PeerJ
type: channel
link: https://peerj.com/articles/
description: Articles published in PeerJ
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
publication name: PeerJ
issn: 2167-8359
items: The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Morus cathayana and Morus multicaulis, and comparative analysis within genus Morus L
items: BinSanity: unsupervised clustering of environmental microbial assemblies using coverage and affinity propagation
items: Attachment anxiety is associated with a fear of becoming fat, which is mediated by binge eating
items: Transcriptomic analysis reveals metabolic switches and surface remodeling as key processes for stage transition in Trypanosoma cruzi
items: True’s beaked whale (Mesoplodon mirus) in Macaronesia
items: Sorghum and wheat differentially affect caecal microbiota and associated performance characteristics of meat chickens
items: Most ornamental plants on sale in garden centres are unattractive to flower-visiting insects
items: Evolution of sexual dimorphism and Rensch’s rule in the beetle genus Limnebius (Hydraenidae): is sexual selection opportunistic?
items: When moult overlaps migration: moult-related changes in plasma biochemistry of migrating common snipe
items: A new Mourasuchus (Alligatoroidea, Caimaninae) from the late Miocene of Venezuela, the phylogeny of Caimaninae and considerations on the feeding habits of Mourasuchus

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Morus cathayana and Morus multicaulis, and comparative analysis within genus Morus L
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Trees in the Morus genera belong to the Moraceae family. To better understand the species status of genus Morus and to provide information for studies on evolutionary biology within the genus, the complete chloroplast (cp) genomes of M. cathayana and M. multicaulis were sequenced. The plastomes of the two species are 159,265 bp and 159,103 bp, respectively, with corresponding 83 and 82 simple sequence repeats (SSRs). Similar to the SSRs of M. mongolica and M. indica cp genomes, more than 70% are mononucleotides, ten are in coding regions, and one exhibits nucleotide content polymorphism. Results for codon usage and relative synonymous codon usage show a strong bias towards NNA and NNT codons in the two cp genomes. Analysis of a plot of the effective number of codons (ENc) for five Morus spp. cp genomes showed that most genes follow the standard curve, but several genes have ENc values below the expected curve. The results indicate that both natural selection and mutational bias have contributed to the codon bias. Ten highly variable regions were identified among the five Morus spp. cp genomes, and 154 single-nucleotide polymorphism mutation events were accurately located in the gene coding region.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Wei Qing Kong
creator: Jin Hong Yang
subject: Genomics
subject: Plant Science
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.3037
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2017 Kong and Yang
abstract: Trees in the Morus genera belong to the Moraceae family. To better understand the species status of genus Morus and to provide information for studies on evolutionary biology within the genus, the complete chloroplast (cp) genomes of M. cathayana and M. multicaulis were sequenced. The plastomes of the two species are 159,265 bp and 159,103 bp, respectively, with corresponding 83 and 82 simple sequence repeats (SSRs). Similar to the SSRs of M. mongolica and M. indica cp genomes, more than 70% are mononucleotides, ten are in coding regions, and one exhibits nucleotide content polymorphism. Results for codon usage and relative synonymous codon usage show a strong bias towards NNA and NNT codons in the two cp genomes. Analysis of a plot of the effective number of codons (ENc) for five Morus spp. cp genomes showed that most genes follow the standard curve, but several genes have ENc values below the expected curve. The results indicate that both natural selection and mutational bias have contributed to the codon bias. Ten highly variable regions were identified among the five Morus spp. cp genomes, and 154 single-nucleotide polymorphism mutation events were accurately located in the gene coding region.
bibliographic citation: Kong et al. (2017) The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Morus cathayana and Morus multicaulis, and comparative analysis within genus Morus L. PeerJ 5:e3037 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3037
date submitted: 2016-07-08
date accepted: 2017-01-27
issued: 2017-03-08
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Kong
  given name: Wei Qing
author list: Agent
  family name: Yang
  given name: Jin Hong
doi: 10.7717/peerj.3037
volume: 5
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2017-03-08
copyright: ©2017 Kong and Yang
attribution name: Kong and Yang

BinSanity: unsupervised clustering of environmental microbial assemblies using coverage and affinity propagation
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Metagenomics has become an integral part of defining microbial diversity in various environments. Many ecosystems have characteristically low biomass and few cultured representatives. Linking potential metabolisms to phylogeny in environmental microorganisms is important for interpreting microbial community functions and the impacts these communities have on geochemical cycles. However, with metagenomic studies there is the computational hurdle of ‘binning’ contigs into phylogenetically related units or putative genomes. Binning methods have been implemented with varying approaches such as k-means clustering, Gaussian mixture models, hierarchical clustering, neural networks, and two-way clustering; however, many of these suffer from biases against low coverage/abundance organisms and closely related taxa/strains. We are introducing a new binning method, BinSanity, that utilizes the clustering algorithm affinity propagation (AP), to cluster assemblies using coverage with compositional based refinement (tetranucleotide frequency and percent GC content) to optimize bins containing multiple source organisms. This separation of composition and coverage based clustering reduces bias for closely related taxa. BinSanity was developed and tested on artificial metagenomes varying in size and complexity. Results indicate that BinSanity has a higher precision, recall, and Adjusted Rand Index compared to five commonly implemented methods. When tested on a previously published environmental metagenome, BinSanity generated high completion and low redundancy bins corresponding with the published metagenome-assembled genomes.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Elaina D. Graham
creator: John F. Heidelberg
creator: Benjamin J. Tully
subject: Computational Biology
subject: Genomics
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.3035
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2017 Graham et al.
