Differences in incubation behaviour and niche separation of two competing flycatcher species

Food availability sets the stage for incubation behaviour of a female bird and thereby indirectly determines the nest temperature, which in turn affects development and metabolism of avian embryos. Changes in development and metabolism in turn are known to influence offspring's ability to adjust to environmental changes later in life. However, few studies have investigated the role of interspecific differences in incubation behaviour in relation to niche separation between competing sibling species. We studied the effects of habitat quality (in terms of caterpillar availability) on incubation behaviour of two ecologically similar and closely related species, collared and pied flycatchers (Ficedula albicollisandF. hypoleuca), in their hybrid zone on the island of oland, Sweden. Even though both species prefer caterpillar-rich deciduous forests as nesting sites, collared flycatchers, whose nestlings have higher energetic demands, are able to nest only in deciduous forests, whereas pied flycatchers have more flexible habitat requirements. Overall, higher food availability was associated with increased nest attendance, higher incubation temperature and a lower number of foraging trips across species. In addition, collared flycatchers had more frequent and shorter foraging trips across habitat types, allocated more heat to eggs and therefore maintained higher nest temperatures compared to pied flycatchers. We argue that the higher heat allocation or the need to maintain a higher nest temperature for embryo development may constrain collared flycatchers to focus on relatively more profitable prey. Our results highlight the importance of considering incubation behaviour in the context of understanding species differences in niche use. Significance statement Niche separation plays an important role in mitigating effects of competition between closely related species. Whether species differences in incubation behaviour relate to differences in niche use remains unknown. We compared incubation behaviour of two sympatric flycatcher species that differ in sensitivity to food availability. The competitively more dominant and larger species, the collared flycatcher, whose nestlings are more sensitive to food shortages, made more frequent foraging trips but allocated more heat to eggs, leading to higher nest temperature despite lower nest attendance, compared to pied flycatchers. These interspecific differences may be a result of differences in embryo sensitivity or female physiology and contribute to the niche separation between the species, which in turn can facilitate coexistence.Peer reviewe

Hybrid Dysfunction Expressed as Elevated Metabolic Rate in Male Ficedula Flycatchers

Peer reviewe

Reduction of vertebrate coprolite diversity associated with the end-Permian extinction event in Vyazniki region, European Russia

© 2016 Elsevier B.V.This study investigates the paleoecological significance of vertebrate coprolites collected from seven sections and three lithofacies of the uppermost Permian and lowermost Triassic succession from the Vyazniki site in the European part of Russia. The analyzed specimens (coprolites and possibly some cololites) were grouped into nine morphotypes (A-I). The coprolite morphotypes were characterized geochemically and compared to the record of other Permian and Triassic coprolites worldwide. Based on the stratigraphic position, shape, structure and composition, all morphotypes were linked to supposed producers. The phosphatic composition of most of the morphotypes and inclusions of arthropod remains, fish scales and bone fragments, suggest that they were produced by carnivores, but non-phosphatic, carbonate-rich, large and oval-shaped coprolites with impressions after plant remains have also been found. The extinction of terrestrial vertebrates around the Permian-Triassic boundary in Russia is interpreted to have occurred within a few thousands of years. Here, we show a pattern of coprolite morphotypes disappearing across this boundary that is consistent with a relatively sudden change in the vertebrate faunal composition across this interval

Microbiota and food residues including possible evidence of pre-mammalian hair in Upper Permian coprolites from Russia

© 2015 Lethaia Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons LtdCoprolites (fossil faeces) provide direct evidence on the diet of its producer and unique insights on ancient food webs and ecosystems. We describe the contents of seven coprolites, collected from the Late Permian Vyazniki site of the European part of Russia. Two coprolite morphotypes (A, B) contain remains of putative bacteria, cyanobacteria, fungi, protists, invertebrate eggs, arthropod elements, undigested bone and tooth fragments, fish scales and elongated hair-like structures with hollow interiors. Content, size and shape of the coprolites together with the associated body fossil record suggest that the most probable scat-producers were carnivorous tetrapods; the bone-rich morphotype A reveals short food retention time and a fast metabolism and is therefore assigned to therapsid carnivores whereas morphotype B with rarer and degraded bones are assigned to archosauromorphs or other non-therapsid carnivores. The general coprolite matrix contains abundant micron-sized spheres and thin-walled vesicles which are interpreted as oxide and phosphatic pseudomorphs after microbial cells. From analyses of the undigested bones, we infer that they represent remains of actinopterygian fish, a therapsid and unrecognizable parts of amphibians and/or reptiles. Additionally, hair-like structures found in one coprolite specimen occur as diagenetically altered (oxide-replaced) structures and moulds (or partly as pseudomorphs) in a microcrystalline carbonate-fluoride-bearing calcium phosphate. This suggests that the latest Permian therapsids probably were equipped with hair-like integument or hairsuit. If true, this is by far the oldest evidence of this mammalian character in the stem group of mammals

