Search

This article offers a reading of the novel Tropic of Violence by Nathacha Appanah that attends to the question of belonging. The article aims to contribute to criticism of literary depictions of migration within the Indian Ocean and draws on the unique migratory and population dynamics of the island of Mayotte in the Comoros, an archipelago off the east coast of Africa. The article addresses the affective, social, and political dimensions of belonging regarding three thematic aspects of the novel: firstly, mobility, discussing the discrepancies between the movement and access of French metropolitans in comparison to Comoran migrants; secondly, the imbrication of various social and political identities--Mahoran, Comoran, and French--that characterizes the island's population and influences islanders' quality of life; and thirdly, place attachment, noting the parallels drawn between environmental degradation and social pressures and how landscapes in the novel register a loss of belonging., INTRODUCTION Nathacha Appanah's Tropic of Violence (originally published in French in 2016 as Tropique de la Violence) is set on the island of Mayotte, a French overseas department located in [...]

Freshwater jellyfish (= limnic medusa‐budding hydrozoans, FWJ) are a small group of cnidarians found on all continents except Antarctica in temperate to tropical latitudes. Members of this group belong primarily to three genera: Astrohydra, Craspedacusta, and Limnocnida. While Astrohydra and Limnocnida are typically restricted to the islands of Japan, Africa, and the Indian subcontinent, one species or potential species complex, Craspedacusta sowerbii, became globally invasive. Despite research going back about one‐and‐a‐half centuries, little is known about their phylogeny and ecology compared to marine jellyfish. Recent species distribution modelling, however, showed that by 2050, C. sowerbii will potentially extend their distribution ranges due to global warming to high‐latitude ecosystems and be present (medusa stage) for an extended time in the seasonal limnic production cycle. An increase in their relative ecological importance with temporal and spatial spreading is hypothesised. Only recently, it has been shown that the trophic roles of polyps and medusae and their prey overlap with other ecosystem members. In addition, medusa behaviour may cause trophic cascades and alter vertical nutrient distributions. However, polyps and other benthic life cycle stages are understudied. In globally, changing freshwater ecosystems that may become more accommodating for FWJ, an improved understanding of their population biology and ecosystem ecology is urgently needed. In this integrative review, we, therefore, explore reasons for the hampered historical research progress, contrast developments with those of marine cnidarians, compile and publish alongside an extensive and unprecedented literature database, and formulate avenues for future directions in FWJ research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent work indicates that feralisation is not a simple reversal of domestication, and therefore raises questions about the predictability of evolution across replicated feral populations. In the present study we compare genes and traits of two independently established feral populations of chickens (Gallus gallus) that inhabit archipelagos within the Pacific and Atlantic regions to test for evolutionary parallelism and/or divergence. We find that feral populations from each region are genetically closer to one another than other domestic breeds, despite their geographical isolation and divergent colonisation histories. Next, we used genome scans to identify genomic regions selected during feralisation (selective sweeps) in two independently feral populations from Bermuda and Hawaii. Three selective sweep regions (each identified by multiple detection methods) were shared between feral populations, and this overlap is inconsistent with a null model in which selection targets are randomly distributed throughout the genome. In the case of the Bermudian population, many of the genes present within the selective sweeps were either not annotated or of unknown function. Of the nine genes that were identifiable, five were related to behaviour, with the remaining genes involved in bone metabolism, eye development and the immune system. Our findings suggest that a subset of feralisation loci (i.e. genomic targets of recent selection in feral populations) are shared across independently established populations, raising the possibility that feralisation involves some degree of parallelism or convergence and the potential for a shared feralisation 'syndrome'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant taxonomy and phylogeny deal with very important problems related to the genetic diversity of populations found in different geographical regions, trying to present the variability of these populations but also to explain their origin. For this reason, such studies examining the conditioned diversity of plant populations were the subject of this Special Issue (SI) of the journal Plants. This SI contains ten original articles and one review article concerning phylogeography and related sciences, i.e., biogeography, taxonomy, and systematics, as well as the genetic variability that lies at the basis of these sciences. The articles included in the SI cover a wide range of topics, including the phylogeny and taxonomy of mosses, taxonomy and hybridization and phylogeny of the genus Chery, genetic diversity and phylogeography of fern, including relict species from the Macronesia area, taxonomy of the genus Aconitum, a species of orchid new to the Romanian flora, but also a proposal for a new phylogeographic division in Gansu Province (China) and a review of the role of the Hercynian Mountains in Shaping Plant Migration Patterns in the Pleistocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intermuscular bones of fish are closely related to their locomotion; the more athletic the fish is, the greater the number of intermuscular bones and the relatively higher the muscle fat content. In order to investigate whether C. brachygnathus exists migratory ecological taxa in Poyang Lake, samples of C. brachygnathus were collected from different sampling sites of Poyang Lake, such as Qianyanqiao. In addition, samples of C. nasus from Zhoushan Shengsi and Qingcaosha Reservoir at the mouth of the Yangtze River were collected in order to investigate the effect of migration on the formation of intermuscular bones of C. nasus. The morphology, number and muscle protein and fat content of medullary arch ossicles and pulse arch ossicles were compared by anatomical method and conventional measurement method. The results showed that： (1) The number of intermuscular bones of C. brachygnathus was the least in the Poyang Lake which was 100.67±6.34; The number of intermuscular bones in Qianyanqiao was the largest which was 127.67±6.18. (2)The intermuscular bone number of C.nasus in Poyang Lake was 129.60±0.98 which was significantly higher than C. brachygnathus of 110.60±2.97. (3) The number of Poyanghu intermuscular bones of the same species was significantly higher than that of 113.67±3.29 intermuscular bones of the Qingcaosha but lower than that of 147.67±3.09 intermuscular bones of Shengsi ; (4) The protein content of muscle in the C.nasus in Poyang Lake was lower than that of the C. brachygnathus, and the fat content was higher than that of the C.brachygnathus. Suggesting that the C.nasus need to oscillate more in order to fulfil the needs of long-distance migration and to stimulate more intermuscular spine formation. These results are important for the understanding of the difference in the origin of the migratory populations of C. nasus and C. brachygnathus in Poyang Lake, and lay the foundation for the further research on the biology of the migratory populations in Poyang Lake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Population studies of tropical butterflies are still scarce considering the huge diversity of species worldwide, and historical data are even more limited.The present paper describes in detail the population parameters of M. cymo salonina from a semideciduous