abstract: Metagenomics has become an integral part of defining microbial diversity in various environments. Many ecosystems have characteristically low biomass and few cultured representatives. Linking potential metabolisms to phylogeny in environmental microorganisms is important for interpreting microbial community functions and the impacts these communities have on geochemical cycles. However, with metagenomic studies there is the computational hurdle of ‘binning’ contigs into phylogenetically related units or putative genomes. Binning methods have been implemented with varying approaches such as k-means clustering, Gaussian mixture models, hierarchical clustering, neural networks, and two-way clustering; however, many of these suffer from biases against low coverage/abundance organisms and closely related taxa/strains. We are introducing a new binning method, BinSanity, that utilizes the clustering algorithm affinity propagation (AP), to cluster assemblies using coverage with compositional based refinement (tetranucleotide frequency and percent GC content) to optimize bins containing multiple source organisms. This separation of composition and coverage based clustering reduces bias for closely related taxa. BinSanity was developed and tested on artificial metagenomes varying in size and complexity. Results indicate that BinSanity has a higher precision, recall, and Adjusted Rand Index compared to five commonly implemented methods. When tested on a previously published environmental metagenome, BinSanity generated high completion and low redundancy bins corresponding with the published metagenome-assembled genomes.
bibliographic citation: Graham et al. (2017) BinSanity: unsupervised clustering of environmental microbial assemblies using coverage and affinity propagation. PeerJ 5:e3035 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3035
date submitted: 2016-09-26
date accepted: 2017-01-26
issued: 2017-03-08
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Graham
  given name: Elaina D.
author list: Agent
  family name: Heidelberg
  given name: John F.
author list: Agent
  family name: Tully
  given name: Benjamin J.
doi: 10.7717/peerj.3035
volume: 5
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2017-03-08
copyright: ©2017 Graham et al.
attribution name: Graham et al.

Attachment anxiety is associated with a fear of becoming fat, which is mediated by binge eating
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Background Previous work demonstrated that individuals with higher levels of attachment anxiety are prone to increased binge eating (Alexander & Siegel, 2013). Given that our society rejects obese individuals and individuals with higher levels of attachment anxiety tend to be highly sensitive to rejection (Downey & Feldman, 1996), it follows that those with increased attachment anxiety may be especially fearful of becoming fat. Methods Undergraduate psychology students (n = 148) completed surveys measuring attachment, binge eating, and fear of becoming fat. Results The data demonstrate that attachment anxiety is positively associated with a fear of becoming fat (β = .30, p < .001) and binge eating mediates this relationship. In other words, binge eating underlies the fear of becoming fat. Discussion These findings contribute to a more refined understanding of binge eating which may create pathways for professionals to develop targeted interventions.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Katherine E. Alexander
subject: Nutrition
subject: Psychiatry and Psychology
subject: Public Health
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.3034
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2017 Alexander
abstract: Background Previous work demonstrated that individuals with higher levels of attachment anxiety are prone to increased binge eating (Alexander & Siegel, 2013). Given that our society rejects obese individuals and individuals with higher levels of attachment anxiety tend to be highly sensitive to rejection (Downey & Feldman, 1996), it follows that those with increased attachment anxiety may be especially fearful of becoming fat. Methods Undergraduate psychology students (n = 148) completed surveys measuring attachment, binge eating, and fear of becoming fat. Results The data demonstrate that attachment anxiety is positively associated with a fear of becoming fat (β = .30, p < .001) and binge eating mediates this relationship. In other words, binge eating underlies the fear of becoming fat. Discussion These findings contribute to a more refined understanding of binge eating which may create pathways for professionals to develop targeted interventions.
bibliographic citation: Alexander (2017) Attachment anxiety is associated with a fear of becoming fat, which is mediated by binge eating. PeerJ 5:e3034 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3034
date submitted: 2016-08-25
date accepted: 2017-01-26
issued: 2017-03-08
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Alexander
  given name: Katherine E.
