Size Doesn't Matter: Towards a More Inclusive Philosophy of Biology

notes: As the primary author, O’Malley drafted the paper, and gathered and analysed data (scientific papers and talks). Conceptual analysis was conducted by both authors.publication-status: Publishedtypes: ArticlePhilosophers of biology, along with everyone else, generally perceive life to fall into two broad categories, the microbes and macrobes, and then pay most of their attention to the latter. ‘Macrobe’ is the word we propose for larger life forms, and we use it as part of an argument for microbial equality. We suggest that taking more notice of microbes – the dominant life form on the planet, both now and throughout evolutionary history – will transform some of the philosophy of biology’s standard ideas on ontology, evolution, taxonomy and biodiversity. We set out a number of recent developments in microbiology – including biofilm formation, chemotaxis, quorum sensing and gene transfer – that highlight microbial capacities for cooperation and communication and break down conventional thinking that microbes are solely or primarily single-celled organisms. These insights also bring new perspectives to the levels of selection debate, as well as to discussions of the evolution and nature of multicellularity, and to neo-Darwinian understandings of evolutionary mechanisms. We show how these revisions lead to further complications for microbial classification and the philosophies of systematics and biodiversity. Incorporating microbial insights into the philosophy of biology will challenge many of its assumptions, but also give greater scope and depth to its investigations

Geloofsvorming en die vermoë om geloof te verdedig by kinders onder sewe jaar as korrektief op nominale Christendom

MA (Apologetiek), North-West University, Potchefstroom CampusDie eens “Christelike Weste" is besig om radikaal te verander. Tot 85% van kinders in Amerikaanse publieke skole en heelwat van die kinders in Christenskole het nie meer ? Bybelse wêreldbeskouing nie (McDowell & Bellis, 2006:14). Ongeveer 86% van Suid-Afrikaners assosieer hulle met die Christelike godsdiens. Byna die helfte van die groep neem weekliks deel aan openbare godsdiensbeoefening wat ? skerp daling in betrokkenheid verteenwoordig teenoor twee dekades gelede (Statistics-SA, 2015:27-28). Dit is ? sterk aanduiding dat ? groot deel van die Christendom in Suid-Afrika, soos ook in dele van die Westerse wêreld, uit nominale Christene bestaan. Die eens “Christelike Weste" is besig om radikaal te verander. Tot 85% van kinders in Amerikaanse publieke skole en heelwat van die kinders in Christenskole het nie meer ? Bybelse wêreldbeskouing nie (McDowell & Bellis, 2006:14). Ongeveer 86% van Suid-Afrikaners assosieer hulle met die Christelike godsdiens. Byna die helfte van die groep neem weekliks deel aan openbare godsdiensbeoefening wat ? skerp daling in betrokkenheid verteenwoordig teenoor twee dekades gelede (Statistics-SA, 2015:27-28). Dit is ? sterk aanduiding dat? groot deel van die Christendom in Suid-Afrika, soos ook in dele van die Westerse wêreld, uit nominale Christene bestaan. Om dit wat genoem is na te gaan, fokus die studie op die onderbou van klein kinders se geloofsvorming en geloofsgroei. Omdat die gesin3 die primêre invloed in die eerste sewe jaar van meeste kinders se lewens is, word ingegaan op die belang van die gesin en sy regmatige plek in die deelname van die geloofsvorming van die kind. Gevolglik word daar gefokus daarop om ouers toe te rus om ? Bybelse wêreldbeskouing (en as’t ware ? geloofslewe) te vestig in die gesin sowel as by die kindMaster

Description and comparison of the pupae of a further two <i>Culicoides</i> (<i>Avaritia</i>) species from the dung of large herbivores in South Africa (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)

