No hay diferencias en la diversidad genética entre arbustos de Cotoneaster franchetii (Rosaceae) de rangos nativos y no nativos

La diversidad genética de los arbustos de Cotoneaster franchetii es similar entre los rangos de distribución nativo y no nativo. Debido al efecto fundador comúnmente se asume que las plantas tienen mayor diversidad genética en su rango nativo que en las áreas donde fueron introducidos. Sin embargo, pocos estudios han probado este supuesto incluyendo la comparación entre los rangos nativos y no nativos. Nosotros analizamos marcadores de AFLP en 149 individuos de Cotoneaster franchetii pertenecientes a cinco poblaciones nativas (China) y cinco no nativas (Argentina) donde este arbusto invade exitosamente diferentes ambientes, y forma rodales extensos y monoespecíficos. Además comparamos los estimadores de diversidad genética y evaluamos la diferenciación genética entre las poblaciones examinando los valores de Fst y realizando un ACoP, un AMOVA y una prueba de Mantel. No se encontró evidencia de diversidad genética reducida en las poblaciones no nativas, mientras que el ACoP reveló dos grupos distintos, reflejando sus orígenes argentinos y chinos. Diez individuos de dos de las poblaciones chinas fueron la excepción, debido a que se agruparon dentro de las poblaciones argentinas, apoyando la idea de introducciones múltiples desde China hacia Argentina.It is commonly assumed that plants have more genetic diversity in their native range than in areas where they have been introduced due to founder effects. However, few studies have proven this assumption and included the comparison between non-native and native ranges. We analyzed AFLP fingerprint patterns of 149 individuals from five native (China) and five non-native (Argentina) populations of Cotoneaster franchetii, a shrub which successfully invades different habitats and forms extensive monospecific stands. We compared genetic diversity estimates and assessed genetic differentiation among populations by inspecting FST values and conducting a PCoA, an AMOVA and a Mantel test. No evidence was found for reduced genetic diversity in non-native populations while the PCoA revealed two distinct groups, reflecting their Chinese and Argentine origin. The exceptions were ten individuals from two Chinese populations that clustered within the Argentine populations, supporting the idea of multiple introductions from China to Argentina.Fil: Lett, Irene. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Ecología y Recursos Naturales Renovables; ArgentinaFil: Hensen, Isabell. Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden; Alemania. German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig; AlemaniaFil: Hirsh, Heidi. Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden; Alemania. Stellenbosch University, Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology; SudáfricaFil: Renison, Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas; Argentin

Non-Profit Organizations Should Prioritize Governance in Board Selection Decisions—Those That Prioritize Money May Pay Too Much

Non-profit corporations must comply with federal tax laws, and their governing bodies must satisfy corporation law-based duties, but they are not subject to the regulatory requirements of publicly traded corporations. This discrepancy should be troubling, because the stakeholders of non-profit organizations are far more vulnerable than the typical investor. Accordingly, non-profit boards have a particularly strong need for good governance. However, our research shows that non-profit board members believe that board selection procedures prioritize giving over the ability to attract and retain members with attributes commonly associated with good governance. To address this problem, we argue that laws should require non-profit organizations to identify directors making contributions and the amounts of those contributions, as well as certify that quality governance is the top priority of the organizations in selecting governing board members. To do otherwise improperly validates the decisions of organizations to accept money in exchange for influence at the expense of their duties to stakeholders

Effects of Predation on Two Species of Stream-Dwelling Crayfish (Orconectes marchandi and Cambarus hubbsi) in Pool and Riffle Microhabitats

Community structure may be governed by many abiotic and biotic factors. Of the biotic factors, predation is often considered to be critical in structuring freshwater stream communities. In the Warm Fork of the Spring River, the crayfish Cambarus hubbsi is found mainly in riffles, whereas the crayfish Orconectes marchandi is found in high numbers in pools. We hypothesized that predation, mainly by fish, is a factor causing this segregation. Higher predation rates for C. hubbsi than 0. marchandi in the pools and higher predation rates for 0. marchandi than C. hubbsi in the riffles were expected. A transplant tethering experiment was conducted to test whether predation influences habitat selection. Substrate, water depth, and current velocity were also taken into account. In the pool, predation rates were significantly greater on C. hubbsi than 0. marchandi, but predation rates were equal for the two species in the riffle. This suggests that predation is a factor in keeping C. hubbsi out of pools, but is not a factor in keeping 0. marchandi out of riffles. Also, significantly greater predation rates overall were found in the pool than in the riffle. The pool was significantly deeper and had lower substrate diversity than the riffle. These findings suggest that predators are important in affecting crayfish habitat use; differential predation rates occur between habitats and greater predation rates occur in pools than in riffles

