North Medford High School NASA High Altitude Balloon Project

We are one of 57 teams across the nation that participated in the NASA High Altitude Balloon Project. The overall goal of the project was to capture and live stream the Great American Eclipse from 80,000-100,000 feet. As one of the few high school teams it has given us an unique perspective. Not only did we launch the common NASA payload, our team designed, engineered, and constructed our own payload named Tornado. Our team\u27s additional goals included photographing the umbra, and learning how UVA, UVB, gamma radiation, and other atmospheric conditions are affected during a solar eclipse. We met all of our team goals, as well as the NASA goals. In addition, we also participated in a project conducted by Cornell University; this project involved attaching bacteria samples to our payload in order to test their survival in the upper atmosphere

Age-related changes in migratory behaviour within the first annual cycle of a passerine bird

Funding was awarded to WC from the A.P. Leventis Conservation Foundation.First time migrants (juveniles hereafter) of many species migrate without specific knowledge of non-breeding locations, but experience may aid adults in timing and route decisions because they can migrate more efficiently to their previous non-breeding sites. Consequently, we expect a transition to more efficient migratory behaviour with age, but when and how this happens is little known. We used light-level geolocator data from Cyprus wheatears Oenanthe cypriaca to compare migration timing and route directness between juveniles and adults, and repeatability of their timing and non-breeding locations. We predicted that juveniles would depart and arrive later than adults for both autumn and spring migration; that duration of migration would be greater for juveniles; that routes taken by juveniles would be less direct than those for adults; and that autumn and spring departure timing, and non-breeding locations, would be more repeatable for adults between two years than for juveniles between their first and subsequent migration. We found that juveniles departed significantly later than adults in autumn but there was no difference in arrival timing, and although spring departure timings did not differ, juveniles arrived on the breeding grounds later than adults. Nevertheless, we found no significant age-related difference in the duration of migration in autumn or spring. Yet, juvenile migrations were less direct than those of adults in autumn, but not spring. We found evidence that spring departure timing and non-breeding locations were repeatable for adults but not juveniles. Our findings show that age-related changes in migratory behaviour begin to occur during the first annual cycle demonstrating the potential for early adaptation to environmental variability within an individual’s life.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Female song in the Cyprus Wheatear Oenanthe cypriaca

We thank the A.P. Leventis Conservation Foundation for supporting this work.Female song is widespread across bird species yet rarely reported. Here, we report the first observations and description of female song in the Cyprus Wheatear Oenanthe cypriaca and compare it to male song through the breeding season. Twenty-five percent of colour-ringed females were observed singing at least once, predominantly in April, compared to 71% of males that continued singing through the breeding period. We suggest that female song may have multiple functions in this species, but it may be especially important in territorial defence and mate acquisition.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

The potential function of post-fledging dispersal behavior in first breeding territory selection for males of a migratory bird

We thank the A.P. Leventis Conservation Foundation for supporting this work.One possible hypothesis for the function of post-fledging dispersal is to locate a suitable future breeding area. This post-fledging period may be particularly important in migratory species because they have a limited period to gather information prior to autumn migration, and in protandrous species, males must quickly acquire a territory after returning from spring migration to maximize their fitness. Here we use color-ring resightings to investigate how the post-fledging dispersal movements of the Cyprus wheatear Oenanthe cypriaca, a small migratory passerine, relate to their first breeding territory the following year when they return from migration. We found that males established first breeding territories that were significantly closer to their post-fledging location than to their natal sites or to post-fledging locations of other conspecifics, but these patterns were not apparent in females. Our findings suggest that familiarity with potential breeding sites may be important for juveniles of migratory species, particularly for the sex that acquires and advertises breeding territories. Exploratory dispersal prior to a migrant’s first autumn migration may contribute toward its breeding success the following year, further highlighting the importance of early seasonal breeding on fitness and population dynamics more generally.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Accelerated avian invasion into the Mediterranean region endangers biodiversity and mandates international collaboration