forest in the interior of São Paulo state, Brazil. A mark-release-recapture (MRR) program was carried out in a forest fragment in Sumaré municipality, from August 17, 1974 to October 26, 1977. In total, 2892 individuals were captured and marked (1620 males and 1272 females). The estimated population size varied from two to 1349 individuals per day for males and from one to 908 for females. For both sexes, the population showed a markedly seasonal pattern in the three studied years, with a distinct peak at the end of the wet season, followed by a decrease in numbers at the beginning of the dry season, maintaining low numbers until the mid-wet season. The overall sex ratio (56% male) was male-biased, but considering the months separately, this bias was reported in only nine out of the 25 tested months. The residence time (based on recaptured individuals) varied from one to 91 days for males and from one to 112 for females; the average residence time of males and females was not significantly different. The age structure was unstable and showed a clear predominance of new individuals at the onset of the population peaks, followed by an increase in the proportion of intermediate and old individuals in the ensuing months. Survival curves were similar for both sexes, approaching a type II survival curve. The present study provides novel information regarding this group, indicating that general patterns are still not well explored. Therefore, any further studies on ithomiines, including different species and populations of already studied species, are highly encouraged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Automating wildlife monitoring with wireless 4G cameras and end-to-end data streams. • Remote monitoring of sensor performance, API handling and automated task management. • Deep learning for automated identification of focal species and human detection. • Total cost saving of >40 % through automation, AI and less regular site visits. • Enabling technologies allow scaling-up of a cost-efficient biodiversity monitoring. Modern approaches with advanced technology can automate and expand the extent and resolution of biodiversity monitoring. We present the development of an innovative system for automated wildlife monitoring in a coastal Natura 2000 nature reserve of the Netherlands with 65 wireless 4G wildlife cameras which are deployed autonomously in the field with 12 V/2A solar panels, i.e. without the need to replace batteries or manually retrieve SD cards. The cameras transmit images automatically (through a mobile network) to a sensor portal, which contains a PostgreSQL database and functionalities for automated task scheduling and data management, allowing scientists and site managers via a web interface to view images and remotely monitor sensor performance (e.g. number of uploaded files, battery status and SD card storage of cameras). The camera trap sampling design combines a grid-based sampling stratified by major habitats with the camera placement along a traditional monitoring route, and with an experimental set-up inside and outside large herbivore exclosures. This provides opportunities for studying the distribution, habitat use, activity, phenology, population structure and community composition of wildlife species and allows comparison of traditional with novel monitoring approaches. Images are transferred via application programming interfaces to external services for automated species identification and long-term data storage. A deep learning model for species identification was tested and showed promising results for identifying focal species. Furthermore, a detailed cost analysis revealed that establishment costs of the automated system are higher but the annual operating costs much lower than those for traditional camera trapping, resulting in the automated system being >40 % more cost-efficient. The developed end-to-end data pipeline demonstrates that continuous monitoring with automated wildlife camera networks is feasible and cost-efficient, with multiple benefits for extending the current monitoring methods. The system can be applied in open habitats of other nature reserves with mobile network coverage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mitochondrial genome of Dematophora necatrix is 121,350 base pairs in length with a G + C content of 30.19%. Phylogenetic analysis showed that D. necatrix grouped with other members of the Xylariaceae, with which its mitogenome also shares a broadly similar architecture and gene content. The D. necatrix mitogenome contains 14 protein-coding and 26 tRNA-encoding genes, as well as one copy each of the rnl, rns, rps3 and nat1 genes. However, as much as 80% of this genome is intronic or non-coding. This is likely due to expansions and rearrangements caused by the large number of group I introns and the homing endonucleases and reverse-transcriptases they encode. Our study thus provides a valuable foundation from which to explore the mitochondrion's role in the biology of D. necatrix, and also serves as a resource for investigating the pathogen's population biology and general ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new invasive snapping shrimp from the Alpheus lobidens De Haan, 1849 species complex has become one of the most frequently observed crustaceans in certain saltmarshes along the southwestern Spanish coast. The first place in Europe where this invasion has occurred is reported in this study; however, little is known about this species, even within its undetermined native range. Here, the population structure, density, sex ratio, sexual dimorphism, reproductive period, and relative growth of this nonnative shrimp are reported for an intertidal saltmarsh in SW Spain based on monthly data collection over a year. Ovigerous females were collected during all months of the year. This population trait is not found in any native crustacean in the temperate zone of Europe. The sex ratio showed a similar proportion of male and female individuals, 0.88:1 (F:M), throughout the year. Sexual dimorphism was evident in the growth characteristics of body structures and implications are discussed. These results highlight the successful establishment of this shrimp in the Mediterranean climate area of Spain and have implications on marine fauna conservation and management. These findings also provide a basis for future comparative research in the shrimp native regions and enhance understanding of the species population dynamics. KEY WORDS: Alpheus lobidens, nonindigenous species, Caridea, life-history traits, size, reproduction, San Pedro River, snapping shrimp, INTRODUCTION The caridean family Alpheidae Rafinesque, 1815, is present in various marine habitats, spanning tropical, and temperate regions and can be found from the intertidal zone to deep waters (Anker [...]

ABSTRACTIntroduction Transmissible vaccines offer a novel approach to suppressing viruses in wildlife populations, with possible applications against viruses that infect humans as zoonoses – Lassa, Ebola, rabies. To ensure safety, current designs propose a recombinant vector platform in which the vector is isolated from the target wildlife population. Because using an endemic vector creates the potential for preexisting immunity to block vaccine transmission, these designs focus on vector viruses capable of superinfection, spreading throughout the host population following vaccination of few individuals.Areas covered We present original theoretical arguments that, regardless of its R0 value, a recombinant vaccine using a superinfecting vector is not expected to expand its active infection coverage when released into a wildlife population that already carries the vector. However, if superinfection occurs at a high rate such that individuals are repeatedly infected throughout their lives, the immunity footprint in the population can be high despite a low incidence of active vaccine infections. Yet we provide reasons that the above expectation is optimistic.Expert Opinion High vaccine coverage will typically require repeated releases or release into a population lacking the vector, but careful attention to vector choice and vaccine engineering should also help improve transmissible vaccine utility.

