Maturity,fecundity, and reproductive cycle of the spotted ratfish, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hydrolagus colliei</Emphasis>

Size at maturity, fecundity, and reproductive periodicity were estimated for the spotted ratfish, Hydrolagus colliei (Lay and Bennett, 1839), off the coast of California, Oregon, and Washington. Maximum body size and size at median maturity were greater for females than males. Skeletal muscle concentrations of the steroid hormones testosterone (T) and estradiol (E₂) predicted similar, but slightly smaller sizes at maturity than the morphological criterion. Stage of maturity for males was estimated identically using internal organs or external secondary sexual characters, thus allowing non-lethal maturity assessments. Size at median maturity was greater north of Point Conception for females, and north of Cape Mendocino for males. Peak parturition occurred from May to October, with increased concentrations of E₂ in skeletal muscle of females correlating with ovarian recrudescence during November to February. No significant seasonal trends in female T were apparent, but mean female 11-ketotestosterone (11KT) was 300% greater in April than any other month during the parturition season. There was a marginal evidence for increased number and size of ova with maternal size. Extrapolation of the hypothesized 6 to 8-month egg-laying season to observed mean parturition rates of captive specimens yielded an estimated annual fecundity of 19.5–28.9 egg cases. Differences in fecundity among higher taxonomic classifications of chondrichthyans were detected with chimaeriform fishes more fecund than lamniform, myliobatiform, squaliform, and rhinobatiform fishes, and less fecund than rajiform fishes. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

A new chasmosaurine from northern Laramidia expands frill disparity in ceratopsid dinosaurs

A new taxon of chasmosaurine ceratopsid demonstrates unexpected disparity in parietosquamosal frill shape among ceratopsid dinosaurs early in their evolutionary radiation. The new taxon is described based on two apomorphic squamosals collected from approximately time equivalent (approximately 77 million years old) sections of the upper Judith River Formation, Montana, and the lower Dinosaur Park Formation of Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta. It is referred to Chasmosaurinae based on the inferred elongate morphology. The typical chasmosaurine squamosal forms an obtuse triangle in dorsal view that tapers towards the posterolateral corner of the frill. In the dorsal view of the new taxon, the lateral margin of the squamosal is hatchet-shaped with the posterior portion modified into a constricted narrow bar that would have supported the lateral margin of a robust parietal. The new taxon represents the oldest chasmosaurine from Canada, and the first pre-Maastrichtian ceratopsid to have been collected on both sides of the Canada–US border, with a minimum north–south range of 380 km. This squamosal morphology would have given the frill of the new taxon a unique dorsal profile that represents evolutionary experimentation in frill signalling near the origin of chasmosaurine ceratopsids and reinforces biogeographic differences between northern and southern faunal provinces in the Campanian of North America.     

A non-parametric distance-based method using all available indicators for integrated environmental assessment – a case study of the Mid-Atlantic Region,USA

The paper presents a multivariate measure useful for integrated environmental assessments. It is a weighted distance measure applied to metric data but based on nonparametric statistical procedures. The proposed measure allows all environmental indicators to be used directly without any reduction in dimension (e.g. as in principal component analysis) nor losing variance while being able to tolerate possible non-normality of the indicators, as well as non-linear relationships among them. Results of the hypothetical example and the Mid-Atlantic case study show that the proposed measure is suitable and valuable for integrating multiple indicators into a single index, an important task in integrated environmental assessment.     

Prenatal diagnosis of CLCN4-related neurodevelopmental disorder in fetuses with congenital brain anomalies

We report two male fetuses born to a healthy unrelated couple, with agenesis of the corpus callosum identified on detailed 20-week ultrasound scans and confirmed by in-utero MRI. Whole-genome sequencing identified a likely pathogenic missense variant in the CLCN4 gene, establishing this as the causative gene in the family. Pathogenic variants in the CLCN4 gene cause a neurodevelopmental disorder (also called Raynaud-Claes syndrome) inherited in an X-linked pattern. The disorder is characterised by developmental delay, intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, epilepsy, mental health conditions, and significant feeding difficulties, predominantly, but not exclusively, affecting males. This is the first report of a prenatal phenotype associated with variants in the CLCN4 gene. The diagnosis of the CLCN4-related neurodevelopmental disorder in this family allowed accurate genetic counseling and discussion of reproductive choices. This leaves uncertainty about the possibility of a postnatal neurodevelopmental phenotype in heterozygous females, which we discuss.     

