Male tawny dragons use throat patterns to recognize rivals

The ability to distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar conspecifics is important for many animals, especially territorial species since it allows them to avoid unnecessary interactions with individuals that pose little threat. There are very few studies, however, that identify the proximate cues that facilitate such recognition in visual systems. Here, we show that in tawny dragons (Ctenophorus decresii), males can recognize familiar and unfamiliar conspecific males based on morphological features alone, without the aid of chemical or behavioural cues. We further show that it is the colour pattern of the throat patches (gular) that facilitates this recognition.     

The efficacy of maternal age screening for Down's syndrome in Wessex

The uptake of amniocentesis in Wessex for the period 1986–1988 was 36 per cent (2873 of 8004 births), a proportion that has not altered significantly since 1984. There is a large difference in uptake between women in the lower risk age group, 35–36 years, and those in the higher risk group, 37 + years, and very considerable differences in uptake among different districts. The prenatal detection over the 3-year study period for women aged 35 or more, after correction for spontaneous loss of Down's syndrome fetuses between prenatal detection and birth, is 53 per cent, a figure that must be inflated due to our failure to ascertain all liveborn Down's syndrome patients.     

Long‐Term Trends of Specific Conductance in Waters Discharged by Coal‐Mine Valley Fills in Central Appalachia,USA

Anthropogenic salinization of freshwaters is a global concern. Coal surface mining causes release of dissolved sulfate, bicarbonate, calcium, magnesium, and other ions to surface waters in central Appalachia, USA, through practices that include mine rock disposal in valley fills (VFs). This region's surface waters naturally have low salinity, with specific conductance (SC, a salinity indicator) generally <200 μS/cm, and aquatic impacts have been found when SC exceeds the 300 to 500 μS/cm range. We analyzed SC in waters emerging from 137 VFs over periods of 1 to 23 years. Mean SCs for these VFs ranged from 227 to 2,866 μS/cm, generally rose during and immediately following construction, but often declined during latter portions of longer monitoring records. Seventy‐four of 103 VFs with postconstruction data had SC trends that fit negative quadratic forms. Of the 16 revegetated VFs with at least five years of SC data past the quadratic maximum, the mean quadratic maximum was 1,464 (±696) μS/cm and the model projected time required to approach natural conditions (by declining to <500 μS/cm) was 19.6 (±6.6) years after VF construction initiation, indicating long‐lasting but not permanent aquatic impacts due to elevated (>500 μS/cm) SC.     

Mining Communities from a Resilience Perspective: Managing Disturbance and Vulnerability in Itabira,Brazil

This paper applies the resilience lens to a social–ecological system characterized by the presence of large-scale mineral extraction operations. The system in question is the Brazilian community of Itabira, Minas Gerais, host to an iron ore operation of Vale, the world’s second largest mining corporation. Utilizing a resilience assessment framework, this study describes the various components of the Itabira social–ecological system revealing the challenges brought about by mining’s dominance. Data collection included literature reviews and semi-structured interviews with 29 individuals representing different stakeholder groups. Findings revealed that, despite recent efforts by government to regulate the industry, the mine continues to generate press and pulse disturbances that impact the resilience of the community. Operating from the standpoint that resilience depends largely upon the management capacity of stakeholders, the research identifies three ways to improve mining governance in Itabira. First, there is a need for local government to have more power in dealings with the corporation. Concurrent with this power, however, the municipality must demonstrate ownership over its fate, ideally through the creation of a sustainability plan. Finally, all key parties must demonstrate commitment to cooperating to resolve outstanding disturbances, even when these fall outside the regulatory approval process. While Itabira will remain a mining town for the foreseeable future, actions taken now to address challenges will only strengthen community well-being and sustainability moving forward.     

Occurrence of Norovirus,Rotavirus, Hepatitis a Virus,and Enterovirus in Berries in Argentina

Food and Environmental Virology - Berries have been implicated as the probable vehicle of infection in multiple outbreaks of norovirus and hepatitis A virus (HAV). These foods often receive minimal...     

Evolution of extreme-mating behaviour: patterns of extrapair paternity in a species with forced extrapair copulation

Sexual conflict can result in the evolution of extreme mating strategies, including forced copulation. Forced extrapair copulation (FEPC) is generally rare among birds, but is common in re-introduced populations of the hihi (Notiomystis cincta), a socially monogamous, New Zealand endemic, endangered passerine. The aim of this study was to understand the patterns of extrapair paternity in a population where the majority of EPC is forced and to examine the factors, in particular female-specific, influencing the proportion of offspring fathered by extrapair males (EPP—extrapair paternity) and the number of males siring extrapair offspring within a brood (EPM) in this species. Using 8 years of comprehensive paternity, life-history and demographic information for 485 breeding attempts, we show that the frequency of EPP is dependent on (1) social male and female age, (2) the month the female fledged, (3) breeding density and (4) whether it was their first or second reproductive event of the season. In addition, we show that both EPP and EPM are negatively associated with breeding synchrony and clutch size is the most important predictor of EPM. Understanding the drivers of EPP and EPM in species with FECP is important because these are strong determinants of variance in reproductive success and the maintenance of extreme mating behaviour.