Representations of specific acoustic patterns in the auditory cortex and hippocampus

Previous behavioural studies have shown that repeated presentation of a randomly chosen acoustic pattern leads to the unsupervised learning of some of its specific acoustic features. The objective of our study was to determine the neural substrate for the representation of freshly learnt acoustic patterns. Subjects first performed a behavioural task that resulted in the incidental learning of three different noise-like acoustic patterns. During subsequent high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning, subjects were then exposed again to these three learnt patterns and to others that had not been learned. Multi-voxel pattern analysis was used to test if the learnt acoustic patterns could be 'decoded' from the patterns of activity in the auditory cortex and medial temporal lobe. We found that activity in planum temporale and the hippocampus reliably distinguished between the learnt acoustic patterns. Our results demonstrate that these structures are involved in the neural representation of specific acoustic patterns after they have been learnt

Taking HIV testing to families: designing a family-based intervention to facilitate HIV testing, disclosure and intergenerational communication

Introduction: Facility-based HIV testing does not capture many adults and children who are at risk of HIV in South Africa. This underscores the need to provide targeted, age-appropriate HIV testing for children, adolescents and adults who are not accessing health facilities. While home based counseling and testing has been succesfully delivered in multiple settings, it also often fails to engage adolescents. To date, the full potential for testing entire families and linking them to treatment has not been evaluated. Methods: The steps to expand a successful home-based counseling and testing model to a family-based counseling and testing approach in a high HIV prevalence context in rural South Africa are described. The primary aim of this family-based model is to increase uptake of HIV testing and linkage to care for all family members, through promoting family cohesion and intergenerational communication, increasing HIV disclosure in the family, and improving antiretroviral treatment uptake, adherence and retention. We discuss the three-phased research approach that led to the development of the family-based counseling and testing intervention. Results: The family-based intervention is designed with a maximum of five sessions, depending on the configuration of the family (young, mixed and older families). There is an optional additional session for high-risk or vulnerable family situations. These sessions encourage HIV testing of adults, children and adolescents and disclosure of HIV status. Families with adolescents receive an intensive training session on intergenerational communication, identified as the key causal pathway to improve testing, linkage to care, disclosure and reduced stigma for this group. The rationale for the focus on intergenerational communication is described in relation to our formative work as well as previous literature, and potential challenges with pilot testing the intervention are explored. Conclusion: This paper maps the process for adapting a novel and largely successful home-based counseling and testing intervention for use with families. Expanding the successful home-based counseling and testing model to capture children, adolescents and men could have significant impact if the pilot is successful and scaled-up

10. Influence of Container Color and Medium Depth on Avian Herbivory of Longleaf Pine Seed

Survey results from nursery managers have indicated avian herbivory as the leading cause of seed loss and germinant mortality in forest tree seedling nurseries in the southern United States. Reports indicate over $150,000 in lost revenue with a 1% seed loss. Shade cloths are typically used to prevent herbivory but can often exacerbate losses when birds become trapped underneath the cloth. In a previous research trial that investigated longleaf pine sowing methods and subsequent seedling development, it was observed that birds exclusively foraged on seeds sown in cavities filled to depths of five inches (operational depth) compared to those sown at depths of three inches. The goal of this research was to determine if container color and medium depth affected the level of avian herbivory during the germination phase. Longleaf pine seeds were sown in either black or white container cells filled to either three or five inches of growing medium for a total of four treatments. There were three repetitions (trays of 49 cells) for each treatment. Birds consumed 74% of seeds sown in full cavities compared to 36% of seeds in cavities filled to three inches. Seed loss was 20 percentage points higher in black cavities compared to white cavities. Consumption occurred faster in cells filled to five inches (majority in first five days). Determining patterns in seed loss by avian species will assist nursery managers with decisions on sowing techniques and container selection and will help eliminate economic losses