doi: 10.7717/peerj.3034
volume: 5
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2017-03-08
copyright: ©2017 Alexander
attribution name: Alexander

Transcriptomic analysis reveals metabolic switches and surface remodeling as key processes for stage transition in Trypanosoma cruzi
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: American trypanosomiasis is a chronic and endemic disease which affects millions of people. Trypanosoma cruzi, its causative agent, has a life cycle that involves complex morphological and functional transitions, as well as a variety of environmental conditions. This requires a tight regulation of gene expression, which is achieved mainly by post-transcriptional regulation. In this work we conducted an RNAseq analysis of the three major life cycle stages of T. cruzi: amastigotes, epimastigotes and trypomastigotes. This analysis allowed us to delineate specific transcriptomic profiling for each stage, and also to identify those biological processes of major relevance in each state. Stage specific expression profiling evidenced the plasticity of T. cruzi to adapt quickly to different conditions, with particular focus on membrane remodeling and metabolic shifts along the life cycle. Epimastigotes, which replicate in the gut of insect vectors, showed higher expression of genes related to energy metabolism, mainly Krebs cycle, respiratory chain and oxidative phosphorylation related genes, and anabolism related genes associated to nucleotide and steroid biosynthesis; also, a general down-regulation of surface glycoprotein coding genes was seen at this stage. Trypomastigotes, living extracellularly in the bloodstream of mammals, express a plethora of surface proteins and signaling genes involved in invasion and evasion of immune response. Amastigotes mostly express membrane transporters and genes involved in regulation of cell cycle, and also express a specific subset of surface glycoprotein coding genes. In addition, these results allowed us to improve the annotation of the Dm28c genome, identifying new ORFs and set the stage for construction of networks of co-expression, which can give clues about coded proteins of unknown functions.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Luisa Berná
creator: Maria Laura Chiribao
creator: Gonzalo Greif
creator: Matias Rodriguez
creator: Fernando Alvarez-Valin
creator: Carlos Robello
subject: Biochemistry
subject: Genomics
subject: Molecular Biology
subject: Parasitology
subject: Infectious Diseases
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.3017
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2017 Berná et al.
abstract: American trypanosomiasis is a chronic and endemic disease which affects millions of people. Trypanosoma cruzi, its causative agent, has a life cycle that involves complex morphological and functional transitions, as well as a variety of environmental conditions. This requires a tight regulation of gene expression, which is achieved mainly by post-transcriptional regulation. In this work we conducted an RNAseq analysis of the three major life cycle stages of T. cruzi: amastigotes, epimastigotes and trypomastigotes. This analysis allowed us to delineate specific transcriptomic profiling for each stage, and also to identify those biological processes of major relevance in each state. Stage specific expression profiling evidenced the plasticity of T. cruzi to adapt quickly to different conditions, with particular focus on membrane remodeling and metabolic shifts along the life cycle. Epimastigotes, which replicate in the gut of insect vectors, showed higher expression of genes related to energy metabolism, mainly Krebs cycle, respiratory chain and oxidative phosphorylation related genes, and anabolism related genes associated to nucleotide and steroid biosynthesis; also, a general down-regulation of surface glycoprotein coding genes was seen at this stage. Trypomastigotes, living extracellularly in the bloodstream of mammals, express a plethora of surface proteins and signaling genes involved in invasion and evasion of immune response. Amastigotes mostly express membrane transporters and genes involved in regulation of cell cycle, and also express a specific subset of surface glycoprotein coding genes. In addition, these results allowed us to improve the annotation of the Dm28c genome, identifying new ORFs and set the stage for construction of networks of co-expression, which can give clues about coded proteins of unknown functions.
bibliographic citation: Berná et al. (2017) Transcriptomic analysis reveals metabolic switches and surface remodeling as key processes for stage transition in Trypanosoma cruzi. PeerJ 5:e3017 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3017
date submitted: 2016-12-07
date accepted: 2017-01-23
issued: 2017-03-08
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Berná
  given name: Luisa
author list: Agent
  family name: Chiribao
  given name: Maria Laura
author list: Agent
  family name: Greif
  given name: Gonzalo
author list: Agent
  family name: Rodriguez
  given name: Matias
author list: Agent
  family name: Alvarez-Valin
  given name: Fernando
author list: Agent
  family name: Robello
  given name: Carlos
doi: 10.7717/peerj.3017
volume: 5
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2017-03-08
copyright: ©2017 Berná et al.
attribution name: Berná et al.

