Odonata species of special concern for Oklahoma, USA

Assessment of conservation status is a necessary step before management plans can be formulated. Historically such assessments have a strong bias toward vertebrates, particularly endothermic terrestrial vertebrates (i.e. birds and mammals). Invertebrates, by contrast, tend to be ignored, and many insect groups, despite being species rich and reasonably well studied, such as the Odonata (damselflies and dragonflies), have not been assessed or have been assessed only at a broad geographic level (e.g. internationally or continentally). Assessment at a state level recognizes that states often are at the front of regional and local conservation and management planning and implementation. On the basis of our extensive surveys across the Great Plains state of Oklahoma in the central USA, as well as our compilation of thousands of museum specimens dating back to 1877, we were able to discern the status and distribution of each of the 161 species of odonates recorded in the state. In doing so we were able to assess a conservation rank, using NatureServe criteria, for each species.We conclude that nine species are critically imperiled (S1) in the state. These species require immediate conservation attention, initially at the level of intensive surveys to delineate the full extent of the geographic range in the state and to determine the population size and habitat needs. We categorized an additional 13 species as imperiled (S2) and placed 18 species on a “watch list” (S3). Species on these two lists will require field surveys as well, and regions of high occurrence of listed species ought to be targeted for such efforts and considered as set-asides for preservation of key members of the odonate fauna in the state

Distinct modes of floor plate induction in the chick embryo

To begin to reconcile models of floor plate formation in the vertebrate neural tube, we have performed experiments aimed at understanding the development of the early floor plate in the chick embryo. Using real-time analyses of cell behaviour, we provide evidence that the principal contributor to the early neural midline, the future anterior floor plate, exists as a separate population of floor plate precursor cells in the epiblast of the gastrula stage embryo, and does not share a lineage with axial mesoderm. Analysis of the tissue interactions associated with differentiation of these cells to a floor plate fate reveals a role for the nascent prechordal mesoderm, indicating that more than one inductive event is associated with floor plate formation along the length of the neuraxis. We show that Nr1, a chick nodal homologue, is expressed in the nascent prechordal mesoderm and we provide evidence that Nodal signalling can cooperate with Shh to induce the epiblast precursors to a floor-plate fate. These results indicate that a shared lineage with axial mesoderm cells is not a pre-requisite for floor plate differentiation and suggest parallels between the development of the floor plate in amniote and anamniote embryos

Jakatar- Proposing a New Lifestyle

There are two major effects of global warming; rising temperatures and melting glaciers. More than five million cubic miles of ice fields are continuously melting. Experts estimate if all melting drains to the sea, the sea-level would rise 216 feet. It will cause a different life style for the future. The effects of sea-level rise are scarcity of resources and a lack of habitat. We propose a new infrastructure, through the use of existing buildings, with different function to help humanity cope with rising sea-levels

Linking plumage dimorphism and environmental stress

Author's accepted version (postprint). This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published in Journal of Zoology by Wiley on 15/04/2022. Available online: https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jzo.12972acceptedVersio

Identification of the Microlens in Event MACHO-LMC-20

We report on the identification of the lens responsible for microlensing event MACHO-LMC-20. As part of a \textit{Spitzer}/IRAC program conducting mid-infrared follow-up of the MACHO Large Magellanic Cloud microlensing fields, we discovered a significant flux excess at the position of the source star for this event. These data, in combination with high resolution near-infrared \textit{Magellan}/PANIC data has allowed us to classify the lens as an early M dwarf in the thick disk of the Milky Way, at a distance of $\sim 2$ kpc. This is only the second microlens to have been identified, the first also being a M dwarf star in the disk. Together, these two events are still consistent with the expected frequency of nearby stars in the Milky Way thin and thick disks acting as lenses.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, submitted to ApJ Letter

A broader flight season for Norway’s Odonata across a century and a half

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Combined roles for breeding synchrony, habitat and scale as predictors of extrapair paternity

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Fitness Variation Due To Sexual Antagonism and Linkage Disequilibrium

Extensive fitness variation for sexually antagonistic characters has been detected in nature. However, current population genetic theory suggests that sexual antagonism is unlikely to play a major role in the maintenance of variation. We present a two-locus model of sexual antagonism that is capable of explaining greater fitness variance at equilibrium than previous single-locus models. The second genetic locus provides additional fitness variance in two complementary ways. First, linked loci can maintain gene variants that are lost in single-locus models of evolution, expanding the opportunity for polymorphism. Second, linkage disequilibrium results between any two sexually antagonistic genes, producing an excess of high and low fitness haplotypes. Our results uncover a unique contribution of conflicting selection pressures to the maintenance of variation, which simpler models that neglect genetic architecture overlook.Organismic and Evolutionary Biolog

Forest grouse response to forestry practices across four decades

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