關於關西大學圖書館所藏的抄寫本《新刊監本增注司牧療馬安驥集》

《司牧安驥集》是醫馬書古典著作之一，唐代李石撰的．原書早就遺失，現在能目睹的只有明代增注本．關西大學圖書館所藏的《新刊監本增注司牧療馬安驥集》是抄寫明代弘治17年重刊的．現在《司牧安驥集》系列的版本稀有，明代弘治17年重刊本都有兩種，個個只流傳下一本：南京圖書館藏本與日本市立米澤圖書館藏本．關西大學圖書館所藏本屬於米澤圖書館藏本系列，而且有些部分反映了更早時期的版本，是極其重要的史料．以後通過詳細調查此件抄寫本，可能進行《司牧安驥集》之綜合系統研究而明確此件史料原貌與流傳情況．研究論

Female Drosophila melanogaster Gene Expression and Mate Choice: The X Chromosome Harbours Candidate Genes Underlying Sexual Isolation

Background: The evolution of female choice mechanisms favouring males of their own kind is considered a crucial step during the early stages of speciation. However, although the genomics of mate choice may influence both the likelihood and speed of speciation, the identity and location of genes underlying assortative mating remain largely unknown. Methods and Findings: We used mate choice experiments and gene expression analysis of female Drosophila melanogaster to examine three key components influencing speciation. We show that the 1,498 genes in Zimbabwean female D. melanogaster whose expression levels differ when mating with more (Zimbabwean) versus less (Cosmopolitan strain) preferred males include many with high expression in the central nervous system and ovaries, are disproportionately X-linked and form a number of clusters with low recombination distance. Significant involvement of the brain and ovaries is consistent with the action of a combination of pre- and postcopulatory female choice mechanisms, while sex linkage and clustering of genes lead to high potential evolutionary rate and sheltering against the homogenizing effects of gene exchange between populations. Conclusion: Taken together our results imply favourable genomic conditions for the evolution of reproductive isolation through mate choice in Zimbabwean D. melanogaster and suggest that mate choice may, in general, act as an even more important engine of speciation than previously realized

Совершенствование информационного обеспечения управления краткосрочными материальными активами

Исследованы сущностные характеристики категорий «затраты», «расходы», особенности их трансформации по стадиям кругооборота средств коммерческой организации, обоснована авторская позиция по их идентификации. С учетом этого даны рекомендации по совершенствованию методики учета затрат по приобретению товаров, материалов и иных краткосрочных материальных активов в Республике Беларусь. Представлены новые методы распределения затрат по приобретению материалов и товаров по отчетным периодам, не включенных в их учетную цену. Также предложено уточнить состав статей затрат по приобретению материалов и товаров и осуществлять их распределение с учетом фактического времени оборота текущих активов.Essential characteristics of the categories “costs” and “expenses”, specific features of their transformation in accordance with the stages of the profit organization’s assets circulation are studied, the author’s position on their identification is validated. Taking this into consideration the recommendations about the improvement of the methods of calculation of the costs of purchasing goods, materials and other short-term tangible assets in the Republic of Belarus are given. New methods of distributing the costs of purchasing the materials and the goods by accounting periods not included in their accounting price are proposed. It is also proposed to define more exactly the structure of the items of the costs of purchasing materials and goods and provide their distribution allowing for actual time of the current assets turnover

Interspecific transfer of parasites following a range-shift in Ficedula flycatchers

Human‐induced climate change is expected to cause major biotic changes in species distributions and thereby including escalation of novel host‐parasite associations. Closely related host species that come into secondary contact are especially likely to exchange parasites and pathogens. Both the Enemy Release Hypothesis (where invading hosts escape their original parasites) and the Novel Weapon Hypothesis (where invading hosts bring new parasites that have detrimental effects on native hosts) predict that the local host will be most likely to experience a disadvantage. However, few studies evaluate the occurrence of interspecific parasite transfer by performing wide‐scale geographic sampling of pathogen lineages, both within and far from host contact zones. In this study, we investigate how haemosporidian (avian malaria) prevalence and lineage diversity vary in two, closely related species of passerine birds; the pied flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca and the collared flycatcher F. albicollis in both allopatry and sympatry. We find that host species is generally a better predictor of parasite diversity than location, but both prevalence and diversity of parasites vary widely among populations of the same bird species. We also find a limited and unidirectional transfer of parasites from pied flycatchers to collared flycatchers in a recent contact zone. This study therefore rejects both the Enemy Release Hypothesis and the Novel Weapon Hypothesis and highlights the complexity and importance of studying host‐parasite relationships in an era of global climate change and species range shifts.</p