Intraspecific brain size variation between coexisting sunfish ecotypes - Data

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Data from: Intraspecific brain size variation between coexisting sunfish ecotypes

Variation in spatial complexity and foraging requirements between habitats can impose different cognitive demands on animals that may influence brain size. However, the relationship between ecologically-related cognitive performance and brain size is not well established. We test whether variation in relative brain size and brain region size in fish is associated with habitat use within a population of pumpkinseed sunfish composed of different ecotypes that inhabit either the structurally complex shoreline littoral habitat or simpler open-water pelagic habitat. Sunfish using the littoral habitat have on average 8.3% larger brains than those using the pelagic habitat. We found little difference in the proportional sizes of five brain regions between ecotypes. The results suggest that cognitive demands on sunfish may be reduced in the pelagic habitat given no habitat-specific differences in body condition. They also suggest that either a short divergence time or physiological processes may constrain changes to concerted, global modifications of brain size between sunfish ecotypes

Relationship between ontogenetic changes in foraging ecology and muscle lactate dehydrogenase activity in wild smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu)

The activity of muscle glycolytic enzymes scales positively with body size in active fish; a phenomenon thought to counter the increased costs of burst swimming faced by larger individuals. Recent work argued that changes in these enzymes during ontogeny additionally reflect changes in foraging ecology. Here, we evaluated the relationship between muscle anaerobic metabolism and foraging ecology in a population of wild smallmouth bass by relating activity of muscle lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) to estimates of trophic position and habitat use obtained from stable isotope signatures. As expected, LDH activity increased with body size. However, further analysis showed associations between foraging ecology and LDH activity. Specifically, a shift to higher trophic position, indicating a change in diet, was paralleled by a shift to increased LDH activity. However, steady mass-specific decrease in LDH activity was observed as the fish grew above the size associated with this diet shift. Further, lower LDH activity was associated with increasing use of littoral carbon sources. These findings contribute to our understanding of how plasticity in muscle anaerobic potential is associated with fish foraging ecology.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

The COXINEL Seeded Free Electron Laser Driven by the Laser Plasma Accelerator at HZDR

International audienceLaser Plasma Accelerators know a tremendous development these recent years. Being able to reach up to ~100 GV/m, they open new perspectives for compact accelerators. Their performance can be qualified by a Free Electron Laser Application. We report here on the COXINEL seeded Free Electron Laser in the UV using the using high-quality electron beam generated by the 150 TW DRACO laser. The COXINEL line developed at Synchrotron SOLEIL (France) is first introduced. First electron beam transport and undulator radiation observation using electrons from the Laser Plasma Accelerator developed at Laboratoire d’Optique Appliquée (France) are described. Then, we present the first COXINEL results driven by the DRACO laser high performance plasma accelerator after its move to Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) (Germany): proper electron beam transport, undulator seed and undulator radiation temporal, spectral and spatial overlaps, allowing the seeded Free Electron Laser to be observed in the UV. Good agreement is found between measurements and simulations

Biodiversity inventories in high gear: DNA barcoding facilitates a rapid biotic survey of a temperate nature reserve

International audienc

Biodiversity inventories in high gear:DNA barcoding facilitates a rapid biotic survey of a temperate nature reserve

Abstract Background: Comprehensive biotic surveys, or ‘all taxon biodiversity inventories’ (ATBI), have traditionally been limited in scale or scope due to the complications surrounding specimen sorting and species identification. To circumvent these issues, several ATBI projects have successfully integrated DNA barcoding into their identification procedures and witnessed acceleration in their surveys and subsequent increase in project scope and scale. The Biodiversity Institute of Ontario partnered with the rare Charitable Research Reserve and delegates of the 6th International Barcode of Life Conference to complete its own rapid, barcode-assisted ATBI of an established land trust in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. New information: The existing species inventory for the rare Charitable Research Reserve was rapidly expanded by integrating a DNA barcoding workflow with two surveying strategies — a comprehensive sampling scheme over four months, followed by a one-day bioblitz involving international taxonomic experts. The two surveys resulted in 25,287 and 3,502 specimens barcoded, respectively, as well as 127 human observations. This barcoded material, all vouchered at the Biodiversity Institute of Ontario collection, covers 14 phyla, 29 classes, 117 orders, and 531 families of animals, plants, fungi, and lichens. Overall, the ATBI documented 1,102 new species records for the nature reserve, expanding the existing long-term inventory by 49%. In addition, 2,793 distinct Barcode Index Numbers (BINs) were assigned to genus or higher level taxonomy, and represent additional species that will be added once their taxonomy is resolved. For the 3,502 specimens, the collection, sequence analysis, taxonomic assignment, data release and manuscript submission by 100+ co-authors all occurred in less than one week. This demonstrates the speed at which barcode-assisted inventories can be completed and the utility that barcoding provides in minimizing and guiding valuable taxonomic specialist time. The final product is more than a comprehensive biotic inventory — it is also a rich dataset of fine-scale occurrence and sequence data, all archived and cross-linked in the major biodiversity data repositories. This model of rapid generation and dissemination of essential biodiversity data could be followed to conduct regional assessments of biodiversity status and change, and potentially be employed for evaluating progress towards the Aichi Targets of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020