Narratives Can Motivate Environmental Action: The Whiskey Creek Ocean Acidification Story

Even when environmental data quantify the risks and benefits of delayed responses to rapid anthropogenic change, institutions rarely respond promptly. We propose that narratives complementing environmental datasets can motivate responsive environmental policy. To explore this idea, we relate a case study in which a narrative of economic loss due to regionally rapid ocean acidification—an anthropogenic change—helped connect knowledge with action. We pose three hypotheses to explain why narratives might be particularly effective in linking science to environmental policy, drawing from the literature of economics, environmental policy, and cognitive psychology. It seems that yet-untold narratives may hold similar potential for strengthening the feedback between environmental data and policy and motivating regional responses to other environmental problems.     

Sustainable Rainwater Catchment Systems for Micronesian Atoll Communities

Atoll island communities rely on rainwater catchment systems (RWCS) as a primary method of storing freshwater. However, stored freshwater can be depleted during times of drought, requiring importation of water to sustain community living. To maintain adequate water supply under future climatic conditions, the functioning of RWCS for atoll communities must be analyzed and optimal designs must be adopted. In this study, a quantitative analysis of stored daily water volumes is provided for atoll islands within the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), with Nikahlap Island, Pakein Atoll, and a generic island in western FSM used as representative cases. Using a daily water balance model for the RWCS, baseline conditions are simulated for the 1997‐1999 time period, during which an intense El Niño‐induced drought occurred, and a sensitivity analysis is performed to quantify the influence of RWCS features on water system outputs, whereupon an optimal RWCS design using existing infrastructure is analyzed. Results indicate the strong influence of catchment area, system efficiency, and storage capacity on water volumes and the depletion of water during dry seasons and drought periods using current RWCS infrastructure. Adequate storage can be maintained during a major drought if unused RWCS features are employed and if minimal rationing is adopted. Study results provide water resource managers and government officials with valuable data for consideration in water security measures.     

Nest- and colony-mate recognition in polydomous colonies of meat ants (Iridomyrmex purpureus)

Workers of polydomous colonies of social insects must recognize not only colony-mates residing in the same nest but also those living in other nests. We investigated the impact of a decentralized colony structure on colony- and nestmate recognition in the polydomous Australian meat ant (Iridomyrmex purpureus). Field experiments showed that ants of colonies with many nests were less aggressive toward alien conspecifics than those of colonies with few nests. In addition, while meat ants were almost never aggressive toward nestmates, they were frequently aggressive when confronted with an individual from a different nest within the same colony. Our chemical analysis of the cuticular hydrocarbons of workers using a novel comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography technique that increases the number of quantifiable compounds revealed both colony- and nest-specific patterns. Combined, these data indicate an incomplete transfer of colony odor between the nests of polydomous meat ant colonies.     

Ecological opportunity and phenotypic plasticity interact to promote character displacement and species coexistence

We investigated the roles of resource availability and phenotypic plasticity in promoting ecological character displacement (i.e., trait evolution stemming from resource competition between species). Because ecological character displacement generates new populations that differ in resource use, this process should only occur when exploitable resources are available. We tested this hypothesis in two species of spadefoot toads (Spea bombifrons and S. multiplicata) whose tadpoles use phenotypic plasticity to develop into either an omnivore morph, which specializes on detritus, or a physically distinctive carnivore morph, which specializes on shrimp. Both species grow best on shrimp, but when reared together, S. bombifrons outcompetes S. multiplicata for shrimp and S. multiplicata outcompetes S. bombifrons for detritus. We found that when each species occurred alone in the field, they produced similar proportions of omnivores and carnivores. When the two species occurred together, however, they underwent ecological character displacement in larval development, with S. multiplicata producing mostly omnivores, and S. bombifrons producing mostly carnivores. We combined observations of natural populations with experiments to evaluate whether such character displacement was only possible when both shrimp and detritus were relatively abundant. Mixed-species ponds contained abundant detritus and shrimp, in contrast with nearby pure-species ponds, which were deficient in one resource. Experiments revealed that S. multiplicata competed poorly when detritus was rare and that S. bombifrons competed poorly when shrimp was rare. In nature, when one of these two resources was scarce, one species was missing, perhaps through competitive exclusion by the species that was the superior competitor for the remaining resource. Thus, ecological character displacement and, therefore, coexistence of close competitors, was only possible when diverse resources were available. Finally, even if exploitable resources are available, character displacement is not guaranteed to transpire if species cannot utilize such resources expeditiously. Phenotypic plasticity provides a general and important mechanism for facilitating resource partitioning. Thus, by facilitating shifts in resource use, phenotypic plasticity and ecological opportunity may often interact to promote divergence and coexistence of competitors.