The desert woodrat complex (Neotoma lepida group) is a set of four closely related species occupying the arid lands of western North America. We have developed 18 polymorphic microsatellite loci to analyse the population structure, mating patterns, and hybridization at points of contact between the contiguously allopatric species in the complex.

Studies on avian haemosporidia are on the rise, but we still lack a basic understanding of how ecological and evolutionary factors mold the distributions of haemosporidia among species in the same bird community. We studied the structure and organization of a local avian haemosporidian assemblage (genera Plasmodium and Haemoproteus) in the Cerrado biome of Central Brazil for 5 years. We obtained 7

We tested whether the probability of detecting avian haemosporidia (Plasmodium and Haemoproteus) using molecular techniques differs among blood, liver, heart, and pectoral muscle tissues. We used a paired design, sampling the 4 tissue types in 55 individuals of a wild South American suboscine antbird, the white-shouldered fire-eye (Pyriglena leucoptera). We also identified parasites to cytochrome

We tested the hypothesis that avian haemosporidian (malaria) parasites specialize on hosts that can be characterized as predictable resources at a site in Amazonian Ecuador. We incorporated host phylogenetic relationship and relative abundance in assessing parasite specialization, and we examined associations between parasite specialization and three host characteristics – abundance, mass and long

Avian malaria is a vector transmitted disease caused by Plasmodium and recent studies suggest that variation in its prevalence across avian hosts is correlated with a variety of ecological traits. Here we examine the relationship between prevalence and diversity of Plasmodium lineages in southeastern Amazonia and: (1) host ecological traits (nest location, nest type, flocking behaviour and diet);

Parasite prevalence is thought to be positively related to host population density owing to enhanced contagion. However, the relationship between prevalence and local abundance of multiple host species is underexplored. We surveyed birds and their haemosporidian parasites (genera Plasmodium and Haemoproteus) at multiple sites across eastern North America to test whether the prevalence of these par

Aim: To determine statistical relationships between the prevalence of haemosporidian (malaria) parasites and the abundance of avian host populations across islands in the Lesser Antilles. Location: Thirteen islands in the Lesser Antilles, from Grenada in the south to St Kitts in the north. Methods: Birds were captured by mist net and small blood samples were taken for polymerase chain reaction and

Rufous-collared sparrows (Zonotrichia capensis peruviensis) from valleys in the Atacama Desert of Chile, live in an extremely stable environment, and exhibit overlap in molt and reproduction, with valley-specific differences in the proportion of birds engaged in both. To better understand the mechanistic pathways underlying the timing of life-history transitions, we examined the relationships amon

The high avian biodiversity present in the Neotropical region offers a great opportunity to explore the ecology of host-parasite relationships. We present a survey of avian haemoparasites in a megadiverse country and explore how parasite prevalences are related to physical and ecological host characteristics. Using light microscopy, we documented the presence of haemoparasites in over 2000 individ

In heterogeneous catalysis the reactions occur on the surface of a catalyst. To understand the reaction pathways, a detailed understanding on an atomic level is critical. However, the gas atmosphere surrounding the surface dictates the interaction between the surface and the gas. At low pressures this is often neglected, but as the community turns to higher pressures it becomes important to consid

A CW-laser radar system developed for combustion diagnostics is described. It is based on triangulation to attain range information. Some initial results from measurements in sooting flames are shown and some future perspectives are discussed.

The lack of a standardized database of eddy covariance observations has been an obstacle for data-driven estimation of terrestrial CO2 fluxes in Asia. In this study, we developed such a standardized database using 54 sites from various databases by applying consistent postprocessing for data-driven estimation of gross primary productivity (GPP) and net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE). Data-driven est

The line shape of an absorption line from molecular oxygen enclosed in the pores of a ceramic material has been studied at different temperatures. By evaluating the line width it is feasible to extract temperature information of the gas inside porous scattering materials.

The impact of climate variability on water demand and availability in drylands is substantial. Establishing methods to analyse precipitation (P) and evapotranspiration data sets may generate useful tools that assist in drought recognition and regional variations therein. The authors developed an index that simultaneous integrates both these variables in climate variability analysis. This study pro

This chapter provides an overview of the main concepts in mechanobiology and touches upon the experimental models that are most frequently used to study mechanobiology on a cell and tissue level. It focuses on the use of computational techniques and algorithms to simulate mechanobiological processes, and their prospective potential in clinical applications. It covers how computational algorithms h