Maize is the most widely cultivated and major security crop in sub-Saharan Africa. Three foliar diseases threaten maize production on the continent, namely northern leaf blight, gray leaf spot, and southern corn leaf blight. These are caused by the fungi Exserohilum turcicum, Cercospora zeina, and Bipolaris maydis, respectively. Yield losses of more than 10% can occur if these pathogens are diagnosed inaccurately or managed ineffectively. Here, we review recent advances in understanding the population biology and management of the three pathogens, which are present in Africa and thrive under similar environmental conditions during a single growing season. To effectively manage these pathogens, there is an increasing adoption of breeding for resistance at the small-scale level combined with cultural practices. Fungicide usage in African cropping systems is limited due to high costs and avoidance of chemical control. Currently, there is limited knowledge available on the population biology and genetics of these pathogens in Africa. The evolutionary potential of these pathogens to overcome host resistance has not been fully established. There is a need to conduct large-scale sampling of isolates to study their diversity and trace their migration patterns across the continent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data from the mid-1990s to the present, we assessed correlations of Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) hunter cooperator reports from seven states to Breeding Bird Survey, Christmas Bird Count, and eBird data to determine which program's trends best reflected patterns seen in hunter-sourced data that has historically been used for monitoring purposes. Christmas Bird Count data most closely reflected state-wide long-term trends in cooperator flush rates. Using an analytical approach that accounts for sources of bias and examines abundance at a finer spatial scale, we observed a pattern of decline across our study area. In recent decades, Ruffed Grouse populations in the eastern United States are thought to have suffered persistent declines due to a combination of young forest habitat loss and West Nile virus mortality. Declining hunter participation in much of the species' range has highlighted the need to identify harvest-independent indices of grouse abundance to enable continued monitoring of regional long-term trends. Recent analytical methods can better capture complex trends in population dynamics, account for biases inherent to community-sourced data, and potentially inform designs of future survey efforts aimed at fulfilling priority monitoring and research needs. Comparable results across varying statistical methodologies suggest that our inferences are robust, demonstrating that Christmas Bird Count data can be used to inform regional monitoring efforts for grouse and other cryptic game bird populations, but require careful consideration of program designs and protocols to identify and implement data appropriately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the high diversity of elasmobranch fishes in the Balearic Islands, knowledge of their biology and population dynamics is still scarce. A recent mark-and-recapture experiment off the Balearic Islands tagged 3738 individuals of 23 shark and batoid species during MEDITS and CANAL bottom trawl scientific surveys from June 2021 to August 2023. Retrieval was reported for the sharks Scyliorhinus canicula and Mustelus mustelus, revealing relatively small home ranges for these species (0.2–38.5 km and 7.8–15.3 km for S. canicula and M. mustelus, respectively). Recapture efficiency was higher from scientific surveys than from commercial catches, highlighting potential challenges in collaboration with fishermen and recapture reports. Density estimates obtained from the MEDITS bottom trawl survey suggest a much larger population for S. canicula than estimates from the mark–recapture data, indicating MEDITS density estimates for this species may be overestimated due to its scavenger behavior perhaps favoring individuals searching for discards aggregated in the fishing grounds. This study emphasizes the importance of monitoring, collaborative efforts, and improved reporting mechanisms to enhance our understanding of elasmobranch populations and provide support for sustainable management of these vulnerable marine species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past few decades, the discrete dynamics of difference maps have attained the remarkable attention of researchers owing to their incredible applications in different domains, like cryptography, secure communications, weather forecasting, traffic flow models, neural network models, and population biology. In this article, a generalized chaotic system is proposed, and superior dynamics is disclosed through fixed point analysis, time-series evolution, cobweb representation, period-doubling, period-3 window, and Lyapunov exponent properties. The comparative bifurcation and Lyapunov plots report the superior stability and chaos performance of the generalized system. It is interesting to notice that the generalized system exhibits superior dynamics due to an additional control parameter β . Analytical and numerical simulations are used to explore the superior dynamical characteristics of the generalized system for some specific values of parameter β . Further, it is inferred that the superiority in dynamics of the generalized system may be efficiently used for better future applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genotype and phenotype in mobile organisms can be defined by various factors such as environmental, biological and geographical. Brown noddies Anous stolidus are pan-tropical seabirds breeding at different times, with migratory and resident populations in six islands throughout 20° of latitude in the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean. If environmental heterogeneity plays a key role in their population biology, we would expect significant genetic structure among colonies. However, absence of genetic structure between phenotypically different populations could play a scenario of ecological plasticity. To test these hypotheses, we used a model-based integrative approach combining genetic (mtDNA and ultraconserved elements) and morphological data of the brown noddy (n = 122) along with environmental variables and isotopic niches. We uncovered low levels of genetic structure, with 16 haplotypes for mtDNA and a signal of an ancient population expansion. Ultraconserved elements indicated that all colonies belong to the same genetic population (K = 1) and revealed substantial endogamy. However, phenotype differed both by biometric measures and isotopic niches between most pairs of populations. Although individuals from the northernmost colony are larger than the others, they are genetically similar, indicating a wide reaction norm for this species. Our results indicate the Southwestern Atlantic populations of the brown noddy are panmictic, but ecologically and morphologically diverse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fire blight, caused by the bacterial pathogen Erwinia amylovora, continues to be a devastating disease affecting commercial apple and pear plantings in almost all areas of the world, with recent incursions into Korea and China. During the past two decades, significant gains in knowledge of E. amylovora and fire blight disease have been achieved, in topic areas such as genetic and genomic diversity, host-pathogen interactions, host resistance, and disease management. As we look forward to the next two decades and beyond of fire blight research, we summarize the current research knowledge in topics focused on E. amylovora pathogen and population biology and propose research questions that we hope can guide the field forward to gain the necessary understanding that will lead to sustainable management of this disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species occupying dryland river ecosystems often experience "boom‐and‐bust" demographic cycles that coincide with shifts in habitat availability. Knowing whether declines are within natural thresholds versus those caused by acute human disturbance is critical for managing protected species. We investigated temporal shifts in abundance and habitat use of an endangered population of the threespine stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus in southern California, where a Mediterranean climate leads to ephemeral habitat in one of the regions' least hydrologically modified rivers, the Santa Clara River. We conducted population surveys over a period of below‐average rainfall in the upper watershed in Soledad Canyon, with predefined reaches surveyed multiple times per year to capture different hydrologic conditions. Abundances were stable across years but varied significantly depending on location, with some reaches remaining dry and others drying seasonally to varying degrees. Occupancy models showed that the presence of stable perennial reaches, drying regime, and other site‐specific factors were important predictors of habitat use, and that certain reaches may be key to ensuring source‐sink dynamics as flow dissipates over the dry season. Low occupancy in two sections was driven by different predominant mechanisms, one by diel cycles of evapotranspiration and the other by cattails (Typha spp.), with both having greater effects during the hotter, drier parts of the year. As dryland river ecosystems are vulnerable to the effects of anthropogenic‐induced climate change, this study demonstrates how temporal monitoring can delimit dry‐state benchmarks for improving management interventions (i.e., translocation and habitat restoration) for protected species under conditions that are predicted to worsen in the coming years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review provides open-access computational tools that support a range of mathematical approaches to analyse three related scalar reaction–diffusion models used to study biological invasion. Starting with the classic Fisher–Kolomogorov (Fisher–KPP) model, we illustrate how computational methods can be used to explore time-dependent partial differential equation (PDE) solutions in parallel with phase plane and regular perturbation techniques to explore invading travelling wave solutions moving with dimensionless speed c≥2. To overcome the lack of a well-defined sharp front in solutions of the Fisher–KPP model, we also review two alternative modelling approaches. The first is the Porous–Fisher model where the linear diffusion term is replaced with a degenerate nonlinear diffusion term. Using phase plane and regular perturbation methods, we explore the distinction between sharp- and smooth-fronted invading travelling waves that move with dimensionless speed c≥1/2. The second alternative approach is to reformulate the Fisher–KPP model as a moving boundary problem on 00) and biological recession (c<0). Open source Julia code to replicate all computational results in this review is available on GitHub; we encourage researchers to use this code directly or to adapt the code as required for more complicated models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Euphorbia schoenlandii has been heavily impacted by habitat loss and degradation. • There is a high degree of isolation between the three remaining populations. • Plants are negatively affected by the stem-boring larvae of nephopteryx divisella. • Extant populations are stable and recruiting overall, especially at coastal sites. Many threatened plant species in South Africa occur outside of protected areas and these include numerous succulent species that are traded internationally. Despite the potential impact that this may have on rare and endemic succulent species, limited population data exist to inform the non-detriment findings required by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to ensure that international trade is sustainable. A concerted effort is being made in South Africa to gather such data for threatened succulents in the Euphorbiaceae. As part of this effort, the study set out to locate the extant populations of Euphorbia schoenlandii , an endemic of the Succulent Karoo, and acquire a better understanding of the population biology and ecology of the species. We applied the point-centred quarter method to estimate population size and density at each locality. This first-ever comprehensive field survey allowed for the determination of the geographic distribution of the species, as well as the sizes and number of populations. Biotic and abiotic environmental variables were employed to generate a habitat profile and a species distribution model for conservation purposes. Population structure, regeneration potential, and stability of the three known populations were also assessed. According to this study, approximately 29 152 individuals remain in the wild. It was shown that the species is often associated with nurse plants. Various potential pollinators were identified, but of concern was the considerable infestation by an alien snout moth (Nephopteryx divisella) , a known pest of euphorbias. The first adult size class contained the highest proportion of individuals, which is indicative of pulse recruitment. Seedling numbers were low, most likely because the surveys were conducted during a drought period. Overall, this study provides the first data on various aspects of the population structure and ecology of E. schoenlandii. It provides valuable information regarding current threats, and also highlights the vulnerability of the species to further habitat loss and degradation or future illegal or unregulated harvesting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2022-2023 specimens of A. fallax are recorded for the first time in approximately 17 years in Szczecin Lagoon. We collected 11 specimens of juveniles, 9 premature and mature females, and 9 premature and mature males (20.3-40.7 cm of total length, aged from 1+ to 4+). The 2+ aged fish was slightly dominated (34.5% of the whole sample). Females in the Szczecin Lagoon were ready to spawn in the age of 3+ and 4+ years, while males partly in 2+, and in the age of 3+ and 4+. Fulton's condition factor of this fish was 0.93±0.14 and Clark's 0.78±0.14. Analysis of correlations between the total length and individual weight of fish revealed that the growth of A. fallax was allometric (b < 3.0). The range of gonadosomatic index (GSI) was 0.12-26.59%, while the mean of the absolute and relative fecundity was 58,756 eggs per female and 139,650 eggs per kilogram of body weight. The obtained results indicate the occurrence of an anadromous population of Alosa fallax in the studied water areas. However, there is still a need to obtain detailed information on the population status and the biology of A. fallax in these areas in order to designate special conservation areas (SACs) for their protection, especially taking into account spawning habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single gamete cell sequencing together with long-read sequencing can reliably produce chromosome-level phased genomes. In this study, we employed PacBio HiFi and Hi-C sequencing on a male Landrace pig, coupled with single-sperm sequencing of its 102 sperm cells. A haplotype assembly method was developed based on long-read sequencing and sperm-phased markers. The chromosome-level phased assembly showed higher phasing accuracy than methods that rely only on HiFi reads. The use of single-sperm sequencing data enabled the construction of a genetic map, successfully mapping the sperm motility trait to a specific region on chromosome 1 (105.40–110.70 Mb). Furthermore, with the assistance of Y chromosome-bearing sperm data, 26.16 Mb Y chromosome sequences were assembled. We report a reliable approach for assembling chromosome-level phased genomes and reveal the potential of sperm population in basic biology research and sperm phenotype research. An improved pig genome assembly is reported, using single sperm sequencing to reconstruct chromosome haplotypes, and with improved Y chromosome sequence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the biology, population parameters, and ecology of the sergestid shrimp (Acetes) in Barangay Damilisan, Miagao, Iloilo, the Philippines, by collecting samples for biological analyses and analyses using FiSAT II software. Based on morphometric evaluation, the sergestid shrimps present in the study site were identified as Acetes intermedius. Mature and near-spawning of the 180 specimens examined for ovarian maturity were > 50% in January, February, and April 2022. Size at sexual maturity was recorded at lengths ranging from 21.90-23.10 mm. The highest mean TL and CL were 20.49 ± 1.84 and 5.32 ± 0.56 mm, respectively, in January 2022. The