Impacts of Invasive, Exotic Grasses on Quail of Southwestern Rangelands: A Decade of Progress?

Exotic grass invasions are a serious concern for State and Federal agencies, non-government organizations, and private landowners engaged in quail conservation and management. Quail biologists recognized the potential negative impacts of exotic grass invasion on North American quail populations 2 decades ago. This issue was addressed in a review paper published in the Proceedings of the 5th National Quail Symposium in 2002. That paper reported the state of our knowledge on impacts of exotic grass invasions on 5 quail species inhabiting southwestern rangelands. Our objective is to update the progress of exotic grass-quail research on southwestern rangelands during the past decade by reviewing studies that provide specific results about the impacts of exotic grass invasions on southwestern quail populations. Results of studies that have quantified the impacts of exotic grass on quail habitat use are summarized and discussed along with studies that describe how exotic grasses impact important components of quail habitat such as diversity and abundance native herbaceous plants and arthropods. Management of exotic grasses is also discussed

Evolution of genes and genomes on the Drosophila phylogeny

Comparative analysis of multiple genomes in a phylogenetic framework dramatically improves the precision and sensitivity of evolutionary inference, producing more robust results than single-genome analyses can provide. The genomes of 12 Drosophila species, ten of which are presented here for the first time (sechellia, simulans, yakuba, erecta, ananassae, persimilis, willistoni, mojavensis, virilis and grimshawi), illustrate how rates and patterns of sequence divergence across taxa can illuminate evolutionary processes on a genomic scale. These genome sequences augment the formidable genetic tools that have made Drosophila melanogaster a pre-eminent model for animal genetics, and will further catalyse fundamental research on mechanisms of development, cell biology, genetics, disease, neurobiology, behaviour, physiology and evolution. Despite remarkable similarities among these Drosophila species, we identified many putatively non-neutral changes in protein-coding genes, non-coding RNA genes, and cis-regulatory regions. These may prove to underlie differences in the ecology and behaviour of these diverse species

Evolution of genes and genomes on the Drosophila phylogeny

Affiliations des auteurs : cf page 216 de l'articleInternational audienceComparative analysis of multiple genomes in a phylogenetic framework dramatically improves the precision and sensitivity of evolutionary inference, producing more robust results than single-genome analyses can provide. The genomes of 12 Drosophila species, ten of which are presented here for the first time (sechellia, simulans, yakuba, erecta, ananassae, persimilis, willistoni, mojavensis, virilis and grimshawi), illustrate how rates and patterns of sequence divergence across taxa can illuminate evolutionary processes on a genomic scale. These genome sequences augment the formidable genetic tools that have made Drosophila melanogaster a pre-eminent model for animal genetics, and will further catalyse fundamental research on mechanisms of development, cell biology, genetics, disease, neurobiology, behaviour, physiology and evolution. Despite remarkable similarities among these Drosophila species, we identified many putatively non-neutral changes in protein-coding genes, non-coding RNA genes, and cis-regulatory regions. These may prove to underlie differences in the ecology and behaviour of these diverse species