Changes to the Fossil Record of Insects through Fifteen Years of Discovery

The first and last occurrences of hexapod families in the fossil record are compiled from publications up to end-2009. The major features of these data are compared with those of previous datasets (1993 and 1994). About a third of families (>400) are new to the fossil record since 1994, over half of the earlier, existing families have experienced changes in their known stratigraphic range and only about ten percent have unchanged ranges. Despite these significant additions to knowledge, the broad pattern of described richness through time remains similar, with described richness increasing steadily through geological history and a shift in dominant taxa, from Palaeoptera and Polyneoptera to Paraneoptera and Holometabola, after the Palaeozoic. However, after detrending, described richness is not well correlated with the earlier datasets, indicating significant changes in shorter-term patterns. There is reduced Palaeozoic richness, peaking at a different time, and a less pronounced Permian decline. A pronounced Triassic peak and decline is shown, and the plateau from the mid Early Cretaceous to the end of the period remains, albeit at substantially higher richness compared to earlier datasets. Origination and extinction rates are broadly similar to before, with a broad decline in both through time but episodic peaks, including end-Permian turnover. Origination more consistently exceeds extinction compared to previous datasets and exceptions are mainly in the Palaeozoic. These changes suggest that some inferences about causal mechanisms in insect macroevolution are likely to differ as well

Spatio-temporal patterns in pollination of deceptive Aristolochia rotunda L. (Aristolochiaceae)

Oelschlaegel B, von Tschirnhaus M, Nuss M, et al. Spatio-temporal patterns in pollination of deceptive Aristolochia rotunda L. (Aristolochiaceae). PLANT BIOLOGY. 2016;18(6):928-937.Pollination success of highly specialised flowers is susceptible to fluctuations of the pollinator fauna. Mediterranean Aristolochia rotunda has deceptive trap flowers exhibiting a highly specialised pollination system. The sole pollinators are kleptoparasitic flies in search of food. This study investigates these pollinators on a spatio-temporal scale and the impact of weather conditions on their availability. Two potential strategies of the plants to cope with pollinator limitation, i.e. autonomous selfing and an increased floral life span, were tested. A total of 6156 flowers were investigated for entrapped pollinators in 10 Croatian populations. Availability of the main pollinator was correlated to meteorological data. Artificial pollination experiments were conducted and the floral life span was recorded in two populations according to pollinator availability. Trachysiphonella ruficeps (Chloropidae) was identified as dominant pollinator, along with less abundant species of Chloropidae, Ceratopogonidae and Milichiidae. Pollinator compositions varied among populations. Weather conditions 15-30 days before pollination had a significant effect on availability of the main pollinator. Flowers were not autonomously selfing, and the floral life span exhibited considerable plasticity depending on pollinator availability. A. rotunda flowers rely on insect pollen vectors. Plants are specialised on a guild of kleptoparasitic flies, rather than on a single species. Pollinator variability may result in differing selection pressures among populations. The availability/abundance of pollinators depends on weather conditions during their larval development. Flowers show a prolonged trapping flower stage that likely increases outcrossing success during periods of pollinator limitation

Development and validation of the mastocytosis quality of life questionnaire: MC-QoL

Background: Mastocytosis is a heterogeneous disease characterized by a clonal expansion of mast cells in various organs. The vast majority of patients affected suffer from signs and symptoms caused by mediator release from mast cells. Although the disease burden is high, there is currently no specific instrument to measure health-related quality of life (HRQoL) impairment in patients with mastocytosis. Objective: The aim of this study was to develop and validate a disease-specific tool to assess HRQoL impairment in patients with cutaneous and indolent systemic mastocytosis, the Mastocytosis Quality of Life Questionnaire (MC-QoL). Methods: Sixty-two potential MC-QoL items were developed in a combined approach consisting of semi-structured patient interviews, expert input and literature research. Item selection was performed by impact analysis with 76 patients and a final review for face validity. The resulting MC-QoL was tested for validity, reliability and influence factors. In parallel, an US American-English version of the MC-QoL was developed. Results: A total of 158 patients (41 CM, 41 MIS and 76 ISM) took part in the MC-QoL validation study. The final 27-item questionnaire was found to have a four-domain structure ('symptoms', 'emotions', 'social life/functioning' and 'skin'), a valid total score and an excellent test-retest reliability. Multiple regression analysis revealed disease duration, but not age, gender or skin involvement to be a significant determinant of HRQoL impairment in mastocytosis. Conclusions: The MC-QoL is the first disease-specific HRQoL questionnaire for adult patients with cutaneous and indolent systemic mastocytosis. This short, validated and reliable instrument will serve as a valuable tool in future clinical studies and in routine patient care