length-frequency data showed that the highest frequency was 18.50-20.40 mm. The male-to-female sex ratio was 1:2; wherein females dominated the males. The highest frequency for females ranged from 20.50-22.40 mm (TL). Estimated population parameters of A. intermedius were L∞ = 30.98 mm, K = 1.900 yr-1, Ø' =3.26 yr-1, tmax= 1.6 yr-1, M = 3.93 yr-1, F = 4.07 yr-1, Z = 8.00 yr-1, E = 0.51, E0.1 = 0.517, E0.5 = 0.349, Emax = 0.691, L50%/Lc = 13.45 mm, and L75% = 14.57 mm with a unimodal type of recruitment pattern. The value obtained for the exploitation rate was above 0.5, hence suggesting that the Acetes stocks in Brgy. Damilisan faced overexploitation. These results provide information that can be used to properly conserve, utilize, and manage the Acetes fishery industry in Miagao, Iloilo, the Philippines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The historical challenges to bridge the gaps between developmental biology and population or statistical genetics under the explanatory dominance of the Modern Evolutionary Synthesis during the 20th century have been thoroughly documented. However, although several attempts to integrate these fields have been made, most have been deemed unsuccessful. As an example of those efforts, in this paper I discuss the work of James Meadows Rendel, a student of J. B. S. Haldane and disciple of Conrad Hal Waddington. I present his largely forgotten or unrecognized, but innovative, ideas about canalization and the role of development in phylogeny as a valuable piece to connect these fields that could still have important ramifications for today's evolutionary biology. In fact, it is expected that the legacy of J. M. Rendel will be rediscovered, and more importantly, incorporated and extended by future researchers, in light of the growth of evolutionary developmental biology in the last decades. What is more, this case offers a chance to critically revisit standard historiographies about the dichotomy between developmental and population genetics research frameworks in 20th century biology. • Rendel's theory integrated various developmental and evolutionary processes. • Rendel's theoretical work is generally omitted or unrecognized in the literature. • J. M. Rendel can be seen as a forerunner for contemporary Evo-Devo approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable management and conservation strategies are crucial for any species of Gerreidae. Without comprehensive research on population biology, maintaining a balance between having healthy natural stocks and the socio-economic benefit of fisheries is difficult. Therefore, we studied some aspects of the biology of Gerres longirostris based on 474 specimens collected from the Red Sea (Jeddah coast, Saudi Arabia). The overall sex ratio of males to females was found to be 1:1.52, which was significantly different from the expected ratio of 1:1 (p < 0.05). Histological analysis of ovaries and testes and monthly variations in GSI values for G. longirostris indicated that spawning occurs between March and June, with a peak in GSI in May, and the trend was similar for both sexes. Size at 50% sexual maturity was estimated at 19.8 cm for females and 20.2 cm for males. The maximum batch and relative fecundity were estimated at 315,210 ova, 10,832 ova/cm, and 1068 ova/g, respectively. Batch fecundity and relative batch fecundity were significant correlated with total length (TL, cm) and body weight (BW, g) at p < 0.05. Histological examination of gonads revealed that their maturation in this species is asynchronous, with different developmental stages of oocytes at the same time, which indicates that the species is a multiple-batch spawner with indeterminate fecundity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of evolutionary biology is to explain the diversity of the entire sweep of the natural world; population biology only examines tiny slices of time of a few individuals of single species. What gives the tiny scale of population biology its relevance to evolutionary biology is the following assumption: processes identical or similar to those observed in a given population biology study are operative in unexamined individuals in the same species, have been operative throughout the history of the species, and are operative in other species. Without this assumption, population biology studies are just very detailed descriptions of a handful of individuals of a species. Population biology lacks the means to test its jusifying assumption. It is tested by the comparative method, studies of convergent evolution across species. The comparative method has its own blind spots, mainly its inability to examine intraspecific variation, heritability, and fitness directly, exactly the purview of population biology. Population and comparative biology thus provide complementary sources of direct evidence regarding evolutionary process. Both, along with optimality models, evo-devo studies of the variants that can or can't be produced in development, together with assumptions about unseeable ancestral populations, make up essential parts of a maximally well-supported evolutionary explanation. Recognizing this essential epistemic interdependence shows why it is necessary to select sources of evidence from across population, comparative, optimality, and developmental studies, leading to collaboration rather than criticism across these fields, and stronger explanations accounting for the evolution of diversity in organismal form and function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) is a mid-level trophic predator and migratory, cosmopolitan species of pelagic fish that is found throughout tropical and subtropical regions (Palko et al., 1982; Luckhurst, 2017; [...]

Understanding how the early stages of sexual signal diversification proceed is critically important because these microevolutionary dynamics directly shape species trajectories and impact macroevolutionary patterns. Unfortunately, studying this is challenging because signals involve complex interactions between behavior, morphology, and physiology, much of which can only be measured in real-time. In Hawaii, male Pacific field cricket song attracts both females and a deadly parasitoid fly. Over the past two decades, there has been a marked increase in signal variation in Hawaiian populations of these crickets, including novel male morphs with distinct mating songs. We capitalize on this rare opportunity to track changes in morph composition over time in a population with three novel morphs, investigating how mate and parasitoid attraction (components of sexual and natural selection) may shape signal evolution. We find dramatic fluctuation in morph proportions over the three years of the study, including the arrival and rapid increase of one novel morph. Natural and sexual selection pressures act differently among morphs, with some more attractive to mates and others more protected from parasitism. Collectively, our results suggest that differential protection from parasitism among morphs, rather than mate attraction, aligns with recent patterns of phenotypic change in the wild. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The landscape of scientific publishing is experiencing a transformative shift toward open access, a paradigm that mandates the availability of research outputs such as data, code, materials, and publications. Open access provides increased reproducibility and allows for reuse of these resources. This article provides guidance for best publishing practices of scientific research, data, and associated resources, including code, in The American Phytopathological Society journals. Key areas such as diagnostic assays, experimental design, data sharing, and code deposition are explored in detail. This guidance aligns with that observed by other leading journals. We hope the information assembled in this paper will raise awareness of best practices and enable greater appraisal of the true effects of biological phenomena in plant pathology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cydalima perspectalis (Walker 1859) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) is a destructive pest that has recently been reported from the ancient Hyrcanian forests feeding on leaves and shoots of Buxus hyrcana Pojarkova.To gain a deeper insight into the biology and population dynamics of C. perspectalis, a laboratory population was studied under