Présence de Palaeoperdix media (Aves, Galliformes, Phasianidae) et d'autres oiseaux dans le Miocène du Portugal

A distal part of tibiotarsus from Charneca do Lumiar (Langhian, MN5) is identified as Palaeoperdix media, formerly known as Miophasianus medius. This species is thus known on a large area of the Palearctic province, from Portugal to Poland, and from the beginning of the Middle Miocene (MN 5) to the beginning of the Upper Miocene (MN9). An indeterminate, Gruid from Quinta das Pedreiras (Lower Langhian, MN4) and a few marine birds' remnants from Penedo Norte (Burdigalian) have been recognized

Presumed Symbolic Use of Diurnal Raptors by Neanderthals

In Africa and western Eurasia, occurrences of burials and utilized ocher fragments during the late Middle and early Late Pleistocene are often considered evidence for the emergence of symbolically-mediated behavior. Perhaps less controversial for the study of human cognitive evolution are finds of marine shell beads and complex designs on organic and mineral artifacts in early modern human (EMH) assemblages conservatively dated to ≈100–60 kilo-years (ka) ago. Here we show that, in France, Neanderthals used skeletal parts of large diurnal raptors presumably for symbolic purposes at Combe-Grenal in a layer dated to marine isotope stage (MIS) 5b (≈90 ka) and at Les Fieux in stratigraphic units dated to the early/middle phase of MIS 3 (60–40 ka). The presence of similar objects in other Middle Paleolithic contexts in France and Italy suggest that raptors were used as means of symbolic expression by Neanderthals in these regions

Phylogenetic Analysis of Pelecaniformes (Aves) Based on Osteological Data: Implications for Waterbird Phylogeny and Fossil Calibration Studies

) were also assessed. The antiquity of these taxa and their purported status as stem members of extant families makes them valuable for studies of higher-level avian diversification. (sister taxon to Phalacrocoracidae). These relationships are invariant when ‘backbone’ constraints based on recent avian phylogenies are imposed.Relationships of extant pelecaniforms inferred from morphology are more congruent with molecular phylogenies than previously assumed, though notable conflicts remain. The phylogenetic position of the Plotopteridae implies that wing-propelled diving evolved independently in plotopterids and penguins, representing a remarkable case of convergent evolution. Despite robust support for the placement of fossil taxa representing key calibration points, the successive outgroup relationships of several “stem fossil + crown family” clades are variable and poorly supported across recent studies of avian phylogeny. Thus, the impact these fossils have on inferred patterns of temporal diversification depends heavily on the resolution of deep nodes in avian phylogeny

Photography-based taxonomy is inadequate, unnecessary, and potentially harmful for biological sciences

The question whether taxonomic descriptions naming new animal species without type specimen(s) deposited in collections should be accepted for publication by scientific journals and allowed by the Code has already been discussed in Zootaxa (Dubois & Nemésio 2007; Donegan 2008, 2009; Nemésio 2009a–b; Dubois 2009; Gentile & Snell 2009; Minelli 2009; Cianferoni & Bartolozzi 2016; Amorim et al. 2016). This question was again raised in a letter supported by 35 signatories published in the journal Nature (Pape et al. 2016) on 15 September 2016. On 25 September 2016, the following rebuttal (strictly limited to 300 words as per the editorial rules of Nature) was submitted to Nature, which on 18 October 2016 refused to publish it. As we think this problem is a very important one for zoological taxonomy, this text is published here exactly as submitted to Nature, followed by the list of the 493 taxonomists and collection-based researchers who signed it in the short time span from 20 September to 6 October 2016

Cytolocalisation des phosphatases acides d'Hebeloma cylindrosporum chez le champignon isolé ou en association avec Pinus pinaster

National audienc

Effects of including saponins (Micro-Aid\u3csup\u3e®\u3c/sup\u3e) on intake, rumenfermentation and digestibility in steers fed low-qualityprairie hay

Sixteen ruminally cannulated crossbred steers (529 ± 45 kg initial body weight, BW) wereused to evaluate in situ dry matter (DM), neutral detergent fiber (aNDF), and N degrada-tion characteristics of low-quality prairie hay, blood urea-N (BUN) and rumen fermentationparameters in steers provided a protein supplement with or without Micro-Aid®(MA; plantderived saponin). Steers were allowed ad libitum access to chopped prairie hay (49 g crudeprotein (CP)/kg DM and 738 g aNDF/kg DM) and randomly assigned to one of four treat-ments: (1) no supplement (C), (2) cottonseed meal and wheat middlings: 920 g DM/d (PC;positive control), (3) MA added to PC to supply 1 g MA/d (MA1), and (4) MA added to PCto supply 2 g MA/d (MA2). Steers were individually supplemented 920 g DM once daily at08:00 along with a vitamin and mineral mix to ensure requirements were met. Orthogonalcontrasts were used to determine the effects of protein supplementation, addition of MAand level of MA inclusion. During in situ phase, forage samples were incubated for a 96 hperiod. Protein supplementation increased DM intake (DMI), particulate passage rate (Kp),and rumen digestibility of DM and NDF (P \u3c 0.001), but there was no effect on rumen Ndegradability. The inclusion of MA did not impact DMI in either phase. Compared to PC,MA decreased Kp(27.8 and 22.7 g DM/kg/h, respectively; P = 0.02), resulting in an increasein rumen aNDF and DM digestibility (P \u3c 0.001). However, there was no influence of MA onapparent total tract digestibility in the metabolism phase. Rumen protozoa concentrationswere suppressed (P = 0.01) with MA inclusion while lactate concentrations and microbialcrude protein (MCP) flow to the small intestine were increased (P = 0.05). There was noimpact on BUN, rumen ammonia, pH, volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations or N balancefor MA compared to PC diets. Supplementation improved N balance, MCP synthesis andincreased total concentrations of VFA and independent acetate and propionate concentra-tions. In conclusion, including MA in protein supplements increased rumen DM and a NDFdigestibility of forage, reduced protozoa concentrations and increased daily outflow of MCP.This is indicative of increased rumen fermentation rate and may ultimately impact animalperformance via increased energy and amino acid supply to the small intestine. However,more research is needed to validate this potential impact on animal performance