measuring the synchrotron cosmic web.

Molecular Species Delimitation of Larks (Aves: Alaudidae), and Integrative Taxonomy of the Genus Calandrella, with the Description of a Range-Restricted African Relic Taxon

Larks constitute an avian family of exceptional cryptic diversity and striking examples of convergent evolution. Therefore, traditional morphology-based taxonomy has recurrently failed to reflect evolutionary relationships. While taxonomy ideally should integrate morphology, vocalizations, behaviour, ecology, and genetics, this can be challenging for groups that span several continents including areas that are difficult to access. Here, we combine morphometrics and mitochondrial DNA to evaluate the taxonomy of Calandrella larks, with particular focus on the African C. cinerea and the Asian C. acutirostris complexes. We describe a new range-restricted West African taxon, Calandrella cinerea rufipecta ssp. nov. (type locality: Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria), with an isolated relic population 3000 km from its closest relative in the Rift Valley. We performed molecular species delimitation, employing coalescence-based multi-rate Poisson Tree Processes (mPTP) on cytochrome b sequences across 52 currently recognized lark species, including multiple taxa currently treated as subspecies. Three species-level splits were inferred within the genus Calandrella and another 13 across other genera, primarily among fragmented sub-Saharan taxa and taxa distributed from Northwest Africa to Arabia or East Africa. Previously unknown divergences date back as far as to the Miocene, indicating the presence of currently unrecognized species. However, we stress that taxonomic decisions should not be based on single datasets, such as mitochondrial DNA, although analyses of mitochondrial DNA can be a good indicator of taxa in need of further integrative taxonomic assessment.

Another Isolated Relic Population of the Alpine Salamander (Salamandra atra Laurenti, 1768) (Amphibia: Caudata: Salamandridae) in the Balkans

We provide information on an isolated locality of Salamandra atra on Mt. Orjen in southern Montenegro that fills in a large gap in the species distribution on the Balkan Peninsula. Eco-geomorphic characteristics of a newly found site of the Alpine Salamander indicate that it is a refugium of glacial relics.

Prospects of cosmic superstring detection through microlensing of extragalactic point-like sources

ABSTRACT The existence of cosmic superstrings may be probed by astronomical time domain surveys. When crossing the line of sight to point-like sources, strings produce a distinctive microlensing signature. We consider two avenues to hunt for a relic population of superstring loops: frequent monitoring of (1) stars in Andromeda, lensed by loops in the haloes of the Milky-Way and Andromeda and (2) supernovae at cosmological distances, lensed by loops in the intergalactic medium. We assess the potential of such experiments to detect and/or constrain strings with a range of tensions, 10−15 ≲ Gμ/c2 ≲ 10−6. The practical sensitivity is tied to cadence of observations which we explore in detail. We forecast that high-cadence monitoring of ∼105 stars on the far side of Andromeda over a year-long period will detect microlensing events if Gμ/c2 ∼ 10−13, while ∼106 stars will detect events if 10−13.5 < Gμ/c2 < 10−11.5; the upper and lower bounds of the accessible tension range continue to expand as the number of stars rises. We also analyse the ability to reject models in the absence of fluctuations. While challenging, these studies are within reach of forthcoming time-domain surveys. Supernova observations can hypothetically constrain models with 10−12 < Gμ/c2 < 10−6 without any optimization of the survey cadence. However, the event rate forecast suggests it will be difficult to reject models of interest. As a demonstration, we use observations from the Pantheon Type Ia supernova cosmology data set to place modest constraints on the number density of cosmic superstrings in a poorly tested region of the parameter space.

Cisovka - the relic population of Abies alba and its relationship to man-made silver-fir stands in Białowieża primeval forest

In Białowieża Primeval Forest, in 1823 Stanisław Górski discovered on the Cisovka Hag, a relic population of European silver-fir (<em>Abies alba</em> Mill.). This population is isolated and most away, 120 km to the North-East, from the border of European-silver-fir distribution. Besides the natural population Cisovka, there are also man-made silver fir stands and clumps in the Polish and Belorussian part of Białowieża Primeval Forest. In the Polish part there are four such artificial stands. If the seed-producing silver-fir stands really originated from the Cisovka population, then they are a very valuable part of the declining population and an easy accessible seed source. However, if these populations were introduced to the Białowieża Primeval Forest, then they are a potential source of dangerous genetic pollution of the Cisovka population. The relationship of the genetic structure of the Cisovka population to man-made silver-fir-stands in Białowieża Forest was investigated with the help of 17 loci of 1 1 enzyme systems. Genetic diversity of Cisovka population is characterized by the smallest mean number of alleles per locus (<em>Mal</em>= 1.353, includes all loci studied and per polimorphic locus <em>Malp</em> = 2.00). In Cisovka population there is very low-grade of polimorphic loci (<em>Pp</em> = 11.765 with the mean 37.255 for all studied populations). Expected heterozygosity, He = 0.079 revealed very low-grade of genetic diversity in the population. The observed heterozygosity (Ho = 0.123) was similar to this characterictic in other populations. A dendrogram based on Neis genetic distance coefficient (D) among 9 silver-fir populations was constructed. Cisovka in the UPGMA dendrogram is a distinct population separated from other ones by a very great genetic distance (D = 0.06). Also two man-made silver-fir (B I and 132) stands are separated from others. Only populations B3 and B4 are combined into one subgroup linked to the population Tomaszów Lubelski. Basing on the received results one should decide that all the four studied artificial stands were introduced to Białowieża Primeval Forest from beyond of this geographical regions. There is some reason to assume (on the GDH2 allele frequency) that man-made silver-stands in compartments 453Aa and 498Cg are of eastern provenance. It is rather certain that these stands are not of offspring of Cisovka populations.

Newly discovered relic population of Rubus chamaemorus L. in the Western Carpathians

In the territory of Poland, <em>Rubus chamaemorus </em>is a rare glacial relict. Its localities known to date were in the northern part of the country and in the Sudeten Mountains. In 2002, a new locality of this species was discovered in the Orawa-Nowy Targ basin in the Carpathians. It is the southernmost locality in the European distribution area of this species. <em>Rubus chamaemorus </em>grows there on a raised bog in communities of the Oxycocco-Sphagnetea class. The spatial structure of the population depends on microhabitats reflecting the hummock-hollow structure of the peatbog.