controlled conditions. The moth was reared on B. hyrcana at 25 ± 1°C, 65 ± 10% RH and 16 h:8 h (L:D), and the data obtained were used to build a life table, adjusted to allow for the evaluation of the stage duration, for both males and females.The mean adult survival was 11.94 ± 0.26 days, the pre‐oviposition period lasted, on average, for 6.71 ± 0.18 days and the mean fecundity attained was 58.19 ± 7.81 eggs/female. Newly emerged females had a life expectancy (exj) of 14 days and males 19 days.The intrinsic rate of increase for the population was 0.05 ± 0.00 days−1, and the net reproductive rate was 24.05 ± 3.95 offspring/female. The biological and ecological data obtained allowed for the estimation of C. perspectalis biotic potential, thus contributing to the development of sustainable control methods for this pest and, consequently, to a reduction of the damage caused to box trees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytophthora cactorum is the most common causal agent of Phytophthora crown rot and leather rot of strawberry, but P. nicotianae is also responsible for the disease in Florida. Studies of P. nicotianae populations have suggested that different groups of genotypes are associated with different hosts; however, it is not yet clear how many lineages exist globally and how they are related to different production systems. The aim of this study was to determine the genetic relationships of P. nicotianae isolates from Florida strawberry with genotypes reported from other hosts, quantify the genetic variation on strawberry, and test for an association with nursery source. A total of 49 isolates of P. nicotianae were collected from strawberry plants originating from multiple nursery sources during six seasons of commercial fruit production in Florida. Microsatellite genotyping identified 28 multilocus genotypes on strawberry that were distinct among 208 isolates originating from various hosts and locations. Based on STRUCTURE analysis, two genetic groups were identified: one consisting of isolates from strawberry, and the other comprising samples from different hosts. Multilocus genotypes were shared among nursery sources, and populations defined by nursery were not differentiated. Both mating types were found among the isolates from North Carolina- and California-origin plants and in most strawberry seasons; however, a predominance of A1 was observed, and regular sexual reproduction was not supported by the data. This study reveals a unique genetic population of P. nicotianae associated with strawberry and emphasizes the vital role of nursery monitoring in mitigating disease spread. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decades after the publication of the first population studies on Neotropical butterflies, knowledge of their population biology remains scarce in the literature. Inconspicuous groups like the nymphalid subfamily Satyrinae are often overlooked, and studies that examine the demographics of these neglected groups are paramount for a more comprehensive understanding of insect population dynamics. The present paper addresses this dearth of information by describing the population biology of three common species of Euptychiina (Nymphalidae: Satyrinae) butterflies, Hermeuptychia atalanta, Cissia eous and Malaveria affinis, in a suburban area. A 13-month mark-release-recapture study was carried out in the grass lawns of the University of Campinas, São Paulo State Southeastern Brazil. The results showed that population parameters differ among the three studied species. For example, the population of H. atalanta is about five times that of C. eous, which is four times larger than that of M. affinis. Sex ratios were male-biased in H. atalanta and C. eous, but not in M. affinis (whose sex ratio was 1:1). Hermeuptychia atalanta and C. eous had mean adult lifespans of approximately one week, with no variation between sexes. Malaveria affinis, however, had a lifespan of approximately 11 days for males and just five days for females. Age structures were similar in all three species, with no recruitment peaks detected throughout the year. Sexual dimorphism, based on wing size, was not observed in H. atalanta, but a clear pattern of dimorphism with larger females was observed for the other two species. The present study is the first to describe population parameters for Euptychiina in detail, and one of the few focusing on population biology of butterflies in suburban areas. Indeed, the present results could help to define strategies of lawn management for the campus, aiming to increase local biodiversity and consequently improve ecosystem services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colletotrichum coccodes (Wallr.) Hughes is an asexual fungus with five vegetative compatibility groups. It was postulated that C. coccodes was isolated at the center of origin of potato at one time, and due to the movement of potato around the globe, the fungus was established on each continent but became bottlenecked and genetically unable to form stable heterokaryons via vegetative compatibility grouping (VCG) studies. The objectives of this study were (i) to determine if the VCGs around the world are related to the VCGs in Chile, (ii) to determine the diversity of C. coccodes populations in Chile, and (iii) to find any evidence for a cryptic sexual life cycle for this fungus. Worldwide C. coccodes populations have been found to be genetically correlated and belong to one or more C. coccodes-identified VCGs. The most distributed VCG in Chile was VCG2, which is the most common VCG in North America. We hypothesize that one or more VCGs had spread from Chile to the rest of the world. Precautions and further studies should be investigated by using other molecular markers and gene sequencing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Close-kin mark-recapture (CKMR) is a method analogous to traditional mark-recapture but without requiring recapture of individuals. Instead, multilocus genotypes (genetic marks) are used to identify related individuals in one or more sampling occasions, which enables the opportunistic use of samples from harvested wildlife. To apply the method accurately, it is important to build appropriate CKMR models that do not violate assumptions linked to the species' and population's biology and sampling methods. In this study, we evaluated the implications of fitting overly simplistic CKMR models to populations with complex reproductive success dynamics or selective sampling. We used forward-in-time, individual-based simulations to evaluate the accuracy and precision of CKMR abundance and survival estimates in species with different longevities, mating systems, and sampling strategies. Simulated populations approximated a range of life histories among game species of North America with lethal sampling to evaluate the potential of using harvested samples to estimate population size. Our simulations show that CKMR can yield nontrivial biases in both survival and abundance estimates, unless influential life history traits and selective sampling are explicitly accounted for in the modeling framework. The number of kin pairs observed in the sample, in combination with the type of kinship used in the model (parent-offspring pairs and/or half-sibling pairs), can affect the precision and/or accuracy of the estimates. CKMR is a promising method that will likely see an increasing number of applications in the field as costs of genetic analysis continue to decline. Our work highlights the importance of applying population-specific CKMR models that consider relevant demographic parameters, individual covariates, and the protocol through which individuals were sampled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alternaria linariae is an economically important foliar pathogen that causes early blight disease in tomatoes. Understanding genetic diversity, population genetic structure, and evolutionary potential is crucial to contemplating effective disease management strategies. We leveraged genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) technology to compare genome-wide variation in 124 isolates of Alternaria spp. (A. alternata, A. linariae, and A. solani) for comparative genome analysis and to test the hypotheses of genetic differentiation and linkage disequilibrium (LD) in A. linariae collected from tomatoes in western North Carolina. We performed a pangenome-aware