Dispersal of a Human-Cultivated Crop by Wild Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) in a Forest–Farm Matrix

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Springer verlag via the DOI in this recordWith the conversion of natural habitats to farmland, nonhuman primates (hereafter primates) are increasingly exposed to agricultural crops. Although frugivorous primates are important seed dispersers that sometimes feed on agricultural fruits, evidence for dispersal of crops by primates is lacking. Here, we examine flexible feeding on cacao (Theobroma cacao) fruit and seed dispersal patterns by chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) at Bossou in Guinea, and consequent cacao germination and survival. From direct observations, we confirm that cacao fruit is not an important food to chimpanzees, representing 0.23 % of focal animal feeding time. Chimpanzees ingest cacao pulp and either spit out the large seeds intact from unripe cacao fruit or swallow the seeds from ripe cacao fruits, which are consequently deposited in feces. From ecological surveys we show that chimpanzees distributed cacao extensively throughout their home range, at a mean distance of 407 m ± SE 0.6 (N = 90 clusters, range: 4–1130 m) from cacao plantations. As distance from the cacao plantation increased, cacao plants were more likely to survive. Other factors, including number of cacao plants in a cluster, plant height, and openness of the understory did not predict short-term cacao survival. Cacao plants within the forest did not produce fruit. By contrast, when chimpanzees deposited seeds in a plantation, cacao plants produced fruits as a result of farmers’ maintenance of the area. Our local-scale findings emphasize the complex behavioral and ecological interconnections between coexisting humans and primates in agricultural landscapes and generate interesting questions regarding primate niche construction and crop “ownership” related to who “plants” the crop.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, PortugalMEX

Fit to Race: Identifying the balance, type and sources of knowledge in fitness for Motorsport

In Motorsport, due perhaps to a lack of empirical evidence, it is not always clear what fitness training is required and what roles specific fitness components play, particularly outside the elite levels. Consequently, drivers and their trainers are often left to their own devices, placing reliance on anecdotal information. Accordingly, using a large sample of racing drivers, coaches and fitness trainers, the aim of this investigation was to identify the perceived importance and contribution of fitness components, the sources of information used to reach these conclusions and levels of confidence in the views reported. Survey data from 166 drivers (151 males, 15 females) showed that, in general, cardiovascular fitness, upper body strength, coordination and reactions were perceived as being the most important. Data on sources of information used supported the conjecture that training can often be based on “word of mouth”. Despite a fairly high level of confidence in the views expressed, there is clearly a significant opportunity for practitioners working within Motorsport to provide clearer, proven information so that drivers can feel confident that they are training optimally

First GIS analysis of modern stone tools used by wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) in Bossou, Guinea, West Africa

Stone tool use by wild chimpanzees of West Africa offers a unique opportunity to explore the evolutionary roots of technology during human evolution. However, detailed analyses of chimpanzee stone artifacts are still lacking, thus precluding a comparison with the earliest archaeological record. This paper presents the first systematic study of stone tools used by wild chimpanzees to crack open nuts in Bossou (Guinea-Conakry), and applies pioneering analytical techniques to such artifacts. Automatic morphometric GIS classification enabled to create maps of use wear over the stone tools (anvils, hammers, and hammers/anvils), which were blind tested with GIS spatial analysis of damage patterns identified visually. Our analysis shows that chimpanzee stone tool use wear can be systematized and specific damage patterns discerned, allowing to discriminate between active and passive pounders in lithic assemblages. In summary, our results demonstrate the heuristic potential of combined suites of GIS techniques for the analysis of battered artifacts, and have enabled creating a referential framework of analysis in which wild chimpanzee battered tools can for the first time be directly compared to the early archaeological record.Leverhulme Trust [IN-052]; MEXT [20002001, 24000001]; JSPS-U04-PWS; FCT-Portugal [SFRH/BD/36169/2007]; Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Researc

Activity and Habitat Use of Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) in the Anthropogenic Landscape of Bossou, Guinea, West Africa

Many primate populations inhabit anthropogenic landscapes. Understanding their long-term ability to persist in such environments and associated real and perceived risks for both primates and people is essential for effective conservation planning. Primates in forest–agricultural mosaics often consume cultivars to supplement their diet, leading to potentially negative encounters with farmers. When crossing roads, primates also face the risk of encounters with people and collision with vehicles. Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) in Bossou, Guinea, West Africa, face such risks regularly. In this study, we aimed to examine their activity budget across habitat types and the influence of anthropogenic risks associated with cultivated fields, roads, and paths on their foraging behavior in noncultivated habitat. We conducted 6-h morning or afternoon follows daily from April 2012 to March 2013. Chimpanzees preferentially used forest habitat types for traveling and resting and highly disturbed habitat types for socializing. Wild fruit and crop availability influenced seasonal habitat use for foraging. Overall, chimpanzees preferred mature forest for all activities. They showed a significant preference for foraging at >200 m from cultivated fields compared to 0–100 m and 101–200 m, with no effect of habitat type or season, suggesting an influence of associated risk. Nevertheless, the chimpanzees did not actively avoid foraging close to roads and paths. Our study reveals chimpanzee reliance on different habitat types and the influence of human-induced pressures on their activities. Such information is critical for the establishment of effective land use management strategies in anthropogenic landscapes

