Characterization of twenty-six microsatellite markers for the tropical pioneer tree species Cecropia insignis Liebm (Urticaceae)

Cecropia insignis is an ecologically important Neotropical pioneer tree and major vertebrate food source. Although this species is relatively common in faunally intact tropical rainforests, its population dynamics may be negatively impacted by hunting of seed-dispersing animals. To better understand gene flow and regeneration dynamics in C. insignis, we characterized 26 microsatellite markers in a population sampled from Barro Colorado Island, Panama. Eleven loci of C3 alleles were tested on 48 individuals, whereas the remaining 15 loci of two alleles were tested on 12 individuals. Allelic richness ranged from 2 to 9 per locus. Observed and expected heterozygosity averaged 0.478 and 0.440 respectively. Polymorphism information content was between 0.141 and 0.757. Only two loci exhibited deviation from Hardy–Weinberg proportions.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109362/1/Wei&Dick2014Cecropia.pdf85Description of Wei&Dick2014Cecropia.pdf : main articl

Storage dynamics in hydropedological units control hillslope connectivity, runoff generation, and the evolution of catchment transit time distributions

Acknowledgments We thank the European Research Council (ERC; project GA 335910 VEWA) and Natural Environment Research Council (NERC; project NE/K000268/1) for funding. We would like to thank Konrad Piegat for invaluable help with the fieldwork. Iain Malcolm and staff at Marine Scotland (Pitlochry) are also thanked for the provision of data from the AWS. We also thank three anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Polymorphic microsatellite markers for a wind‐dispersed tropical tree species, Triplaris cumingiana (Polygonaceae)

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141549/1/aps31400051.pd

Multilateral Medical Operations Panel's Acoustics Sub-Working Group for the International Space Station

No abstract availabl

Exon Primed, Intron Crossing (EPIC) markers for evolutionary studies of Ficus and other taxa in the fig family (Moraceae)

• Premise of the study: The genus Ficus (fi g trees) comprises ca. 750 species of trees, vines, and stranglers found in tropical forests throughout the world. Fig trees are keystone species in many tropical forests, and their relationship with host-specific wasp pollinators has received much attention, although many questions remain unresolved regarding the levels of host specificity,cospeciation, and the role of hybridization in fig and wasp speciation. We developed exon-primed intron-crossing (EPIC)markers to obtain phylogenetic resolution needed to address these questions. • Methods and Results: Expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from F. elastica were compared to Arabidopsis and Populus genomes to locate introns and to design primers in flanking exons. Primer pairs for 80 EPIC markers were tested in samples from divergent clades within Ficus and the outgroup Poulsenia (Moraceae). • Conclusions: Thirty-one EPIC markers were successfully sequenced across Ficus , and 29 of the markers also amplified in Poulsenia , indicating broad transferability within Moraceae. All of the EPIC markers were polymorphic and showed levels of polymorphism similar to that of the widely used internal transcribed spacer (ITS).Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/100185/1/Yao2013.pd

Risk Management Practices in the Mining Sector of Ghana: The Case of Goldfield Ltd, Damang

Risk management practice, in developing countries, is at its infant stage and often neglected in most companies. This study focused on the risk management practices of Goldfield Ltd in Damang in the Western Region of Ghana. Questionnaires were employed as the data collection instruments. The study made use of quantitative survey design. All the 41 staff who directly dealt with risk and its management in the company were considered and made part of the study. The breakdown of the 41 staff members used for the study includes 6 Heads of Departments, 10 Superintendent, 10 Supervisors and 15 Contractors. Employing a quantitative descriptive survey design, the result of the study reveals that risk assessment tools used for risk management are probability method, qualitative and decision tools. The recommendations made were to for mine management to place equal attention to all the methods for risk assessment. Keywords: risk, risk management, safety, mining, Goldfiel

A similar phylogeographical structure among sympatric North American birches (Betula) is better explained by introgression than by shared biogeographical history

AimA comparative analysis of the chloroplast (cp) DNA structure of eastern North American birches (Betula) was undertaken to infer the impacts of Quaternary climate change on the phylogeographical structure of these species.LocationEastern North America.MethodsGenetic variation in chloroplast microsatellites (cpSSRs) and the psbA–trnH intergenic spacer in Betula papyrifera, Betula alleghaniensis and Betula lenta was analysed in samples from 65, 80 and 12 populations, respectively. Co‐occurring Betula uber, Betula populifolia and Betula cordifolia were also sampled to examine haplotype relationships and account for potential introgression. Haplotype networks, Bayesian analysis and comparisons of RST and GST values were used to evaluate the phylogeographical structure. Genetic diversity within and among species was compared using rarefaction analysis.ResultsThe two most widespread species, B. papyrifera and B. alleghaniensis, showed high levels of haplotype diversity, while the Appalachian endemic B. lenta possessed a single haplotype. Bayesian analysis revealed three main phylogeographical groups for B. papyrifera and four groups for B. alleghaniensis, and these two species showed extensive regional haplotype sharing and a high introgression ratio.Main conclusionsWe postulate that at least three separate refugia contributed to the recolonization of B. papyrifera and B. alleghaniensis within eastern North America, while B. lenta appears to have recolonized from a single refugium. A high haplotype diversity of B. papyrifera and B. alleghaniensis in the Great Lakes region may reflect biogeographical contact between eastern and western lineages, with the potential influence of periglacial refugia. Similar phylogeographical patterns in the distantly related B. papyrifera and B. alleghaniensis represent a geographical turnover of the same locally shared haplotypes, pointing to introgression rather than shared biogeographical history as the mechanism. Although similar phylogeographical patterns are often interpreted as evidence for common biogeographical histories, our study demonstrates that such patterns can also arise through introgression.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110577/1/jbi12394.pd