True’s beaked whale (Mesoplodon mirus) in Macaronesia
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: The True’s beaked whale (Mesoplodon mirus, True 1913) is a poorly known member of the Ziphiidae family. Its distribution in the northern hemisphere is thought to be restricted to the temperate or warm temperate waters of the North Atlantic, while a few stranding records from the southern hemisphere suggest a wider and antitropical distribution, extending to waters from the Atlantic coast of Brazil to South Africa, Mozambique, Australia and the Tasman Sea coast of New Zealand. This paper (i) reports the first molecular confirmation of the occurrence of the True’s beaked whale at the southern limit of its distribution recorded in the northeast Atlantic: the Azores and Canary Islands (macaronesian ecoregion); (ii) describes a new colouration for this species using evidence from a whale with molecular species confirmation; and (iii) contributes to the sparse worldwide database of live sightings, including the first underwater video recording of this species and close images of a calf. Species identification was confirmed in two cases using mitochondrial DNA control region and cytochrome b gene markers: a subadult male True’s beaked whale that stranded in El Hierro, Canary Islands, in November 2012, and a subadult male found floating dead near Faial, the Azores, in July 2004. The whale that stranded in the Canary Islands had a clearly delimited white area on its head, extending posteriorly from the tip of the beak to cover the blowhole dorsally and the gular grooves ventrally. This colouration contrasts with previous descriptions for the species and it may be rare, but it exemplifies the variability of the colouration of True’s beaked whales in the North Atlantic, further confirmed here by live sightings data. The recording of several observations of this species in deep but relatively coastal waters off the Azores and the Canary Islands suggests that these archipelagos may be unique locations to study the behaviour of the enigmatic True’s beaked whale.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Natacha Aguilar de Soto
creator: Vidal Martín
creator: Monica Silva
creator: Roland Edler
creator: Cristel Reyes
creator: Manuel Carrillo
creator: Agustina Schiavi
creator: Talia Morales
creator: Belen García-Ovide
creator: Anna Sanchez-Mora
creator: Nerea Garcia-Tavero
creator: Lisa Steiner
creator: Michael Scheer
creator: Roland Gockel
creator: Dylan Walker
creator: Enrico Villa
creator: Petra Szlama
creator: Ida K. Eriksson
creator: Marisa Tejedor
creator: Monica Perez-Gil
creator: João Quaresma
creator: Wojtek Bachara
creator: Emma Carroll
subject: Biodiversity
subject: Genetics
subject: Taxonomy
subject: Zoology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.3059
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2017 Aguilar de Soto et al.
abstract: The True’s beaked whale (Mesoplodon mirus, True 1913) is a poorly known member of the Ziphiidae family. Its distribution in the northern hemisphere is thought to be restricted to the temperate or warm temperate waters of the North Atlantic, while a few stranding records from the southern hemisphere suggest a wider and antitropical distribution, extending to waters from the Atlantic coast of Brazil to South Africa, Mozambique, Australia and the Tasman Sea coast of New Zealand. This paper (i) reports the first molecular confirmation of the occurrence of the True’s beaked whale at the southern limit of its distribution recorded in the northeast Atlantic: the Azores and Canary Islands (macaronesian ecoregion); (ii) describes a new colouration for this species using evidence from a whale with molecular species confirmation; and (iii) contributes to the sparse worldwide database of live sightings, including the first underwater video recording of this species and close images of a calf. Species identification was confirmed in two cases using mitochondrial DNA control region and cytochrome b gene markers: a subadult male True’s beaked whale that stranded in El Hierro, Canary Islands, in November 2012, and a subadult male found floating dead near Faial, the Azores, in July 2004. The whale that stranded in the Canary Islands had a clearly delimited white area on its head, extending posteriorly from the tip of the beak to cover the blowhole dorsally and the gular grooves ventrally. This colouration contrasts with previous descriptions for the species and it may be rare, but it exemplifies the variability of the colouration of True’s beaked whales in the North Atlantic, further confirmed here by live sightings data. The recording of several observations of this species in deep but relatively coastal waters off the Azores and the Canary Islands suggests that these archipelagos may be unique locations to study the behaviour of the enigmatic True’s beaked whale.
bibliographic citation: Aguilar de Soto et al. (2017) True’s beaked whale (Mesoplodon mirus) in Macaronesia. PeerJ 5:e3059 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3059
date submitted: 2016-02-25
date accepted: 2017-02-03
issued: 2017-03-07
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Aguilar de Soto
  given name: Natacha
author list: Agent
  family name: Martín
  given name: Vidal
author list: Agent
  family name: Silva
  given name: Monica
author list: Agent
  family name: Edler
  given name: Roland
author list: Agent
  family name: Reyes
  given name: Cristel
author list: Agent
  family name: Carrillo
  given name: Manuel
author list: Agent
  family name: Schiavi
  given name: Agustina
author list: Agent
  family name: Morales
  given name: Talia
author list: Agent
  family name: García-Ovide
  given name: Belen
author list: Agent
  family name: Sanchez-Mora
  given name: Anna
author list: Agent
  family name: Garcia-Tavero
  given name: Nerea
author list: Agent
  family name: Steiner
  given name: Lisa
author list: Agent
  family name: Scheer
  given name: Michael
author list: Agent
  family name: Gockel
  given name: Roland
author list: Agent
  family name: Walker
  given name: Dylan
author list: Agent
  family name: Villa
  given name: Enrico
author list: Agent
  family name: Szlama
  given name: Petra
author list: Agent
  family name: Eriksson
  given name: Ida K.
author list: Agent
  family name: Tejedor
  given name: Marisa
author list: Agent
  family name: Perez-Gil
  given name: Monica
author list: Agent
  family name: Quaresma
  given name: João
author list: Agent
  family name: Bachara
  given name: Wojtek
author list: Agent
  family name: Carroll
  given name: Emma
doi: 10.7717/peerj.3059
volume: 5
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2017-03-07
copyright: ©2017 Aguilar de Soto et al.
attribution name: Aguilar de Soto et al.