Stimulated Raman scattering microscopy: an emerging tool for drug discovery

Optical microscopy techniques have emerged as a cornerstone of biomedical research, capable of probing the cellular functions of a vast range of substrates, whilst being minimally invasive to the cells or tissues of interest. Incorporating biological imaging into the early stages of the drug discovery process can provide invaluable information about drug activity within complex disease models. Spontaneous Raman spectroscopy has been widely used as a platform for the study of cells and their components based on chemical composition; but slow acquisition rates, poor resolution and a lack of sensitivity have hampered further development. A new generation of stimulated Raman techniques is emerging which allows the imaging of cells, tissues and organisms at faster acquisition speeds, and with greater resolution and sensitivity than previously possible. This review focuses on the development of stimulated Raman scattering (SRS), and covers the use of bioorthogonal tags to enhance sample detection, and recent applications of both spontaneous Raman and SRS as novel imaging platforms to facilitate the drug discovery process

Competing charge transfer pathways at the photosystem II-electrode interface.

The integration of the water-oxidation enzyme photosystem II (PSII) into electrodes allows the electrons extracted from water oxidation to be harnessed for enzyme characterization and to drive novel endergonic reactions. However, PSII continues to underperform in integrated photoelectrochemical systems despite extensive optimization efforts. Here we carried out protein-film photoelectrochemistry using spinach and Thermosynechococcus elongatus PSII, and we identified a competing charge transfer pathway at the enzyme-electrode interface that short-circuits the known water-oxidation pathway. This undesirable pathway occurs as a result of photo-induced O2 reduction occurring at the chlorophyll pigments and is promoted by the embedment of PSII in an electron-conducting fullerene matrix, a common strategy for enzyme immobilization. Anaerobicity helps to recover the PSII photoresponse and unmasks the onset potentials relating to the QA/QB charge transfer process. These findings impart a fuller understanding of the charge transfer pathways within PSII and at photosystem-electrode interfaces, which will lead to more rational design of pigment-containing photoelectrodes in general.This work was supported by the U.K. Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/H00338X/2 to E. Reisner), the U.K. Biology and Biotechnological Sciences Research Council (BB/K010220/1 to E. Reisner), a Marie Curie International Incoming Fellowship (PIIF-GA-2012-328085 RPSII to J.J.Z.). N.P. was supported by the Winton Fund for the Physics of Sustainability. E. Romero. and R.v.G. were supported by the VU University Amsterdam, the Laserlab-Europe Consortium, the TOP grant (700.58.305) from the Foundation of Chemical Sciences part of NWO, the Advanced Investigator grant (267333, PHOTPROT) from the European Research Council, and the EU FP7 project PAPETS (GA 323901). R.v.G. gratefully acknowledges his `Academy Professor' grant from the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW). We would also like to thank Miss Katharina Brinkert and Prof A. William Rutherford for a sample of T. elongatus PSII, and H. v. Roon for preparation of the spinach PSII samples

Seeing touches early in life

Addabbo M, Longhi E, Bolognini N, et al. Seeing touches early in life. PLoS ONE. 2015;10(9): e0134549

Pair-list readings in Korean-Japanese, Chinese-Japanese and English-Japanese interlanguage

In English and Chinese, questions with a wh-object and a universally quantified subject (e.g. What did everyone buy?) allow an individual answer (Everyone bought apples.) and a pair-list answer (Sam bought apples, Jo bought bananas, Sally bought...). By contrast, the pair-list answer is reportedly unavailable in Japanese and Korean. This article documents an experimental investigation of the interpretation of such questions in non-native Japanese by learners whose first languages (L1s) are Korean, Chinese or English. The results show that, regardless of L1, only a minority of advanced second language (L2) Japanese learners demonstrate knowledge of the absence of pair-list readings in Japanese. In English-Japanese and Chinese-Japanese interlanguage, L1 transfer readily accounts for this finding: the L1 grammar, which allows pair-list readings, may obstruct acquisition of the more restrictive Japanese grammar. But in Korean-Japanese interlanguage, L1 transfer predicts rejection of pair-list answers. However, in a Korean version of the experimental task, a native Korean control group robustly accepts pair-list readings, contra expectations. A proposal to account for this finding is put forward, under which the Korean-Japanese interlanguage data become compatible with an L1-transfer-based model of L2 acquisition. Moreover, the native-like rejection of pair-list readings by some advanced learners of all three L1 backgrounds is argued to imply that UG constraints operate at the L2 syntax-semantics interface