Acer negundo, morphometric parameters, the level of variability

The article investigates the morphometric characteristics of the fruits of Acer negundo L. in the conditions of urbanized ecotops of the Mykolaiv region. Acer negundo an ornamental plant from South America, which was completely naturalized in the conditions of Ukraine. As the data of the literature indicate, A. negundo actively spreads not only in the green plantations of cities, but also penetrates into the natural cenoses, displacing and oppressing the local plants. Thus, this species can be considered as invasive, which requires control over its spreading. In this regard, the actual issue is the study of the peculiarities of the seed reproduction of A. negundo and the establishment of its role in distribution of this species. Morphological parameters of A. negundo fruits are pretty changeable depending on environmental conditions, that is why there is a question of current interest in studying the variability of carpological parameters and the diapason of modifiability. The purpose of the article is to establish the characteristics of intraspecific variability of the linear morphological parameters of A. negundo. The subject of the research is variability of morphological parametres of the fruits of A. negundo urbanized ecotops of the Mykolaiv region. The work materials are results of measurements of fruits of 50 A. negundo individuals on 15 test areas in urbanized biotopes. The following carpological parameters of A. negundo were investigated: 1) angle of divergence of mericarps; 2) fruit’s length and width; 3) width of winglet. The received data allowed to define criteria of variability and ecological flexibility of morphological features. Determination of the variability of morphological characters was carried out according to the technique of S.A. Mamaev. The level of variability of morphological characters (Cv) was assessed on an empirical scale: very low (<7%); low (8-12%); average (13-20%); increased (21-30%); high (31-40%); very high (> 40%). As a result of our investigations, we found the following carpological features of A. negundo. In the conditions of Mykolaiv region A. negundo shapes the fruits with the dimension of length from 3,0 to 4,8 cm (the mean is 3,5±0,02 cm) and with the dimension of width from 2,0 to 4,3 (the mean is 3,2±0,05 cm). Mericarps are located at an angle from 25º to 60º (40 ± 1º), elongated with an elongated wing, the width of which varies within 1,3 ± 0,03 cm. The established carpological features of A. negundo meets norms. On the basis of the study of linear morphological parameters of the fruits, the phenotypic variability of A. negundo individuals was revealed, which indicates the presence of intraspecies variability on these features. The most variable carpological parametrs of A. negundo are the angle of divergence of mericarps (Cv=29%) and width of winglet (Cv=34%); the most constant characteristic is the width of fruits (Cv=6%). Prospects for further research are the study of the biology of seeds reproduction of A. negundo and other representatives of the genus Acer in the territory of the Northern Black Sea region.

ECOLOGICAL STABILITY OF TABLE SEEDLESS HYBRID VINE FORMS

The ecological stability of several table seedless hybrid vine forms has been demonstratively studied. It has been found that their dependency on the conditions of the external environment by the individual ampelographic indices, varies, and its spec-ificity can be utilized in the processes of selection and cultivation within a certain micro-region. The applied approach for the determination of their ecological flexibility increases the commercial efficiency of the selection procedures and the differentiation of the agro-technological practices. The existing trend according to which the most adaptive to the external conditions hybrid forms are characterized by lower or the lowest values of the corresponding index, requires further research.

The genomics of ecological flexibility, large brains, and long lives in capuchin monkeys revealed with fecalFACS

Ecological flexibility, extended lifespans, and large brains have long intrigued evolutionary biologists, and comparative genomics offers an efficient and effective tool for generating new insights into the evolution of such traits. Studies of capuchin monkeys are particularly well situated to shed light on the selective pressures and genetic underpinnings of local adaptation to diverse habitats, longevity, and brain development. Distributed widely across Central and South America, they are inventive and extractive foragers, known for their sensorimotor intelligence. Capuchins have among the largest relative brain size of any monkey and a lifespan that exceeds 50 y, despite their small (3 to 5 kg) body size. We assemble and annotate a de novo reference genome for Cebus imitator. Through high-depth sequencing of DNA derived from blood, various tissues, and feces via fluorescence-activated cell sorting (fecalFACS) to isolate monkey epithelial cells, we compared genomes of capuchin populations from tropical dry forests and lowland rainforests and identified population divergence in genes involved in water balance, kidney function, and metabolism. Through a comparative genomics approach spanning a wide diversity of mammals, we identified genes under positive selection associated with longevity and brain development. Additionally, we provide a technological advancement in the use of noninvasive genomics for studies of free-ranging mammals. Our intra- and interspecific comparative study of capuchin genomics provides insights into processes underlying local adaptation to diverse and physiologically challenging environments, as well as the molecular basis of brain evolution and longevity.

Increased ecological resource variability during a critical transition in hominin evolution

Although climate change is considered to have been a large-scale driver of African human evolution, landscape-scale shifts in ecological resources that may have shaped novel hominin adaptations are rarely investigated. We use well-dated, high-resolution, drill-core datasets to understand ecological dynamics associated with a major adaptive transition in the archeological record ~24 km from the coring site. Outcrops preserve evidence of the replacement of Acheulean by Middle Stone Age (MSA) technological, cognitive, and social innovations between 500 and 300 thousand years (ka) ago, contemporaneous with large-scale taxonomic and adaptive turnover in mammal herbivores. Beginning ~400 ka ago, tectonic, hydrological, and ecological changes combined to disrupt a relatively stable resource base, prompting fluctuations of increasing magnitude in freshwater availability, grassland communities, and woody plant cover. Interaction of these factors offers a resource-oriented hypothesis for the evolutionary success of MSA adaptations, which likely contributed to the ecological flexibility typical of Homo sapiens foragers.

Fossil Usnea and similar fruticose lichens from Palaeogene amber

Fruticose lichens of the genus Usnea Dill. ex Adans. (Parmeliaceae), generally known as beard lichens, are among the most iconic epiphytic lichens in modern forest ecosystems. Many of the c. 350 currently recognized species are widely distributed and have been used as bioindicators in air pollution studies. Here we demonstrate that usneoid lichens were present in the Palaeogene amber forests of Europe. Based on general morphology and annular cortical fragmentation, one fossil from Baltic amber can be assigned to the extant genus Usnea. The unique type of cortical cracking indirectly demonstrates the presence of a central cord that keeps the branch intact even when its cortex is split into vertebrae-like segments. This evolutionary innovation has remained unchanged since the Palaeogene, contributing to the considerable ecological flexibility that allows Usnea species to flourish in a wide variety of ecosystems and climate regimes. The fossil sets the minimum age for Usnea to 34 million years (late Eocene). While the other similar fossils from Baltic and Bitterfeld ambers cannot be definitely assigned to the same genus, they underline the diversity of pendant lichens in Palaeogene amber forests.

Insights into the evolution of social systems and species from baboon studies

Baboons, members of the genus Papio, comprise six closely related species distributed throughout sub-Saharan Africa and southwest Arabia. The species exhibit more ecological flexibility and a wider range of social systems than many other primates. This article summarizes our current knowledge of the natural history of baboons and highlights directions for future research. We suggest that baboons can serve as a valuable model for complex evolutionary processes, such as speciation and hybridization. The evolution of baboons has been heavily shaped by climatic changes and population expansion and fragmentation in the African savanna environment, similar to the processes that acted during human evolution. With accumulating long-term data, and new data from previously understudied species, baboons are ideally suited for investigating the links between sociality, health, longevity and reproductive success. To achieve these aims, we propose a closer integration of studies at the proximate level, including functional genomics, with behavioral and ecological studies.