In 2007 Nevill, Venter, Meiswinkel & Nevill demonstrated that the pupae of five Culicoides species belonging to the Imicola complex of the subgenus Avaritia could readily be differentiated from one another using various morphological characters. Three of the described species, Culicoides bolitinos Meiswinkel 1989; Culicoides loxodontis Meiswinkel 1992 and Culicoides sp. # 107 (= C. kwagga, Meiswinkel, unpublished thesis 1995), were reared from the dung of large herbivores, which included buffaloes, elephants, white and black rhinoceroses and zebras. However, during that study a further two Avaritia species, neither of which belonged to the Imicola complex, were reared from dung and these are the subject of the present study. For the past 20 years the adults of these two new closely related species have been known as Culicoides sp. # 54 pale form (p.f.) Meiswinkel and Culicoides sp. # 54 dark form (d.f.) Meiswinkel. The taxonomic description and formal naming of the adults of these two species has yet to be done. The present description and comparison of their pupae show that they are two clearly distinct species; that there is no group of morphological characters that can be used to differentiate these two species from the previously described five species of the Imicola complex; and finally that there was no difference between the pupae of C. sp. # 54 d.f. nor C. sp. # 54 p.f. reared from the dung of different host animals

Nutritional status, quality of life and CD4 cell count of adults living with HIV/AIDS in the Ga-Rankuwa area (South Africa)

Objective: To determine if there was a relationship between CD4 cell count, nutritional status and self-reported quality of life (QoL) in HIV-infected adults. Design: Descriptive study in the quantitative research domain. Setting: The out-patient antiretroviral (ARV) clinic at Dr George Mukhari Hospital (Ga-Rankuwa) (institutional). Subjects: The study group (n = 90) consisted of male (n = 34) and female patients (18-50 years) diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. Convenience sampling was used. Outcome measures: Anthropometry (weight, height, BMI, MUAC, TSF), dietary intake (habitual food intake recall) and QoL (WHOQoL-HIV questionnaire) were assessed. Data collection was done from January-April 2007. Results: Significant, but poor, positive correlation was found for the following anthropometrical parameters and the CD4 cell count: weight (r = 0.37; ρ = 0.00), BMI (r=0.39; ρ = 0.00), and MUAC (r = 0.36; ρ = 0.00). The study group had a poor dietary quality. Significant correlation with the CD4 cell count was found for the following domains of the QoL: physical activity (r = 0.27; ρ = 0.01), psychological (r = 0.27; ρ = 0.01), level of independence (r = 0.36; ρ = 0.00), and environmental (r = 0.27; ρ = 0.01). The overall QoL assessment was average, according to the WHOQoL-HIV questionnaire score. Conclusion: Significant positive relationships existed between specific anthropometry and the CD4 cell count, and also between certain QoL domains and the CD4 cell count. Strategies for increasing dietary diversity and QoL ought to be identified and implemented in communities. Recommendation: A longitudinal study would give better understanding of the relationship between nutritional status, the CD4 cell count and QoL.Articl

Short-term vegetation change on rehabilitated peatland on Rietvlei Nature Reserve

Natural peatlands occur on the Rietvlei Nature Reserve. Before the Pretoria City Council acquired the land, these peatlands were mined by private land-owners. Ditches were constructed to drain the area for mining and the peatlands became desicrated. Later the area was proclaimed as a nature reserve and has since then been managed as such. Rehabilitation of the drained peatland on Rietvlei Nature Reserve first started in 2000 as a Working for Water project. The aim of the rehabilitation was to close the ditches and rewet the peatland, to enable possible revival of the peatland. A baseline vegetation survey was undertaken during the summer (March to April) of 2001 to determine the nature of the pioneer communities that established on the rehabilitated area. This survey was repeated during the summer (March to April) of 2002 to detect changes in the vegetation. The same sample plots were used on both occasions. The initial pioneer vegetation was mostly composed of weedy annuals

Bionomics of temperate and tropical Culicoides midges: knowledge gaps and consequences for transmission of Culicoides-borne viruses

Culicoides midges are abundant hematophagous flies that vector arboviruses of veterinary and medical importance. Dramatic changes in the epidemiology of Culicoides-borne arboviruses have occurred since 1998, including the emergence of exotic viruses in northern temperate regions, increases in global disease incidence, and enhanced virus diversity in tropical zones. Drivers may include changes in climate, land use, trade, and animal husbandry. New Culicoides species and new wild reservoir hosts have been implicated in transmission, highlighting the dynamic nature of pathogen-vector-host interactions. Focusing on potential vector species worldwide and key elements of vectorial capacity, we review the sensitivity of Culicoides life cycles to abiotic and biotic factors. We consider implications for designing control measures and understanding impacts of environmental change in different ecological contexts. Critical geographical, biological, and taxonomic knowledge gaps are prioritized. Recent developments in genomics and mathematical modeling may enhance ecological understanding of these complex arbovirus systems