A Comparison and Combination of Plastid atpB and rbcL Gene Sequences for Inferring Phylogenetic Relationships within Orchidaceae

Parsimony analyses of DNA sequences from the plastid genes atpB and rbcL were completed for 173 species of Orchidaceae (representing 150 different genera) and nine genera from outgroup families in Asparagales. The atpB tree topology is similar to the rbcL tree, although the atpB data contain less homoplasy and provide greater jackknife support than rbcL alone. In combination, the two-gene tree recovers five monophyletic clades corresponding to subfamilies within Orchidaceae, and fully resolves them with moderate to high jackknife support as follows: Epidendroideae are sister to Orchidoideae, followed by Cypripedioideae, then Vanilloideae, and with Apostasioideae sister to the entire family. Although this two-gene hypothesis of orchid phylogeny is an improvement over all single-gene studies published to date, there is still no consensus as to how all the tribes of Epidendroideae are related to one another. Nevertheless, these new topologies help to clarify some of the anomalous results recovered when rbcL was previously analyzed alone, and demonstrate the value of continued plastid gene sequencing within Orchidaceae

Across the Apocalypse on Horseback: Imperfect Legal Responses to Biodiversity Loss

Life on Earth overcomes mass extinction events on a temporal scale spanning millions of years. By this measure, “the loss of genetic and species diversity” is probably the contemporary crisis “our descendants [will] most regret” and “are least likely to forgive.” Biodiversity loss is the “scientific problem of greate[st] immediate importance for humanity.” If indeed biodiversity loss has reached apocalyptic proportions, it is fitting to describe the engines of extinction in equine terms. Jared Diamond characterizes the deadly horsemen of the ecological apocalypse as an “Evil Quartet” consisting of habitat destruction, overkill, introduced species, and secondary extinctions. Edward O. Wilson prefers an acronym derived from the Greek word for horse. HIPPO represents Habitat destruction, Invasive species, Pollution, Population, and Overharvesting. Although conservation biologists have identified the leading causes of biodiversity loss, legal responses to the crisis do not address distinct sources of human influence on evolutionary change. Not surprisingly, legal scholarship tends to ignore the distinctions among causes of biodiversity loss. This Essay takes a modest step toward remedying at least the latter shortcoming

A century of Zoology and Entomology at Rhodes University, 1905 to 2005

The history of the Department of Zoology & Entomology at Rhodes University is traced from its origin with a single staff member, through the era of permanent heads of department to the present day staff. Significant achievements and developments in teaching and research are highlighted, and some anecdotal material is included

Evolutionary, developmental neural networks for robust robotic control

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2006.Includes bibliographical references (p. 136-143).The use of artificial evolution to synthesize controllers for physical robots is still in its infancy. Most applications are on very simple robots in artificial environments, and even these examples struggle to span the "reality gap," a name given to the difference between the performance of a simulated robot and the performance of a.real robot using the same evolved controller. This dissertation describes three methods for improving the use of artificial evolution as a tool for generating controllers for physical robots. First, the evolutionary process must incorporate testing on the physical robot. Second, repeated structure on the robot should be exploited. Finally, prior knowledge about the robot and task should be meaningfully incorporated. The impact of these three methods, both in simulation and on physical robots, is demonstrated, quantified, and compared to hand-designed controllers.by Bryan Adams.Ph.D

Developing a New Testing Paradigm for Risk-Assessment of Bee-Pesticide Interactions – Quantifying the Pace of Neonicotinoid Toxicokinetics

Neonicotinoid pesticides, which are used to protect crops from certain pests, have been correlated with the decline of non-target insect species, including bumblebees. However, despite a myriad of studies into the interaction and impact of neonicotinoids, uncertainty remains as to the risks these xenobiotics pose to bees. In particular, the question of bioaccumulation, defined here as how long neonicotinoids persist in the body (i.e. fast or slow toxicokinetics) has not yet been determined for neonicotinoids and bumblebee species. Moreover, while the implications of bioaccumulation on non-target species are severe, regulatory standards continue to rely on acute paradigm testing (e.g. 48-hour LC50s or NOECs) that may inherently fail to capture bioaccumulation. First, I reviewed the literature on the pace of toxicokinetics for neonicotinoids, found in studies on enzymatic metabolism and receptor site bonding of these substances, which are the main pathways for clearance of xenobiotics. The literature supports that neonicotinoids have face-paced toxicokinetics and are unlikely to bioaccumulate in bees. I further reviewed current regulatory practices (LC50s and NOECs), and how a proxy for bioaccumulation can be derived using dose-dependence studies analysed with Haber’s Law. Next, I conducted laboratory experiments examining the usefulness of Haber’s Law for quantifying bioaccumulation using the neonicotinoids imidacloprid and thiamethoxam, and the known bioaccumulative phenylpyrazole, fipronil, as a positive control. Here, not only did I corroborate the literature review findings that neonicotinoids likely have face-paced toxicokinetics, I found evidence that fipronil has bioaccumulative properties, which underscores the usefulness of Haber’s Law in regulatory testing for bioaccumulation. Finally, I used 96-hour pulse-exposures to assess a proxy for toxicokinetic pace. Bees with pulsed exposures should have less injury than constant exposures if pesticides are easily cleared. Again, thiamethoxam and fipronil showed signs of differing toxicokinetic pace. These quantifiers could be used to fill a regulatory gap for bioaccumulation addressing toxicokinetic pace

The Fragile Menagerie: Biodiversity Loss, Climate Change, and the Law

I. THE HIPPODROME OF THE GODS: RACING AGAINST ECOLOGICAL AND EVOLUTIONARY APOCALYPSE....................................................................... 304 II. ACROSS THE APOCALYPSE ON HORSEBACK: LEGAL RESPONSES TO BIODIVERSITY LOSS .................................................................................... 310 A. OVERKILL ........................................................................................... 310 B. ALIEN INVASIVE SPECIES ..................................................................... 316 C. HABITAT DESTRUCTION AND PUBLIC LAND MANAGEMENT .................. 321 1. ISLAND BIOGEOGRAPHY .............................................................. 321 2. PUBLIC LANDS MANAGEMENT..................................................... 325 III. THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT: FROM PRIVATE LANDS TO GLOBAL COMMONS .......................................................................................... 329 A. ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT MECHANICS .............................................. 330 1. LISTING ENDANGERED AND THREATENED SPECIES....................... 330 2. CRITICAL HABITAT ..................................................................... 333 3. INTERAGENCY CONSULTATION .................................................... 333 B. HABITAT CONSERVATION ON PRIVATE LANDS...................................... 335 C. ΑΡΚΤΟΎΡΟΣ: CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE “LAST GREAT WILDERNESS”... 340 IV. THE LAW OF BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION AND CLIMATE MITIATION IN THE ANTHROPOCENE ............................................................................................................................ 347 A. A NEW EPOCH..................................................................................... 347 B. AN ENVIRONMENTAL ETHOS INTENDED TO ENDURE FOR AGEST TO COME…353 C. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ON THE LAST PROMONTORY OF THE CENTURIES................................................................................... 354 1. REVITALIZING ENVIRONMENTAL LAW ......................................... 354 2. NEPA AS AN ENVIRONMENTAL CHARTER ................................... 357 3. PRAGMATIC MODESTY ................................................................ 360 4. FOR NOWADAYS THE WORLD IS LIT BY LIGHTNING ..................... 36

1975/1976 UCI General Catalogue

General catalogue for the academic year 1975-1976

1974/1975 UCI General Catalogue

General catalogue for the academic year 1974-1975