Policy DirectionDespite posing a serious threat to global biodiversity, national and international management efforts have not been able to limit the spread of most invasive species. In highly dispersive species, local invasions may be followed by regional range expansion that crosses international borders. In such cases, independent management efforts of the invading population may be futile unless international collaboration is practiced. 2. We focus on the ongoing human-mediated invasion of the common myna Acridotheres tristis into the Mediterranean basin, a region rich in overall numbers of species and endemic species, where common mynas have been introduced into a handful of countries. Some introductions were followed by subsequent range expansions into neighbouring countries. This species poses major threats to the biodiversity of the Mediterranean which is already susceptible to biodiversity loss as the result of ongoing land use and climate changes. Without action, this species and possibly others similar to it, could have severe consequences for native ecosystems. 3. Policy implications. Given the regional scope of its invasion in the Mediterranean basin, common myna management requires an international collaboration to successfully prevent additional introductions and range expansions and to avoid accelerating threats to Mediterranean biodiversity, already at risk as a result of ongoing changes in land use and climate. We argue that international reciprocal transfer of information and the development of regional mitigation are essential for the successful management of the invasion of the common myna and other species into the Mediterraneaninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Rampant introgressive hybridization in Pogoniulus tinkerbirds (Piciformes: Lybiidae) despite millions of years of divergence

Incomplete reproductive isolation between related species of birds at contact zones is increasingly being documented. Such hybridization typically occurs between sister taxa that diverged in relatively recent times, and hybrids are most often identified based on their intermediate phenotypic characteristics and, increasingly, through genetic admixture analysis. When species have been diverging over relatively longer time scales, prezygotic isolation barriers are expected to evolve, precluding maladaptive interbreeding. Here, we examine the extent of introgressive hybridization in a pair of African barbets, the yellow-fronted tinkerbird (Pogoniulus chrysoconus extoni) and the red-fronted tinkerbird (Pogoniulus pusillus pusillus), which were not previously known to interbreed, across a contact zone in Southern Africa. Although there were significant differences in the coloration of plumage between the species, we found a pattern of extensive admixture in and around the contact zone. Nonetheless, the two species appear to have diverged > 4 Mya and might not even be sister taxa, suggesting that time of divergence alone might not be sufficient for the evolution of prezygotic reproductive barriers. Significantly more phenotypically red-fronted individuals had a P. c. extoni (yellow-fronted) genetic background than vice versa, suggesting possible asymmetry in mate preferences. Sexual selection may thus play a role in breaking down species barriers despite the extent of genetic divergence.A Marie Curie International Reintegration Grant (A.N.G.K.) and the A. P. Leventis Ornithological Research Institute (E.C.N. and B.O.O.).https://academic.oup.com/biolinnean2020-04-03hj2019Mammal Research Institut

CYP2J19 mediates carotenoid colour introgression across a natural avian hybrid zone

It has long been of interest to identify the phenotypic traits that mediate reproductive isolation between related species, and more recently, the genes that underpin them. Much work has focused on identifying genes associated with animal colour, with the candidate gene CYP2J19 identified in laboratory studies as the ketolase converting yellow dietary carotenoids to red ketocarotenoids in birds with red pigments. However, evidence that CYP2J19 explains variation between red and yellow feather coloration in wild populations of birds is lacking. Hybrid zones provide the opportunity to identify genes associated with specific traits. Here we investigate genomic regions associated with colour in red‐fronted and yellow‐fronted tinkerbirds across a hybrid zone in southern Africa. We sampled 85 individuals, measuring spectral reflectance of forecrown feathers and scoring colours from photographs, while testing for carotenoid presence with Raman spectroscopy. We performed a genome‐wide association study to identify associations with carotenoid‐based coloration, using double‐digest RAD sequencing aligned to a short‐read whole genome of a Pogoniulus tinkerbird. Admixture mapping using 104,933 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified a region of chromosome 8 that includes CYP2J19 as the only locus with more than two SNPs significantly associated with both crown hue and crown score, while Raman spectra provided evidence of ketocarotenoids in red feathers. Asymmetric backcrossing in the hybrid zone suggests that yellow‐fronted females mate more often with red‐fronted males than vice versa. Female red‐fronted tinkerbirds mating assortatively with red‐crowned males is consistent with the hypothesis that converted carotenoids are an honest signal of quality.DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT : The Pogoniulus pusillus genome assembly has been deposited at NCBI SRA in BioProject PRJNA630018, with DDRAD sequencing reads under BioProject PRJNA666541. The master VCF file and gemma and R Code have been deposited in the Dryad Digital Repository (https://doi-org.uplib.idm.oclc.org/10.5061/dryad.jm63xsj87).FP7 Marie Curie Reintegration Grant, a University of Cyprus Research Grant, an AG Leventis Foundation grant and by the AP Leventis Ornithological Research Institute, Jos, Nigeria.http://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/mec2021-10-15hj2021Mammal Research InstituteZoology and Entomolog