Non-native populations of an invasive tree outperform their native conspecifics

Introduced plants often face new environmental conditions in their non-native ranges. To become invasive, they need to overcome several biotic and abiotic filters that may trigger adaptive changes in life-history traits, like postgermination processes. Such early life cycle traits may play a crucial role in the colonization and establishment success of invasive plants. As a previous study revealed that seeds of non-native populations of the woody Siberian elm, Ulmus pumila, germinated faster than those of native populations, we expected growth performance of seedlings to mirror this finding. Here, we conducted a common garden greenhouse experiment using different temperature and watering treatments to compare the biomass production of U. pumila seedlings derived from 7 native and 13 populations from two non-native ranges. Our results showed that under all treatments, non-native populations were characterized by higher biomass production and enhanced resource allocation to aboveground biomass compared to the native populations. The observed enhanced growth performance of non-native populations might be one of the contributing factors for the invasion success of U. pumila due to competitive advantages during the colonization of new sites.Fil: Hirsch, Heidi. Stellenbosch University, Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology; Sudáfrica. Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden ; AlemaniaFil: Hensen, Isabell. Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden ; Alemania. German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig; AlemaniaFil: Wesche, Karsten. German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig; Alemania. Senckenberg Museum of Natural History Goerlitz; AlemaniaFil: Renison, Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas; ArgentinaFil: Wypior, Catherina. Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden ; AlemaniaFil: Hartmann, Matthias. Charles University in Prague, Herbarium PRC & Department of Botany; República ChecaFil: von Wehrden, Henrik. Leuphana University, Institute of Ecology/Faculty of Sustainability, Centre of Methods; Alemania. Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology; Austri

How to evaluate community predictions without thresholding?

Stacked species distribution models (S-SDM) provide a tool to make spatial predictions about communities by first modelling individual species and then stacking the modelled predictions to form assemblages. The evaluation of the predictive performance is usually based on a comparison of the observed and predicted community properties (e.g. species richness, composition). However, the most available and widely used evaluation metrics require the thresholding of single species' predicted probabilities of occurrence to obtain binary outcomes (i.e. presence/absence). This binarization can introduce unnecessary bias and error. Herein, we present and demonstrate the use of several groups of new or rarely used evaluation approaches and metrics for both species richness and community composition that do not require thresholding but instead directly compare the predicted probabilities of occurrences of species to the presence/absence observations in the assemblages. Community AUC, which is based on traditional AUC, measures the ability of a model to differentiate between species presences or absences at a given site according to their predicted probabilities of occurrence. Summing the probabilities gives the expected species richness and allows the estimation of the probability that the observed species richness is not different from the expected species richness based on the species' probabilities of occurrence. The traditional Sorensen and Jaccard similarity indices (which are based on presences/absences) were adapted to maxSorensen and maxJaccard and to probSorensen and probJaccard (which use probabilities directly). A further approach (improvement over null models) compares the predictions based on S-SDMs with the expectations from the null models to estimate the improvement in both species richness and composition predictions. Additionally, all metrics can be described against the environmental conditions of sites (e.g. elevation) to highlight the abilities of models to detect the variation in the strength of the community assembly processes in different environments. These metrics offer an unbiased view of the performance of community predictions compared to metrics that requiring thresholding. As such, they allow more straightforward comparisons of model performance among studies (i.e. they are not influenced by any subjective thresholding decisions).Peer reviewe

Making asset investment decisions for wastewater systems that include sustainability

Effective integrated water management is a key component of the World Water Vision and the way in which aspirations for water equity may be realized. Part of the vision includes the promotion of sustainability of water systems and full accountability for their interaction with other urban systems. One major problem is that “sustainability” remains an elusive concept, although those involved with the provision of urban wastewater systems now recognize that decisions involving asset investment should use the “triple bottom line” approach to society, the economy, and the environment. The Sustainable Water Industry Asset Resource Decisions project has devised a flexible and adaptable framework of decision support processes that can be used to include the principles of sustainability more effectively. Decision mapping conducted at the outset of the project has shown that only a narrow range of criteria currently influence the outcome of asset investment decisions. This paper addresses the concepts of sustainability assessment and presents two case studies that illustrate how multicriteria decision support systems can enhance the assessment of the relative sustainability of a range of options when decisions are being made about wastewater asset investment

The effect of facial wrinkles on person perception and interpersonal closeness

The article processing charge was funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) – 491192747 and the Open Access Publication Fund of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.With age, we develop facial wrinkles, which change the appearance of the face making it less attractive. Winkles and folds also “mimic” facial expressions, such that older neutral faces appear more emotional. Both processes can influence first impressions negatively. We obtained ratings of attractiveness, closeness, and emotional expressivity as well as first impressions from 353 participants, recruited from Prolific, for avatars with and without facial wrinkles. Older appearing, wrinkled faces were judged as less attractive and less favorably on traits related to pleasantness and trustworthiness, they were perceived as showing more negative emotions and participants rated themselves as less close. The effects on first impressions and perceived closeness were mediated by attractiveness and perceived negative emotions. These findings suggest that in initial encounters older people may often be perceived as less pleasant for no other reason than the wrinkles in their face and the judgments of attractiveness and emotionality associated with them.Peer Reviewe