Phenotypic divergence in two sibling species of shorebird: Common Snipe and Wilson’s Snipe (Charadriiformes: Scolopacidae)

Natural and social selection are among the main shapers of biological diversity but their relative importance in divergence remains understudied. Additionally, although neutral evolutionary processes may promote phenotypic divergence, their potential contribution in speciation is often overlooked in studies of comparative morphology. In this study, we investigated phenotypic differentiation in two allopatric shorebirds: the Palaearctic Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago and the Nearctic Wilson’s Snipe Gallinago delicata. Specimens of Common Snipe (n = 355 skins, n = 163 skeletons) and Wilson’s Snipe (n = 403 skins, n = 141 skeletons) in natural history collections were examined to quantify differences in skeletal and external measurements, and measures of wing and tail plumage variables. The species do not differ in skeletal variables except for the relatively larger sternum of the Common Snipe. The two species do not differ in multivariate wing size or shape (pointedness). Previously known plumage differences between these species were confirmed: the Common Snipe has fewer rectrices, longer and wider outermost rectrices, more extensive white on tips of the secondary feathers, and more white in the axillaries. Between-species variance in skeleton, primary length and plumage variables was greater than expected if drift was mainly responsible for phenotypic divergence, suggesting a role of selective processes. However, drift could not be rejected after adjusting for multiple comparisons. Differences in plumage traits were greater than in skeletal or external measurements. Because snipe use plumage traits in signalling, the results suggest a more rapid divergence in socially selected traits between these species than in traits related to resource use

Class IV mammalian alcohol dehydrogenase Structural data of the rat stomach enzyme reveal a new class well separated from those already characterized

AbstractThe stomach form of alcohol dehydrogenase has been structurally evaluated by peptide analysis covering six separate regions of the rat enzyme. Overall, this new structure diners widely (32–40% residue differences) from the structures of three classes of alcohol dehydrogenase characterized before from the same species. Consequently, this novel enzyme constitutes a true fourth class of mammalian alcohol dehydrogenase. In particular, differences are extensive also towards class II, although enzymatic and physicochemical properties initially suggested overall similarities with class II. The new structure establishes the presence of one further alcohol dehydrogenase mammalian gene, extends the enzyme family derived from repeated gene duplications, and confirms tissue-specific expressions

Interactions between sunlight and microorganisms influence dissolved organic matter degradation along the aquatic continuum

CO2 emissions from inland surface waters to the atmosphere are almost as large as the net carbon transfer from the atmosphere to Earth’s land surface. This large flux is supported by dissolved organic matter (DOM) from land and its complete oxidation to CO2 in freshwaters. A critical nexus in the global carbon cycle is the fate of DOM, either complete or partial oxidation. Interactions between sunlight and microbes control DOM degradation, but the relative importance of photodegradation vs. degradation by microbes is poorly known. The knowledge gaps required to advance understanding of key interactions between photochemistry and biology influencing DOM degradation include: (1) the efficiencies and products of DOM photodegradation, (2) how do photo‐products control microbial metabolism of photo‐altered DOM and on what time scales, and (3) how do water and DOM residence times and light exposure interact to determine the fate of DOM moving across the landscape to oceans?Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/144226/1/lol210060_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/144226/2/lol210060.pd

Molecular genetic characterization of two solvent pathway dehydrogenases from Clostridium Acetobutylicum

Clostridium acetobutylicum P262 is an endospore-forming Gram-positive anaerobic bacterium, which has been used for the industrial production of acetone and butanol from carbohydrate substrates. This study forms part of a wider research effort into the genetics and molecular biology of C. acetobutylicum, which has as an ultimate goal the commercial improvement, and a fundamental understanding of the ABE fermentation. The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize genes involved in solventogenesis. The cloning, expression and characterization of the terminal solventogenic butanol dehydrogenase gene ( adhl), and the central pathway β-hydroxybutyryl-CoA dehydrogenase gene (hbd), which form part of a but operon are described

Braunschwegisches Adreßbuch für das Jahr 1952

I argue that accommodating health care workers is difficult, perhaps more difficult than accommodating other workers, and I explain why. First, in Part II, I will describe the characteristics of health care jobs that make those jobs difficult for individuals with disabilities. These characteristics include: (1) most health care jobs are physically rigorous, often involving heavy lifting, pushing, and walking and standing for long periods of time; (2) most health care jobs involve long hours and/or shift work; and (3) the majority of jobs in the health care industry are safety-sensitive positions, with life or death often hanging in the balance. In Part III, I discuss the three most common types of accommodations needed by employees with disabilities in the health care workforce and how employers and courts react to these accommodation requests. Finally, in Part IV, I turn to three over-arching issues I have identified in prior work and analyze how those issues manifest themselves (and are often magnified) in the health care context. Specifically, I will discuss: (1) employers’ reluctance to provide modifications to the “structural norms”9 of the workplace; (2) “special treatment stigma” in the workplace—the reluctance of employers to provide accommodations that place burdens on other employees or that are seen as preferential treatment; and (3) “withdrawn accommodations”—the situation where employers take away accommodations previously provided. This abstract has been taken from the author\u27s introduction