Sorghum and wheat differentially affect caecal microbiota and associated performance characteristics of meat chickens
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: This study compared the effects of wheat- and sorghum-based diets on broiler chickens. The growth performance and caecal microbial community of chickens were measured and correlations between productivity and specific gut microbes were observed. Cobb broilers 15 days of age were individually caged and two dietary treatments were used, one with a wheat-based diet (n = 48) and another one with a sorghum-based diet (n = 48). Growth performance measurements were taken over a 10 day period and samples for microbiota analysis were taken at the end of that period. Caecal microbiota was characterised by sequencing of 16S bacterial rRNA gene amplicons. Overall, the results indicated that a sorghum-based diet produced higher apparent metabolisable energy (AME) and body-weight gain (BWG) values in chickens, compared to a wheat-based diet. Nevertheless, sorghum-fed birds had higher feed conversion ratio (FCR) values than wheat-fed birds, possibly because of some anti-nutritional factors in sorghum. Further analyses showed that caecal microbial community was significantly associated with AME values, but microbiota composition differed between dietary treatments. A number of bacteria were individually correlated with growth performance measurements. Numerous OTUs assigned to strains of Lactobacillus crispatus and Lachnospiraceae, which were prevalent in sorghum-fed chickens, were correlated with high AME and BWG values, respectively. Additionally, a number of OTUs assigned to Clostridiales that were prevalent in wheat-fed chickens were correlated with low FCR values. Overall, these results suggest that between-diet variations in growth performance were partly associated with changes in the caecal microbiota.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Eduardo Crisol-Martínez
creator: Dragana Stanley
creator: Mark S. Geier
creator: Robert J. Hughes
creator: Robert J. Moore
subject: Agricultural Science
subject: Bioinformatics
subject: Microbiology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.3071
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2017 Crisol-Martínez et al.
abstract: This study compared the effects of wheat- and sorghum-based diets on broiler chickens. The growth performance and caecal microbial community of chickens were measured and correlations between productivity and specific gut microbes were observed. Cobb broilers 15 days of age were individually caged and two dietary treatments were used, one with a wheat-based diet (n = 48) and another one with a sorghum-based diet (n = 48). Growth performance measurements were taken over a 10 day period and samples for microbiota analysis were taken at the end of that period. Caecal microbiota was characterised by sequencing of 16S bacterial rRNA gene amplicons. Overall, the results indicated that a sorghum-based diet produced higher apparent metabolisable energy (AME) and body-weight gain (BWG) values in chickens, compared to a wheat-based diet. Nevertheless, sorghum-fed birds had higher feed conversion ratio (FCR) values than wheat-fed birds, possibly because of some anti-nutritional factors in sorghum. Further analyses showed that caecal microbial community was significantly associated with AME values, but microbiota composition differed between dietary treatments. A number of bacteria were individually correlated with growth performance measurements. Numerous OTUs assigned to strains of Lactobacillus crispatus and Lachnospiraceae, which were prevalent in sorghum-fed chickens, were correlated with high AME and BWG values, respectively. Additionally, a number of OTUs assigned to Clostridiales that were prevalent in wheat-fed chickens were correlated with low FCR values. Overall, these results suggest that between-diet variations in growth performance were partly associated with changes in the caecal microbiota.
bibliographic citation: Crisol-Martínez et al. (2017) Sorghum and wheat differentially affect caecal microbiota and associated performance characteristics of meat chickens. PeerJ 5:e3071 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3071
date submitted: 2016-11-04
date accepted: 2017-02-07
issued: 2017-03-07
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Crisol-Martínez
  given name: Eduardo
author list: Agent
  family name: Stanley
  given name: Dragana
author list: Agent
  family name: Geier
  given name: Mark S.
author list: Agent
  family name: Hughes
  given name: Robert J.
author list: Agent
  family name: Moore
  given name: Robert J.
doi: 10.7717/peerj.3071
volume: 5
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2017-03-07
copyright: ©2017 Crisol-Martínez et al.
attribution name: Crisol-Martínez et al.

