Larval morphology of the family Parthenopidae, with the description of the megalopa stage of Derilambrus angulifrons (Latreille, 1825) (Decapoda: Brachyura), identified by DNA barcode

Although Parthenopidae is a brachyuran decapod family comprising almost 140 species, there is little knowledge about its larval morphology. There are only two complete larval developments reared in the laboratory and some larval stages described for seven species. In the present work these data are compared and analysed. A summary is made of the larval features that characterize parthenopids that can be used to distinguish them from other brachyuran larvae. In addition, the megalopa stage of Derilambrus angulifrons and Parthenopoides massena was collected from plankton and identified by DNA barcodes. The morphology of the megalopa of D. angulifrons is described for the first time, and that of P. massena is compared with a previous description

Defects in Chiral Columnar Phases: Tilt Grain Boundaries and Iterated Moire Maps

Biomolecules are often very long with a definite chirality. DNA, xanthan and poly-gamma-benzyl-glutamate (PBLG) can all form columnar crystalline phases. The chirality, however, competes with the tendency for crystalline order. For chiral polymers, there are two sorts of chirality: the first describes the usual cholesteric-like twist of the local director around a pitch axis, while the second favors the rotation of the local bond-orientational order and leads to a braiding of the polymers along an average direction. In the former case chirality can be manifested in a tilt grain boundary phase (TGB) analogous to the Renn-Lubensky phase of smectic-A liquid crystals. In the latter case we are led to a new "moire" state with twisted bond order. In the moire state polymers are simultaneously entangled, crystalline, and aligned, on average, in a common direction. In the moire state polymers are simultaneously entangled, crystalline, and aligned, on average, in a common direction. In this case the polymer trajectories in the plane perpendicular to their average direction are described by iterated moire maps of remarkable complexity, reminiscent of dynamical systems.Comment: plain TeX, (33 pages), 17 figures, some uufiled and included, the remaining available at ftp://ftp.sns.ias.edu/pub/kamien/ or by request to [email protected]

Perspectives and challenges for the use of radar in biological conservation

Radar is at the forefront for the study of broad-scale aerial movements of birds, bats and insects and related issues in biological conservation. Radar techniques are especially useful for investigating species which fly at high altitudes, in darkness, or which are too small for applying electronic tags. Here, we present an overview of radar applications in biological conservation and highlight its future possibilities. Depending on the type of radar, information can be gathered on local- to continental-scale movements of airborne organisms and their behaviour. Such data can quantify flyway usage, biomass and nutrient transport (bioflow), population sizes, dynamics and distributions, times and dimensions of movements, areas and times of mass emergence and swarming, habitat use and activity ranges. Radar also captures behavioural responses to anthropogenic disturbances, artificial light and man-made structures. Weather surveillance and other long-range radar networks allow spatially broad overviews of important stopover areas, songbird mass roosts and emergences from bat caves. Mobile radars, including repurposed marine radars and commercially dedicated ‘bird radars’, offer the ability to track and monitor the local movements of individuals or groups of flying animals. Harmonic radar techniques have been used for tracking short-range movements of insects and other small animals of conservation interest. However, a major challenge in aeroecology is determining the taxonomic identity of the targets, which often requires ancillary data obtained from other methods. Radar data have become a global source of information on ecosystem structure, composition, services and function and will play an increasing role in the monitoring and conservation of flying animals and threatened habitats worldwide

Caracterisation d'une nouvelle souche du virus du fletrissement de la feve isolee de l'artichaut en France

National audienceA virus isolated from artichoke "Camus de Bretagne" in France has been characterized biologically, physicochemically, serologically and cytopathologically. It was identified as a new strain of broad bean wilt virus-French Artichoke (BBWV-FA) on the following basis : differential host reaction on Chenopodium amaranticolor; physico-chemical properties in good agreement with those of other strains of BBWV ; a serological differentiation index of 2-3 between BBWV-FA and another isolate of BBWV from Italian artichoke "Castellammare" (BBWV-IA) ; a relationship between BBWV-FA and BBWV serotypes I and II ; a very slight relationship between BBWV-FA and Lamium mild mosaic virus ; ultrastructural aspects of the viroplasms, which contain granular tubules about 70 nm in diameter.Un virus isolé de l’artichaut « Camus de Bretagne » en France est caractérisé selon les critères biologiques, physico-chimiques, sérologiques et cytopathologiques. Il est identifié à une nouvelle souche du Broad Bean Wilt Virus-French Artichoke (BBWV-FA) sur les bases suivantes : - les réactions des hôtes différentiels, notamment Chenopodium amaranticolor ; - les propriétés physico-chimiques du BBWV-FA, en accord avec celles des autres souches du même virus ; - les réactions sérologiques qui mettent en évidence : a) un index de différenciation sérologique de 2-3 entre BBWV-FA et un autre isolat observé sur l’artichaut italien « Castellammare » (BBWV-IA), b) une relation entre BBWV-FA et BBWV, sérotypes I et II, c) une relation très éloignée entre BBWV-FA et Lamium mild mosaic virus ; - les aspects ultrastructuraux des viroplasmes comportant des tubules granulaires de 70 nm de diamètre

Data from: Substantial reduction in thermo-suitable microhabitat for a rainforest marsupial under climate change

Increases in mean temperatures caused by anthropogenic climate change increases the frequency and severity of temperature extremes. Although extreme temperature events are likely to become increasingly important drivers of species’ response to climate change, the impacts are poorly understood due mainly to a lack of understanding of species’ physiological responses to extreme temperatures. The physiological response of Pseudochirops archeri (green ringtail possum) to temperature extremes has been well studied, demonstrating that heterothermy is used to reduce evaporative water loss at temperatures ˃30°C. Dehydration is likely to limit survival when animals are exposed to a critical thermal regime of ≥30°C, for ≥5 hours, for ≥4 consecutive days. In this study we use this physiological information to assess P. archeri’s vulnerability to climate change. We identify areas of current thermo-suitable habitat (validated using sightings), then estimate future thermo-suitable habitat for P. archeri, under four emission scenarios. Our projections indicate that up to 86% of thermo-suitable habitat could be lost by 2085, a serious conservation concern for the species. We demonstrate the potential applicability of our approach for generating spatiotemporally-explicit predictions of the vulnerability of species to extreme temperature events, providing a focus for efficient and targeted conservation and habitat restoration management

Smoothed Particles: A new paradigm for animating highly deformable bodies

This paper presents a new formalism for simulating highly deformable bodies with a particle system. Smoothed particles represent sample points that enable the approximation of the values and derivatives of local physical quantities inside a medium. They ensure valid and stable simulation of state equations that describe the physical behavior of the material

Managing the Fishery Commons at Marseille:How a Medieval Institution Failed to Accommodate Change in an Age of Globalization?

This paper offers a socio-historical study of the Prud'homie de pêche (the “Prud'homie”), a common-pool institution (“CPI”) that has managed the fishery commons at Marseille since the Middle Ages. The evidence presented here sheds light on specific challenges faced by the Prud'homie during the early stages of globalization: one challenge is the import of a new fishing technique (the madrague) in the early 17th century, and another challenge is the arrival of migrant fishermen from Catalonia throughout the 18th century. On this basis, this paper explores the ways in which globalization has impacted the Prud'homie and identifies the mechanisms through which these challenges might threaten the functioning of CPIs

Dynamic Animation of Deformable Bodies

PublishedInternational audienceno abstrac