Ecological character displacement in the face of gene flow: Evidence from two species of nightingales

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Ecological character displacement is a process of phenotypic differentiation of sympatric populations caused by interspecific competition. Such differentiation could facilitate speciation by enhancing reproductive isolation between incipient species, although empirical evidence for it at early stages of divergence when gene flow still occurs between the species is relatively scarce. Here we studied patterns of morphological variation in sympatric and allopatric populations of two hybridizing species of birds, the Common Nightingale (<it>Luscinia megarhynchos</it>) and the Thrush Nightingale (<it>L. luscinia</it>).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We conducted principal component (PC) analysis of morphological traits and found that nightingale species converged in overall body size (PC1) and diverged in relative bill size (PC3) in sympatry. Closer analysis of morphological variation along geographical gradients revealed that the convergence in body size can be attributed largely to increasing body size with increasing latitude, a phenomenon known as Bergmann's rule. In contrast, interspecific interactions contributed significantly to the observed divergence in relative bill size, even after controlling for the effects of geographical gradients. We suggest that the divergence in bill size most likely reflects segregation of feeding niches between the species in sympatry.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results suggest that interspecific competition for food resources can drive species divergence even in the face of ongoing hybridization. Such divergence may enhance reproductive isolation between the species and thus contribute to speciation.</p

Vanishing refuge? Testing the forest refuge hypothesis in coastal East Africa using genome-wide sequence data for seven amphibians

High‐throughput sequencing data have greatly improved our ability to understand the processes that contribute to current biodiversity patterns. The “vanishing refuge” diversification model is speculated for the coastal forests of eastern Africa, whereby some taxa have persisted and diversified between forest refugia, while others have switched to becoming generalists also present in non‐forest habitats. Complex arrangements of geographical barriers (hydrology and topography) and ecological gradients between forest and non‐forest habitats may have further influenced the region's biodiversity, but elucidation of general diversification processes has been limited by lack of suitable data. Here, we explicitly test alternative diversification modes in the coastal forests using genome‐wide single nucleotide polymorphisms, mtDNA, spatial and environmental data for three forest (Arthroleptis xenodactyloides, Leptopelis flavomaculatus and Afrixalus sylvaticus) and four generalist (Afrixalus fornasini, A. delicatus, Leptopelis concolor, L. argenteus) amphibians. Multiple analyses provide insight about divergence times, spatial population structure, dispersal barriers, environmental stability and demographic history. We reveal highly congruent intra‐specific diversity and population structure across taxa, with most divergences occurring during the late Pliocene and Pleistocene. Although stability models support the existence of some forest refugia, dispersal barriers and demographic models point toward idiosyncratic diversification modes across taxa. We identify a consistent role for riverine barriers in the diversification of generalist taxa, but mechanisms of diversification are more complex for forest taxa and potentially include topographical barriers, forest refugia and ecological gradients. Our work demonstrates the complexity of diversification processes in this region, which vary between forest and generalist taxa, but also for ecologically similar species with shared population boundaries