Most ornamental plants on sale in garden centres are unattractive to flower-visiting insects
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Background Gardeners and park managers seeking to support biodiversity in urban areas often plant ornamentals attractive to flower-visiting insects. There is a huge diversity of garden plant varieties, and some recommendations are available as to which are attractive to insects. However, these are largely not based on rigorous empirical data. An important factor in consumer choice is the range of varieties available for purchase. In the UK, garden centres are a key link in the supply chain between growers and private gardens. This study is the first to determine the proportions of flowering ornamentals being sold that are attractive to flower-visiting insects. Methods We surveyed six garden centres in Sussex, UK, each over two days in 2015, by making 12 counts of insects visiting patches of each ornamental plant on display for sale that was in bloom. To provide a consistent baseline among different locations, we brought with us and surveyed marjoram (Origanum vulgare) plants in pots, which are known to be attractive to a wide range of flower-visiting insects. The attractiveness of plant varieties to insects was then expressed in two ways: the absolute number and relative to that on marjoram (‘marjoram score’), both per unit area of plant cover. In addition, we noted whether each variety was recommended as pollinator-friendly either via a symbol on the label, or by being included in the Royal Horticultural Society’s ‘Perfect for Pollinators’ list. Furthermore, we compared the attractiveness of plants that are typically grown for more than one year versus only one year. Results We surveyed 59–74 plant varieties in bloom across the six garden centres. In each garden centre, the distributions of variety attractiveness were highly skewed to the right, with most varieties being relatively unattractive, and few varieties highly attractive to flower-visiting insects. The median attractiveness of varieties with a recommendation was 4.2× higher than that of varieties without.…
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Mihail Garbuzov
creator: Karin Alton
creator: Francis L.W. Ratnieks
subject: Conservation Biology
subject: Ecology
subject: Entomology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.3066
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2017 Garbuzov et al.
abstract: Background Gardeners and park managers seeking to support biodiversity in urban areas often plant ornamentals attractive to flower-visiting insects. There is a huge diversity of garden plant varieties, and some recommendations are available as to which are attractive to insects. However, these are largely not based on rigorous empirical data. An important factor in consumer choice is the range of varieties available for purchase. In the UK, garden centres are a key link in the supply chain between growers and private gardens. This study is the first to determine the proportions of flowering ornamentals being sold that are attractive to flower-visiting insects. Methods We surveyed six garden centres in Sussex, UK, each over two days in 2015, by making 12 counts of insects visiting patches of each ornamental plant on display for sale that was in bloom. To provide a consistent baseline among different locations, we brought with us and surveyed marjoram (Origanum vulgare) plants in pots, which are known to be attractive to a wide range of flower-visiting insects. The attractiveness of plant varieties to insects was then expressed in two ways: the absolute number and relative to that on marjoram (‘marjoram score’), both per unit area of plant cover. In addition, we noted whether each variety was recommended as pollinator-friendly either via a symbol on the label, or by being included in the Royal Horticultural Society’s ‘Perfect for Pollinators’ list. Furthermore, we compared the attractiveness of plants that are typically grown for more than one year versus only one year. Results We surveyed 59–74 plant varieties in bloom across the six garden centres. In each garden centre, the distributions of variety attractiveness were highly skewed to the right, with most varieties being relatively unattractive, and few varieties highly attractive to flower-visiting insects. The median attractiveness of varieties with a recommendation was 4.2× higher than that of varieties without.…
bibliographic citation: Garbuzov et al. (2017) Most ornamental plants on sale in garden centres are unattractive to flower-visiting insects. PeerJ 5:e3066 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3066
date submitted: 2016-08-25
date accepted: 2017-02-04
issued: 2017-03-07
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Garbuzov
  given name: Mihail
author list: Agent
  family name: Alton
  given name: Karin
author list: Agent
  family name: Ratnieks
  given name: Francis L.W.
doi: 10.7717/peerj.3066
volume: 5
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2017-03-07
copyright: ©2017 Garbuzov et al.
attribution name: Garbuzov et al.

Evolution of sexual dimorphism and Rensch’s rule in the beetle genus Limnebius (Hydraenidae): is sexual selection opportunistic?
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Sexual size dimorphism (SSD) is widespread among animals, with larger females usually attributed to an optimization of resources in reproduction and larger males to sexual selection. A general pattern in the evolution of SSD is Rensch’s rule, which states that SSD increases with body size in species with larger males but decreases when females are larger. We studied the evolution of SSD in the genus Limnebius (Coleoptera, Hydraenidae), measuring SSD and male genital size and complexity of ca. 80% of its 150 species and reconstructing its evolution in a molecular phylogeny with 71 species. We found strong support for a higher evolutionary lability of male body size, which had an overall positive allometry with respect to females and higher evolutionary rates measured over the individual branches of the phylogeny. Increases in SSD were associated to increases in body size, but there were some exceptions with an increase associated to changes in only one sex. Secondary sexual characters (SSC) in the external morphology of males appeared several times independently, generally on species that had already increased their size. There was an overall significant correlation between SSD, male body size and male genital size and complexity, although some lineages with complex genitalia had low SSD, and some small species with complex genitalia had no SSD. Our results suggest that the origin of the higher evolutionary variance of male body size may be due to lack of constraints rather than to sexual selection, that may start to act in species with already larger males due to random variation.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Andrey Rudoy
creator: Ignacio Ribera
subject: Entomology
subject: Evolutionary Studies
subject: Zoology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.3060
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2017 Rudoy and Ribera
abstract: Sexual size dimorphism (SSD) is widespread among animals, with larger females usually attributed to an optimization of resources in reproduction and larger males to sexual selection. A general pattern in the evolution of SSD is Rensch’s rule, which states that SSD increases with body size in species with larger males but decreases when females are larger. We studied the evolution of SSD in the genus Limnebius (Coleoptera, Hydraenidae), measuring SSD and male genital size and complexity of ca. 80% of its 150 species and reconstructing its evolution in a molecular phylogeny with 71 species. We found strong support for a higher evolutionary lability of male body size, which had an overall positive allometry with respect to females and higher evolutionary rates measured over the individual branches of the phylogeny. Increases in SSD were associated to increases in body size, but there were some exceptions with an increase associated to changes in only one sex. Secondary sexual characters (SSC) in the external morphology of males appeared several times independently, generally on species that had already increased their size. There was an overall significant correlation between SSD, male body size and male genital size and complexity, although some lineages with complex genitalia had low SSD, and some small species with complex genitalia had no SSD. Our results suggest that the origin of the higher evolutionary variance of male body size may be due to lack of constraints rather than to sexual selection, that may start to act in species with already larger males due to random variation.
