Climate Change Vulnerability and Human Use of Wildlife in Africa's
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Growth and Ontogeny
G rowth and ontogeny The inland water fishes of Africa G rowth is one of the most complex processes for an organism . On the metabolic level, part of the energy consumed will be devoted to increasing its weight, but the proportion of energy used to generate living matter depends on the age of the individuals, their physiological state, their environmental conditions, etc. Firs t stages of deve lopme nt Little is know n about the first stages of development in Af rican fishes. A review of literature shows th at data is only available for 18 of 74 ident ifie d fam ilies (Carnbrav & Teugels. 1988). ONTOGENY AND MAIN STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT Ontogeny is the process of differentiation • the juvenile period begins w hen the fins of the diff erent stages of development are we ll-diffe rentiated and w hen all temporary in the life of an organism. We usually distinguish organs are replaced by final organs. several periods in the life of a fish. This stage ends w ith the first maturation (BaIon, 1981, 1984 and 1986): of gametes. This is usually a period of rapid • the embryonic period wh ich begins w ith growth sometimes characterized by a specific fertilization and is characterized by exclusively colouration; endogenous nutrition from the egg yolk; • the adult period begins w ith the first • the larval period w hich begins with maturation of gametes. the progressive but rapid transition from It is characterized by a decrease in somatic an endogenous food supply to exogenous grow th rate; feeding. This period is characterized by • finally, there is sometimes a period the presence of tem porary larval organisms; of senescence. -
Diversification of Afrobatrachian Frogs and the Herpetofauna of the Arabian Peninsula
Diversification of Afrobatrachian Frogs and the Herpetofauna of the Arabian Peninsula By Daniel Portik A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Integrative Biology in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Dr. Jimmy A. McGuire, Chair Dr. Rauri Bowie Dr. David Blackburn Dr. Rosemary Gillespie Fall 2015 Abstract Diversification of Afrobatrachian Frogs and the Herpetofauna of the Arabian Peninsula by Daniel Portik Doctor of Philosophy in Biology University of California, Berkeley Dr. Jimmy A. McGuire, Chair The identification of biotic and abiotic factors that promote the diversification of clades across Africa and the Arabian Peninsula remains a difficult challenge. A variety of ecological and evolutionary processes can be driving such patterns, and clade-specific traits may also play a role in the evolution of these groups. Comparative evolutionary studies of particular clades, relying on a phylogenetic framework, can be used to investigate many of these topics. Beyond these mechanisms there are abiotic factors, such as geological events, that can drive vicariance and dispersal events for large sets of taxa. The investigation of historical biogeography in a comparative phylogenetic framework can be used to detect such patterns. My dissertation explores these topics using reptiles and amphibians as study systems, and I rely on the generation of molecular sequence data, phylogenetics, and the use of comparative phylogenetic methods to address a variety of questions. I provide the abstract for each chapter below. Chapter 1: The reproductive modes of anurans (frogs and toads) are the most diverse among all the terrestrial vertebrates, and a major challenge is identifying selective factors that promote the evolution or retention of reproductive modes across clades. -
