Causal Factors of Breeding Success and Frequency in Threatened Grassland Birds on the Ingula Nature Reserve, South Africa

The high-altitude grasslands covering the eastern escarpment of South Africa is one of the country’s most valuable habitats for biodiversity, livestock and water production. The habitat hosts several threatened bird species including endangered species such as the Rudd\u27s Lark (Heteromirafra ruddi) and Grey Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum), and vulnerable species such as the Blue Crane (Grus paradisea), Wattled Crane (Bugeranus carunculatus), Southern Bald Ibis (Geronticus calvus), and Yellow-breasted Pipit (Anthus chloris). Avian research and monitoring have been ongoing within the recently declared Ingula Nature Reserve for more than 15 years as part of the activities of the Ingula Partnership - a partnership between BirdLife South Africa, Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd and the Middelpunt Wetland Trust - with the objective of effectively conserving birds and their habitat surrounding the Ingula Pumped Storage Scheme development. Avian monitoring on Ingula refocused in 2014 to confirm the presence of threatened species on site, followed by the determination of the breeding status of these species. An initiative was then launched to assess the breeding frequency and success of each identified species. Breeding monitoring for 13 out of the 24 occurring threatened species commenced in 2014 and was conducted for five consecutive seasons. Breeding success per season was measured in relation to the grassland management regime of that season (including both fire and grazing), as well as weather data, adjusting for dry and wet seasons. Results confirm that various grassland management regimes directly influenced the initiation of breeding activities and density of several of the species studied, while others’ breeding success and frequency were more dependent on macro-weather patterns (including climate change) and fire frequency and timing. These results have direct implications for the management of highland grasslands and associated species in the given region

Time and Origin of Cichlid Colonization of the Lower Congo Rapids

Most freshwater diversity is arguably located in networks of rivers and streams, but, in contrast to lacustrine systems riverine radiations, are largely understudied. The extensive rapids of the lower Congo River is one of the few river stretches inhabited by a locally endemic cichlid species flock as well as several species pairs, for which we provide evidence that they have radiated in situ. We use more that 2,000 AFLP markers as well as multilocus sequence datasets to reconstruct their origin, phylogenetic history, as well as the timing of colonization and speciation of two Lower Congo cichlid genera, Steatocranus and Nanochromis. Based on a representative taxon sampling and well resolved phylogenetic hypotheses we demonstrate that a high level of riverine diversity originated in the lower Congo within about 5 mya, which is concordant with age estimates for the hydrological origin of the modern lower Congo River. A spatial genetic structure is present in all widely distributed lineages corresponding to a trisection of the lower Congo River into major biogeographic areas, each with locally endemic species assemblages. With the present study, we provide a phylogenetic framework for a complex system that may serve as a link between African riverine cichlid diversity and the megadiverse cichlid radiations of the East African lakes. Beyond this we give for the first time a biologically estimated age for the origin of the lower Congo River rapids, one of the most extreme freshwater habitats on earth

Favourable outcome in a patient bitten by a rabid bat infected with the European bat lyssavirus-1.

&lt;p&gt;The classic rabies virus (genotype 1) has been eliminated in Western Europe, but related lyssaviruses still circulate in local bats. In August 2010, a Belgian photographer was bitten upon provocation of a disoriented Eptesicus serotinus bat in Spain. The bat was infected with European bat lyssavirus-1 (genotype 5). The isolate proved highly neurovirulent in mice. The patient had received preventive rabies immunisations years before the incident and received two boosters with the HDCV rabies vaccine afterwards. Available vaccines are based on the classic rabies virus, which is significantly divergent from the European bat lyssavirus-1. Fortunately, the patient&#039;s serological immune response demonstrated satisfactory neutralisation of the 2010 EBLV-1 isolate, using an intracerebral challenge model in mice. Most likely, the patient&#039;s life was saved thanks to vaccination with the classic rabies vaccine, which proved sufficiently protective against European bat lyssavirus-1. This case highlights the need for preventive rabies vaccination in people, who come in contact with bats and to seek medical council after a scratch or bite from a bat.&lt;/p&gt;</p

Rivers, not refugia, drove diversification in arboreal, sub-Saharan African snakes

A grant from the One-University Open Access Fund at the University of Kansas was used to defray the author's publication fees in this Open Access journal. The Open Access Fund, administered by librarians from the KU, KU Law, and KUMC libraries, is made possible by contributions from the offices of KU Provost, KU Vice Chancellor for Research & Graduate Studies, and KUMC Vice Chancellor for Research. For more information about the Open Access Fund, please see http://library.kumc.edu/authors-fund.xml.The relative roles of rivers versus refugia in shaping the high levels of species diversity in tropical rainforests have been widely debated for decades. Only recently has it become possible to take an integrative approach to test predictions derived from these hypotheses using genomic sequencing and paleo-species distribution modeling. Herein, we tested the predictions of the classic river, refuge, and river-refuge hypotheses on diversification in the arboreal sub-Saharan African snake genus Toxicodryas. We used dated phylogeographic inferences, population clustering analyses, demographic model selection, and paleo-distribution modeling to conduct a phylogenomic and historical demographic analysis of this genus. Our results revealed significant population genetic structure within both Toxicodryas species, corresponding geographically to river barriers and divergence times from the mid-Miocene to Pliocene. Our demographic analyses supported the interpretation that rivers are indications of strong barriers to gene flow among populations since their divergence. Additionally, we found no support for a major contraction of suitable habitat during the last glacial maximum, allowing us to reject both the refuge and river-refuge hypotheses in favor of the river-barrier hypothesis. Based on conservative interpretations of our species delimitation analyses with the Sanger and ddRAD data sets, two new cryptic species are identified from east-central Africa. This study highlights the complexity of diversification dynamics in the African tropics and the advantages of integrative approaches to studying speciation in tropical regions

Splicing events in the control of genome integrity: role of SLU7 and truncated SRSF3 proteins

Genome instability is related to disease development and carcinogenesis. DNA lesions are caused by genotoxic compounds but also by the dysregulation of fundamental processes like transcription, DNA replication and mitosis. Recent evidence indicates that impaired expression of RNA-binding proteins results in mitotic aberrations and the formation of transcription-associated RNA–DNA hybrids (R-loops), events strongly associated with DNA injury. We identify the splicing regulator SLU7 as a key mediator of genome stability. SLU7 knockdown results in R-loops formation, DNA damage, cell-cycle arrest and severe mitotic derangements with loss of sister chromatid cohesion (SCC). We define a molecular pathway through which SLU7 keeps in check the generation of truncated forms of the splicing factor SRSF3 (SRp20) (SRSF3-TR). Behaving as dominant negative, or by gain-of-function, SRSF3-TR impair the correct splicing and expression of the splicing regulator SRSF1 (ASF/SF2) and the crucial SCC protein sororin. This unique function of SLU7 was found in cancer cells of different tissue origin and also in the normal mouse liver, demonstrating a conserved and fundamental role of SLU7 in the preservation of genome integrity. Therefore, the dowregulation of SLU7 and the alterations of this pathway that we observe in the cirrhotic liver could be involved in the process of hepatocarcinogenesis