bibliographic citation: Rudoy et al. (2017) Evolution of sexual dimorphism and Rensch’s rule in the beetle genus Limnebius (Hydraenidae): is sexual selection opportunistic?. PeerJ 5:e3060 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3060
date submitted: 2016-11-02
date accepted: 2017-02-03
issued: 2017-03-07
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Rudoy
  given name: Andrey
author list: Agent
  family name: Ribera
  given name: Ignacio
doi: 10.7717/peerj.3060
volume: 5
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2017-03-07
copyright: © 2017 Rudoy and Ribera
attribution name: Rudoy and Ribera

When moult overlaps migration: moult-related changes in plasma biochemistry of migrating common snipe
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Moult of feathers entails considerable physiological and energetic costs to an avian organism. Even under favourable feeding conditions, endogenous body stores and energy reserves of moulting birds are usually severely depleted. Thus, most species of birds separate moult from other energy-demanding activities, such as migration or reproduction. Common snipe Gallinago gallinago is an exception, as during the first autumn migration many young snipe initiate the post-juvenile moult, which includes replacement of body feathers, lesser and median wing coverts, tertials, and rectrices. Here, we evaluated moult-related changes in blood plasma biochemistry of the common snipe during a period of serious trade-off in energy allocation between moult and migration. For this purpose, concentrations of basic metabolites in plasma were evaluated in more than 500 young snipe migrating through Central Europe. We found significant changes in the plasma concentrations of total protein, triglyceride and glucose over the course of moult, while the concentrations of uric acid and albumin did not change. Total protein concentration increased significantly in the initial stage of moult, probably as a result of increased production of keratin, but it decreased to the pre-moult level at the advanced stage of moult. Plasma triglyceride concentration decreased during the period of tertial and rectrice moult, which reflected depletion of endogenous fat reserves. By contrast, glucose concentration increased steadily during the course of moult, which could be caused by increased catabolism of triglycerides (via gluconeogenesis) or, alternatively, due to increased glucocorticoids as a stress response. Our results suggest that physiological changes associated with moult may be considered important determinants of the low pace of migration typical of the common snipe.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Patrycja Podlaszczuk
creator: Radosław Włodarczyk
creator: Tomasz Janiszewski
creator: Krzysztof Kaczmarek
creator: Piotr Minias
subject: Animal Behavior
subject: Ecology
subject: Toxicology
subject: Veterinary Medicine
subject: Zoology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.3057
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2017 Podlaszczuk et al.
abstract: Moult of feathers entails considerable physiological and energetic costs to an avian organism. Even under favourable feeding conditions, endogenous body stores and energy reserves of moulting birds are usually severely depleted. Thus, most species of birds separate moult from other energy-demanding activities, such as migration or reproduction. Common snipe Gallinago gallinago is an exception, as during the first autumn migration many young snipe initiate the post-juvenile moult, which includes replacement of body feathers, lesser and median wing coverts, tertials, and rectrices. Here, we evaluated moult-related changes in blood plasma biochemistry of the common snipe during a period of serious trade-off in energy allocation between moult and migration. For this purpose, concentrations of basic metabolites in plasma were evaluated in more than 500 young snipe migrating through Central Europe. We found significant changes in the plasma concentrations of total protein, triglyceride and glucose over the course of moult, while the concentrations of uric acid and albumin did not change. Total protein concentration increased significantly in the initial stage of moult, probably as a result of increased production of keratin, but it decreased to the pre-moult level at the advanced stage of moult. Plasma triglyceride concentration decreased during the period of tertial and rectrice moult, which reflected depletion of endogenous fat reserves. By contrast, glucose concentration increased steadily during the course of moult, which could be caused by increased catabolism of triglycerides (via gluconeogenesis) or, alternatively, due to increased glucocorticoids as a stress response. Our results suggest that physiological changes associated with moult may be considered important determinants of the low pace of migration typical of the common snipe.
bibliographic citation: Podlaszczuk et al. (2017) When moult overlaps migration: moult-related changes in plasma biochemistry of migrating common snipe. PeerJ 5:e3057 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3057
date submitted: 2016-08-17
date accepted: 2017-02-02
issued: 2017-03-07
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Podlaszczuk
  given name: Patrycja
author list: Agent
  family name: Włodarczyk
  given name: Radosław
author list: Agent
  family name: Janiszewski
  given name: Tomasz
author list: Agent
  family name: Kaczmarek
  given name: Krzysztof
author list: Agent
  family name: Minias
  given name: Piotr
doi: 10.7717/peerj.3057
volume: 5
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2017-03-07
copyright: ©2017 Podlaszczuk et al.
attribution name: Podlaszczuk et al.