A Molecular Phylogeny of Equatorial African Lacertidae, with the Description of a New Genus and Species from Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 163, 913–942. With 7 figures A molecular phylogeny of Equatorial African Lacertidae, with the description of a new genus and species from eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo ELI GREENBAUM1*, CESAR O. VILLANUEVA1, CHIFUNDERA KUSAMBA2, MWENEBATU M. ARISTOTE3 and WILLIAM R. BRANCH4,5 1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 West University Avenue, El Paso, TX 79968, USA 2Laboratoire d’Herpétologie, Département de Biologie, Centre de Recherche en Sciences Naturelles, Lwiro, République Démocratique du Congo 3Institut Superieur d’Ecologie pour la Conservation de la Nature, Katana Campus, Sud Kivu, République Démocratique du Congo 4Bayworld, P.O. Box 13147, Humewood 6013, South Africa 5Research Associate, Department of Zoology, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa Received 25 July 2010; revised 21 November 2010; accepted for publication 18 January 2011 Currently, four species of the lacertid lizard genus Adolfus are known from Central and East Africa. We sequenced up to 2825 bp of two mitochondrial [16S and cytochrome b (cyt b)] and two nuclear [(c-mos (oocyte maturation factor) and RAG1 (recombination activating gene 1)] genes from 41 samples of Adolfus (representing every species), two species each of Gastropholis and Holaspis, and in separate analyses combined these data with GenBank sequences of all other Eremiadini genera and four Lacertini outgroups. Data from DNA sequences were analysed with maximum parsimony (PAUP), maximum-likelihood (RAxML) and Bayesian inference (MrBayes) criteria. Results demonstrated that Adolfus is not monophyletic: Adolfus africanus (type species), Adolfus alleni, and Adolfus jacksoni are sister taxa, whereas Adolfus vauereselli and a new species from the Itombwe Plateau of Democratic Republic of the Congo are in a separate lineage. -
Preliminary Analysis of Correlated Evolution of Morphology and Ecological Diversification in Lacertid Lizards
Butll. Soc. Cat. Herp., 19 (2011) Preliminary analysis of correlated evolution of morphology and ecological diversification in lacertid lizards Fèlix Amat Orriols Àrea d'Herpetologia, Museu de Granollers-Ciències Naturals. Francesc Macià 51. 08402 Granollers. Catalonia. Spain. [email protected] Resum S'ha investigat la diversitat morfològica en 129 espècies de lacèrtids i la seva relació amb l'ecologia, per mitjà de mètodes comparatius, utilitzant set variables morfomètriques. La mida corporal és la variable més important, determinant un gradient entre espècies de petita i gran mida independentment evolucionades al llarg de la filogènia dels lacèrtids. Aquesta variable està forta i positivament correlacionada amb les altres, emmascarant els patrons de diversitat morfològica. Anàlisis multivariants en les variables ajustades a la mida corporal mostren una covariació negativa entre les mides relatives de la cua i les extremitats. Remarcablement, les espècies arborícoles i semiarborícoles (Takydromus i el clade africà equatorial) han aparegut dues vegades independentment durant l'evolució dels lacèrtids i es caracteritzen per cues extremadament llargues i extremitats anteriors relativament llargues en comparació a les posteriors. El llangardaix arborícola i planador Holaspis, amb la seva cua curta, constitueix l’única excepció. Un altre cas de convergència ha estat trobat en algunes espècies que es mouen dins de vegetació densa o herba (Tropidosaura, Lacerta agilis, Takydromus amurensis o Zootoca) que presenten cues llargues i extremitats curtes. Al contrari, les especies que viuen en deserts, estepes o matollars amb escassa vegetació aïllada dins grans espais oberts han desenvolupat extremitats posteriors llargues i anteriors curtes per tal d'assolir elevades velocitats i maniobrabilitat. Aquest és el cas especialment de Acanthodactylus i Eremias Abstract Morphologic diversity was studied in 129 species of lacertid lizards and their relationship with ecology by means of comparative analysis on seven linear morphometric measurements. -
Morphological and Cytological Observations on Iwo Opalinid Endocommensals of Acanthixalus Spinosus (Amphibia, Anura)
See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/238037392 Morphological and cytological observations on two opalinid endocommensals of Acanthixalus spinosus (Amphibia, Anura) Article in Canadian Journal of Zoology · February 2011 DOI: 10.1139/z96-171 CITATIONS READS 2 133 3 authors, including: Félix-Marie Affa'a RAPPAUC 21 PUBLICATIONS 98 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE All content following this page was uploaded by Félix-Marie Affa'a on 23 January 2015. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. 