variant calling and filtering with GBSapp and identified 53,238 variants conserved across the reference genomes of three Alternaria spp. The highest marker density was observed on chromosome 1 (7 Mb). Both discriminant analysis of principal components and Bayesian model-based STRUCTURE analysis of A. linariae isolates revealed three subpopulations with minimal admixture. The genetic differentiation coefficients (FST) within A. linariae subpopulations were similar and high (0.86), indicating that alleles in the subpopulations are fixed and the genetic structure is likely due to restricted recombination. Analysis of molecular variance indicated higher variation among populations (89%) than within the population (11%). We found long-range LD between pairs of loci in A. linariae, supporting the hypothesis of low recombination expected for a fungal pathogen with limited sexual reproduction. Our findings provide evidence of a high level of population genetic differentiation in A. linariae, which reinforces the importance of developing tomato varieties with broad-spectrum resistance to various isolates of A. linariae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize is the most widely cultivated and major security crop in sub-Saharan Africa. Three foliar diseases threaten maize production on the continent, namely northern leaf blight, gray leaf spot, and southern corn leaf blight. These are caused by the fungi Exserohilum turcicum, Cercospora zeina, and Bipolaris maydis, respectively. Yield losses of more than 10% can occur if these pathogens are diagnosed inaccurately or managed ineffectively. Here, we review recent advances in understanding the population biology and management of the three pathogens, which are present in Africa and thrive under similar environmental conditions during a single growing season. To effectively manage these pathogens, there is an increasing adoption of breeding for resistance at the small-scale level combined with cultural practices. Fungicide usage in African cropping systems is limited due to high costs and avoidance of chemical control. Currently, there is limited knowledge available on the population biology and genetics of these pathogens in Africa. The evolutionary potential of these pathogens to overcome host resistance has not been fully established. There is a need to conduct large-scale sampling of isolates to study their diversity and trace their migration patterns across the continent.

Annual recruitment in fish is undoubtedly impacted by a vast number of biotic and abiotic factors. That is especially the case for fish species such as the black bass (species in the genus Micropterus), where there is extended parental care. Although much focus has been given in the past on determining the roles that many of these factors (e.g., temperatures, wind, flow rates, and habitat change) play in determining recruitment among the back basses, little attention has been given to assessing what role reproductive success plays in that determination. To address this question, we conducted a long-term study on two adjacent smallmouth bass (SMB) Micropterus dolomieu Lacepede, 1802 populations in eastern ON to assess the relationship between annual fry cohort size (FCS) (i.e., population-wide reproductive success) and annual recruitment. To measure population-wide annual FCS, we used snorkel surveys to conduct a complete census of nesting SMB males during the spawn from 1990 to 2015. During those surveys, we quantified mating success, determined which nests were successful or not, and calculated the number of independent fry produced each year by summing those numbers across all successful nests. Summer snorkel surveys from 1991 to 2016 assessed annual recruitment through visual counts of age 1+ juveniles. Results demonstrated a highly significant, positive, linear relationship between annual FCS and annual recruitment. Key words: smallmouth bass, Micropterus dolomieu, annual recruitment, reproductive success, angling, Introduction Smallmouth bass (SMB) Micropterus dolomieu Lacepede, 1802 and largemouth bass M. salmoides (Lacepede, 1802), two of the species in the genus commonly referred to as black bass, are both [...]

Marine mammal populations worldwide greatly benefitted from conservation measures put in place since the 1970s following overexploitation, and many pinniped populations have recovered. However, threats due to bycatch, interspecific interactions or climate change remain, and detailed knowledge on vital rates, population dynamics, and their responses to environmental changes is essential for efficient management and conservation of wild populations. In this study we quantified pup abundance and survival of individually marked harbour seal (Phoca vitulina Linnaeus, 1758) pups during the preweaning period at Bic Island and Metis sites in the St. Lawrence Estuary from 1998 to 2019. We used mark-recapture models to evaluate competing hypotheses regarding variation in daily preweaning survival rates and capture probability during the pups' first 30 days of life. Pup abundance increased from 76 [95% CI: 59, 101] to 323 [95% CI: 233, 338] in the past two decades at Bic Island and from 66 [95% CI: 47, 91] to 285 [95% CI: 204, 318] at Metis. Preweaning survival was generally higher at Bic (0.73 [95% CI: 0.58, 0.82]) than at Metis (0.68 [95% CI: 0.52, 0.79]). We hypothesize that differences between habitats and human disturbance contribute to lower preweaning survival at Metis, but behavioural studies are needed to understand the impacts of disturbance on mother-pup interactions during the nursing period. Key words: abundance, Bayesian capture-mark-recapture models, harbour seal, marine mammals, Phoca vitulina, population dynamics, Introduction Identifying the factors driving changes in population growth, composition, and size is central to ecology (Krebs and Myers 1974; Krebs 1996, 2015). Population growth depends on vital rates, including [...]

Abstract Background Natal dispersal, the distance between site of birth and site of first breeding, has a fundamental role in population dynamics and species’ responses to environmental changes. Population density is considered a key driver of natal dispersal. However, few studies have been able to examine densities at both the natal and the settlement site, which is critical for understanding the role of density in dispersal. Additionally, the role of density on natal dispersal remains poorly understood in long-lived and slowly reproducing species, due to their prolonged dispersal periods and often elusive nature. We studied the natal dispersal of the white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) in response to local breeder densities. We investigated the effects of the number of active territories around the natal site on (a) natal dispersal distance and (b) the difference between natal and settlement site breeder density. We were interested in whether eagles showed tendencies of conspecific attraction (positive density-dependence) or intraspecific competition (negative density-dependence) and how this related to settlement site breeder density. Methods We used a combination of long-term visual and genotypic identification to match individuals from their breeding site to their natal nest. We identified natal dispersal events for 355 individuals hatched between 1984 and 2015 in the Baltic Sea coast and Arctic areas of Finland. Of those, 251 were identified by their genotype. Results Individuals born in high-density areas dispersed shorter distances than those born in low-density areas, but settled at lower density breeding sites in comparison to their natal site. Eagles born in low natal area densities dispersed farther but settled in higher density breeding sites compared to their natal site. Conclusions We show that eagles might be attracted by conspecifics (positive density-dependence) to identify high-quality habitats or find mates, but do not settle in the most densely populated areas. This indicates that natal dispersal is affected by an interplay of conspecific attraction and intraspecific competition, which has implications for population dynamics of white-tailed eagles, but also other top predators. Furthermore, our study demonstrates the value of long-term collection of both nestling and (non-invasive) adult DNA samples, and thereafter using genotype matching to identify individuals in long-lived and elusive species.