A new Mourasuchus (Alligatoroidea, Caimaninae) from the late Miocene of Venezuela, the phylogeny of Caimaninae and considerations on the feeding habits of Mourasuchus
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Mourasuchus (Alligatoroidea, Caimaninae) is one of the most peculiar crocodyliforms due to the skull morphology consisting of a long, wide, dorsoventrally flat rostrum with long, slender mandibular rami. Despite these peculiarities, the systematics, phylogeny and feeding habits of this taxon have not been properly studied. In this paper, we describe a new species of the genus, Mourasuchus pattersoni sp. nov., from the late Miocene of the Urumaco Formation of Venezuela. The new species differs from the other Mourasuchus species in having a lateromedially wide, dorsoventrally high jugal bone and a circular incisive foramen, which both represent autapomorphies of the new taxon. Phylogenetically, M. pattersoni sp. nov. is more closely related to M. amazonensis and the specimen UFAC-1424 (formely attributed to M. nativus) than to M. arendsi or M. atopus, whilst Mourasuchus is recovered once more as a monophyletic group. Furthermore, the cladistic analysis performed in this contribution offers a new phylogenetic assessment of Caimaninae, including many taxa described recently for the group. In this study, we also discuss the crocodylian diversity of the Urumaco Formation as well as how paleoenvironment may have contributed toward its evolution. In addition, we provide a discussion of the potential feeding habits of Mourasuchus. In this contribution, Mourasuchus is regarded as a taxon that likely preferred to prey on small animals. The unusual skull morphology of this group may have evolved to cover a large area with the rostrum, allowing for a more efficient prey capture, while the prey may have consisted predominantly of large amounts of small animals.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Giovanne M. Cidade
creator: Andrés Solórzano
creator: Ascanio Daniel Rincón
creator: Douglas Riff
creator: Annie Schmaltz Hsiou
subject: Paleontology
subject: Taxonomy
subject: Zoology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.3056
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2017 Cidade et al.
abstract: Mourasuchus (Alligatoroidea, Caimaninae) is one of the most peculiar crocodyliforms due to the skull morphology consisting of a long, wide, dorsoventrally flat rostrum with long, slender mandibular rami. Despite these peculiarities, the systematics, phylogeny and feeding habits of this taxon have not been properly studied. In this paper, we describe a new species of the genus, Mourasuchus pattersoni sp. nov., from the late Miocene of the Urumaco Formation of Venezuela. The new species differs from the other Mourasuchus species in having a lateromedially wide, dorsoventrally high jugal bone and a circular incisive foramen, which both represent autapomorphies of the new taxon. Phylogenetically, M. pattersoni sp. nov. is more closely related to M. amazonensis and the specimen UFAC-1424 (formely attributed to M. nativus) than to M. arendsi or M. atopus, whilst Mourasuchus is recovered once more as a monophyletic group. Furthermore, the cladistic analysis performed in this contribution offers a new phylogenetic assessment of Caimaninae, including many taxa described recently for the group. In this study, we also discuss the crocodylian diversity of the Urumaco Formation as well as how paleoenvironment may have contributed toward its evolution. In addition, we provide a discussion of the potential feeding habits of Mourasuchus. In this contribution, Mourasuchus is regarded as a taxon that likely preferred to prey on small animals. The unusual skull morphology of this group may have evolved to cover a large area with the rostrum, allowing for a more efficient prey capture, while the prey may have consisted predominantly of large amounts of small animals.
bibliographic citation: Cidade et al. (2017) A new Mourasuchus (Alligatoroidea, Caimaninae) from the late Miocene of Venezuela, the phylogeny of Caimaninae and considerations on the feeding habits of Mourasuchus. PeerJ 5:e3056 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3056
date submitted: 2016-10-05
date accepted: 2017-02-01
issued: 2017-03-07
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Cidade
  given name: Giovanne M.
author list: Agent
  family name: Solórzano
  given name: Andrés
author list: Agent
  family name: Rincón
  given name: Ascanio Daniel
author list: Agent
  family name: Riff
  given name: Douglas
author list: Agent
  family name: Hsiou
  given name: Annie Schmaltz
doi: 10.7717/peerj.3056
volume: 5
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2017-03-07
copyright: ©2017 Cidade et al.
attribution name: Cidade et al.

PeerJ
type: Periodical
uri: PeerJ
issn: 2167-8359