1573 Morphological and cytological observations on Iwo opalinid endocommensals of Acanthixalus spinosus (Amphibia, Anura) Félix-Marie Affa'a, Jean-Pierre Mignot, and Jean-Louis Amiet Abstract: The morphology and cytology of two new opalinid species were studied using silver impregnation and fixation, which preserves the microfibrils. Both species, commensal on Acanthixalus spinosus, are hast-specifie. Light microscopy showed the existence of a posterior secant system in Opalina proteus n.sp. and its absence in Cepedea couillardi n.sp. (in agreement with the differences presently recognised between the two genera). At the ultrastructural level, however, bath species present a posterior fibrillar zone that seems to be homologous with the secant system. This apparent contradiction may be explained by the fact that the secant system is visible under light microscopy only in O. proteus because its fibrillar zone is more developed than in C. couillardi. The life cycle of C. couillardi spans stages from the tadpole to the adult; in contrast, O. proteus completes its cycle before metamorphosis of the hast. Résumé: Les auteurs ont étudié la morphologie et l'ultrastructure de deux nouvelles opalines par imprégnation à l'argent en microscopie optique et en microscopie électronique, après fixation par une technique réputée préserver les microfibrilles. -
Phylogenetic Reanalysis of Strauch's Osteological Data Set for The
TheCondor97:174-196 0 The Cooper Ornithological Society 1995 PHYLOGENETIC REANALYSIS OF STRAUCH’S OSTEOLOGICAL DATA SET FOR THE CHARADRIIFORMES PHILIP c. CHU Department of Biology and Museum of Zoology The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Abstract. Strauch’s (1978) compatibility analysisof relationshipsamong the shorebirds (Charadriifonnes) was the first study to examine the full range of charadriifonn taxa in a reproducibleway. SubsequentlyMickevich and Parenti (1980) leveled seriouscharges against Strauch’s characters,method of phylogenetic inference, and results. To account for these charges,Strauch ’s characterswere re-examined and recoded, and parsimony analyseswere performed on the revised matrix. A parsimony analysison 74 taxa from the revised matrix yielded 855 shortesttrees, each length = 286 and consistencyindex = 0.385. In each shortest tree there were two major lineages,a lineageof sandpiper-likebirds and a lineageof plover- like birds; the two formed a monophyletic group, with the auks (Alcidae) being that group’s sister taxon. The shortest trees were then compared with other estimates of shorebird re- lationships, comparison suggestingthat the chargesagainst Strauch’s results may have re- sulted from the Mickevich and Parenti decisions to exclude much of Strauch’s character evidence. Key words: Charadrilformes; phylogeny; compatibility analysis: parsimony analysis; tax- onomic congruence. INTRODUCTION Strauch scored 227 charadriiform taxa for 70 The investigation of evolutionary relationships characters. Sixty-three of the characters were among shorebirds (Aves: Charadriiformes) has a taken from either the skull or postcranial skel- long history (reviewed in Sibley and Ahlquist eton; the remaining seven involved the respec- 1990). Almost all studies used morphology to tive origins of three neck muscles, as published make inferences about shared ancestry; infer- in Burton (1971, 1972, 1974) and Zusi (1962). -
Kenya Soe Ch4 A
PART 2 STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT 61 CHAPTER BIODIVERSITY4 Introduction The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) defi nes biodiversity as Kenya’s rich biodiversity Lead Authors ‘the variability among living organisms from all sources including, can be attributed to a number Ali A. Ali and Monday S. Businge among others, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and of factors, including a long Contributing Authors S. M. Mutune, Jane Kibwage, Ivy Achieng, the ecological complexes of which they are part [and] includes diversity evolutionary history, variable Godfrey Mwangi, David Ongare, Fred Baraza, within species, between species and of ecosystems.’ Biodiversity climatic conditions, and diverse Teresa Muthui, Lawrence M. Ndiga, Nick Mugi therefore comprises genetic and species diversity of animals and plants habitat types and ecosystems. Reviewer as well as ecosystem diversity. Kenya is endowed with an enormous The major biodiversity Nathan Gichuki diversity of ecosystems and wildlife species which live in the terrestrial, concentration sites fall within aquatic and aerial environment. These biological resources are the existing protected areas fundamental to national prosperity as a source of food, medicines, network (national parks, reserves and sanctuaries) which are mostly energy, shelter, employment and foreign exchange. For instance, managed by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). However, over 70 percent agricultural productivity and development are dependent on the of the national biodiversity occurs outside the protected areas. availability of a wide variety of plant and animal genetic resources and In spite of its immense biotic capital, Kenya experiences severe on the existence of functional ecological systems, especially those that ecological and socio-economic problems. -
Freshwater Fishes
WESTERN CAPE PROVINCE state oF BIODIVERSITY 2007 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1 Introduction 2 Chapter 2 Methods 17 Chapter 3 Freshwater fishes 18 Chapter 4 Amphibians 36 Chapter 5 Reptiles 55 Chapter 6 Mammals 75 Chapter 7 Avifauna 89 Chapter 8 Flora & Vegetation 112 Chapter 9 Land and Protected Areas 139 Chapter 10 Status of River Health 159 Cover page photographs by Andrew Turner (CapeNature), Roger Bills (SAIAB) & Wicus Leeuwner. ISBN 978-0-620-39289-1 SCIENTIFIC SERVICES 2 Western Cape Province State of Biodiversity 2007 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Andrew Turner [email protected] 1 “We live at a historic moment, a time in which the world’s biological diversity is being rapidly destroyed. The present geological period has more species than any other, yet the current rate of extinction of species is greater now than at any time in the past. Ecosystems and communities are being degraded and destroyed, and species are being driven to extinction. The species that persist are losing genetic variation as the number of individuals in populations shrinks, unique populations and subspecies are destroyed, and remaining populations become increasingly isolated from one another. The cause of this loss of biological diversity at all levels is the range of human activity that alters and destroys natural habitats to suit human needs.” (Primack, 2002). CapeNature launched its State of Biodiversity Programme (SoBP) to assess and monitor the state of biodiversity in the Western Cape in 1999. This programme delivered its first report in 2002 and these reports are updated every five years. The current report (2007) reports on the changes to the state of vertebrate biodiversity and land under conservation usage. -
The Birds (Aves) of Oromia, Ethiopia – an Annotated Checklist
European Journal of Taxonomy 306: 1–69 ISSN 2118-9773 https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2017.306 www.europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu 2017 · Gedeon K. et al. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Monograph urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A32EAE51-9051-458A-81DD-8EA921901CDC The birds (Aves) of Oromia, Ethiopia – an annotated checklist Kai GEDEON 1,*, Chemere ZEWDIE 2 & Till TÖPFER 3 1 Saxon Ornithologists’ Society, P.O. Box 1129, 09331 Hohenstein-Ernstthal, Germany. 2 Oromia Forest and Wildlife Enterprise, P.O. Box 1075, Debre Zeit, Ethiopia. 3 Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Centre for Taxonomy and Evolutionary Research, Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn, Germany. * Corresponding author: [email protected] 2 Email: [email protected] 3 Email: [email protected] 1 urn:lsid:zoobank.org:author:F46B3F50-41E2-4629-9951-778F69A5BBA2 2 urn:lsid:zoobank.org:author:F59FEDB3-627A-4D52-A6CB-4F26846C0FC5 3 urn:lsid:zoobank.org:author:A87BE9B4-8FC6-4E11-8DB4-BDBB3CFBBEAA Abstract. Oromia is the largest National Regional State of Ethiopia. Here we present the first comprehensive checklist of its birds. A total of 804 bird species has been recorded, 601 of them confirmed (443) or assumed (158) to be breeding birds. At least 561 are all-year residents (and 31 more potentially so), at least 73 are Afrotropical migrants and visitors (and 44 more potentially so), and 184 are Palaearctic migrants and visitors (and eight more potentially so). Three species are endemic to Oromia, 18 to Ethiopia and 43 to the Horn of Africa. 170 Oromia bird species are biome restricted: 57 to the Afrotropical Highlands biome, 95 to the Somali-Masai biome, and 18 to the Sudan-Guinea Savanna biome. -