A leading crisis in the United States is the opioid use disorder (OUD) epidemic. Opioid overdose deaths have been increasing, with over 100,000 deaths due to overdose from April 2020 to April 2021. This paper presents a mathematical model to address illicit OUD (IOUD), initiation, casual use, treatment, relapse, recovery, and opioid overdose deaths within an epidemiological framework. Within this model, individuals remain in the recovery class unless they relapse back to use and due to the limited availability of specialty treatment facilities for individuals with OUD, a saturation treatment function was incorporated. Additionally, a casual user class and its corresponding specialty treatment class were incorporated. We use both heroin and all-illicit opioids datasets to find parameter estimates for our models. Bistability of equilibrium solutions was found for realistic parameter values for the heroin-only dataset. This result implies that it would be beneficial to increase the availability of treatment. An alarming effect was discovered about the high overdose death rate: by 2046, the disorder-free equilibrium would be the only stable equilibrium. This consequence is concerning because it means the epidemic would end due to high overdose death rates. The IOUD model with a casual user class, its sensitivity results, and the comparison of parameters for both datasets, showed the importance of not overlooking the influence that casual users have in driving the all-illicit opioid epidemic. Casual users stay in the casual user class longer and are not going to treatment as quickly as the users of the heroin epidemic. Another result was that the users of the all-illicit opioids were going to the recovered class by means other than specialty treatment. However, the change in the relapse rate has more of an influence for those individuals than in the heroin-only epidemic. The results above from analyzing this model may inform health and policy officials, leading to more effective treatment options and prevention efforts.

Plant taxonomy and phylogeny deal with very important problems related to the genetic diversity of populations found in different geographical regions, trying to present the variability of these populations but also to explain their origin. For this reason, such studies examining the conditioned diversity of plant populations were the subject of this Special Issue (SI) of the journal Plants. This SI contains ten original articles and one review article concerning phylogeography and related sciences, i.e., biogeography, taxonomy, and systematics, as well as the genetic variability that lies at the basis of these sciences. The articles included in the SI cover a wide range of topics, including the phylogeny and taxonomy of mosses, taxonomy and hybridization and phylogeny of the genus Chery, genetic diversity and phylogeography of fern, including relict species from the Macronesia area, taxonomy of the genus Aconitum, a species of orchid new to the Romanian flora, but also a proposal for a new phylogeographic division in Gansu Province (China) and a review of the role of the Hercynian Mountains in Shaping Plant Migration Patterns in the Pleistocene.

We consider age-structured models with an imposed refractory period between births. These models can be used to formulate alternative population control strategies to China's one-child policy. By allowing any number of births, but with an imposed delay between births, we show how the total population can be decreased and how a relatively older age distribution can be generated. This delay represents a more 'continuous' form of population management for which the strict one-child policy is a limiting case. Such a policy approach could be more easily accepted by society. Our analyses provide an initial framework for studying demographics and how social constraints influence population structure.

Background: Natal dispersal, the distance between site of birth and site of first breeding, has a fundamental role in population dynamics and species' responses to environmental changes. Population density is considered a key driver of natal dispersal. However, few studies have been able to examine densities at both the natal and the settlement site, which is critical for understanding the role of density in dispersal. Additionally, the role of density on natal dispersal remains poorly understood in long-lived and slowly reproducing species, due to their prolonged dispersal periods and often elusive nature. We studied the natal dispersal of the white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) in response to local breeder densities. We investigated the effects of the number of active territories around the natal site on (a) natal dispersal distance and (b) the difference between natal and settlement site breeder density. We were interested in whether eagles showed tendencies of conspecific attraction (positive density-dependence) or intraspecific competition (negative density-dependence) and how this related to settlement site breeder density. Methods: We used a combination of long-term visual and genotypic identification to match individuals from their breeding site to their natal nest. We identified natal dispersal events for 355 individuals hatched between 1984 and 2015 in the Baltic Sea coast and Arctic areas of Finland. Of those, 251 were identified by their genotype. Results: Individuals born in high-density areas dispersed shorter distances than those born in low-density areas, but settled at lower density breeding sites in comparison to their natal site. Eagles born in low natal area densities dispersed farther but settled in higher density breeding sites compared to their natal site. Conclusions: We show that eagles might be attracted by conspecifics (positive density-dependence) to identify high-quality habitats or find mates, but do not settle in the most densely populated areas. This indicates that natal dispersal is affected by an interplay of conspecific attraction and intraspecific competition, which has implications for population dynamics of white-tailed eagles, but also other top predators. Furthermore, our study demonstrates the value of long-term collection of both nestling and (non-invasive) adult DNA samples, and thereafter using genotype matching to identify individuals in long-lived and elusive species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The life history of insular gecarcinid crabs is divided into a marine larval and an adult phase, adapted to the terrestrial environment. As adults, individuals migrate seasonally to locations near the sea, engaging in reproductive behaviors. Therefore, identifying breeding and recruitment areas is crucial for the conservation of insular gecarcinids, especially for those endangered, such as Johngarthia lagostoma (H. Milne Edwards, 1837). We used sex ratio and sexual dimorphism analyses (body and cheliped size) as well as records of juveniles and adults to describe the population structure of J. lagostoma in the Trindade Island, Brazil. During the reproductive period, several population parameters were compared among sites with different altitudes, comprising two beaches (Andradas and Tartarugas) and two hills (Príncipe, 136 m; and Desejado, 612 m). Overall, males predominated in the population and invested more in body and cheliped growth than females. However, at Andradas Beach, it was observed a similar frequency of adult males and females as well as a small difference in the body size between the sexes. In comparison, the smallest crabs were found at Príncipe Hill. The analyzed population presented a predominance of adults, especially at Andradas Beach (93.1%). Compared to the other sites sampled, Príncipe Hill showed the highest abundance of juveniles (males: 22.2%; females: 40.8%). Thus, Andradas Beach was considered a reproductive site, while Príncipe Hill had the highest density of juveniles, which makes them priority areas for the conservation of J. lagostoma in Trindade Island. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]