Gtr Pnw343.Pdf
Abstract Marcot, Bruce G. 1995. Owls of old forests of the world. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW- GTR-343. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 64 p. A review of literature on habitat associations of owls of the world revealed that about 83 species of owls among 18 genera are known or suspected to be closely asso- ciated with old forests. Old forest is defined as old-growth or undisturbed forests, typically with dense canopies. The 83 owl species include 70 tropical and 13 tem- perate forms. Specific habitat associations have been studied for only 12 species (7 tropical and 5 temperate), whereas about 71 species (63 tropical and 8 temperate) remain mostly unstudied. Some 26 species (31 percent of all owls known or sus- pected to be associated with old forests in the tropics) are entirely or mostly restricted to tropical islands. Threats to old-forest owls, particularly the island forms, include conversion of old upland forests, use of pesticides, loss of riparian gallery forests, and loss of trees with cavities for nests or roosts. Conservation of old-forest owls should include (1) studies and inventories of habitat associations, particularly for little-studied tropical and insular species; (2) protection of specific, existing temperate and tropical old-forest tracts; and (3) studies to determine if reforestation and vege- tation manipulation can restore or maintain habitat conditions. An appendix describes vocalizations of all species of Strix and the related genus Ciccaba. Keywords: Owls, old growth, old-growth forest, late-successional forests, spotted owl, owl calls, owl conservation, tropical forests, literature review. -
Tc & Forward & Owls-I-IX
USDA Forest Service 1997 General Technical Report NC-190 Biology and Conservation of Owls of the Northern Hemisphere Second International Symposium February 5-9, 1997 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Editors: James R. Duncan, Zoologist, Manitoba Conservation Data Centre Wildlife Branch, Manitoba Department of Natural Resources Box 24, 200 Saulteaux Crescent Winnipeg, MB CANADA R3J 3W3 <[email protected]> David H. Johnson, Wildlife Ecologist Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife 600 Capitol Way North Olympia, WA, USA 98501-1091 <[email protected]> Thomas H. Nicholls, retired formerly Project Leader and Research Plant Pathologist and Wildlife Biologist USDA Forest Service, North Central Forest Experiment Station 1992 Folwell Avenue St. Paul, MN, USA 55108-6148 <[email protected]> I 2nd Owl Symposium SPONSORS: (Listing of all symposium and publication sponsors, e.g., those donating $$) 1987 International Owl Symposium Fund; Jack Israel Schrieber Memorial Trust c/o Zoological Society of Manitoba; Lady Grayl Fund; Manitoba Hydro; Manitoba Natural Resources; Manitoba Naturalists Society; Manitoba Critical Wildlife Habitat Program; Metro Propane Ltd.; Pine Falls Paper Company; Raptor Research Foundation; Raptor Education Group, Inc.; Raptor Research Center of Boise State University, Boise, Idaho; Repap Manitoba; Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada; USDI Bureau of Land Management; USDI Fish and Wildlife Service; USDA Forest Service, including the North Central Forest Experiment Station; Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife; The Wildlife Society - Washington Chapter; Wildlife Habitat Canada; Robert Bateman; Lawrence Blus; Nancy Claflin; Richard Clark; James Duncan; Bob Gehlert; Marge Gibson; Mary Houston; Stuart Houston; Edgar Jones; Katherine McKeever; Robert Nero; Glenn Proudfoot; Catherine Rich; Spencer Sealy; Mark Sobchuk; Tom Sproat; Peter Stacey; and Catherine Thexton. -
Congolius, a New Genus of African Reed Frog Endemic to The
www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Congolius, a new genus of African reed frog endemic to the central Congo: A potential case of convergent evolution Tadeáš Nečas1,2*, Gabriel Badjedjea3, Michal Vopálenský4 & Václav Gvoždík1,5* The reed frog genus Hyperolius (Afrobatrachia, Hyperoliidae) is a speciose genus containing over 140 species of mostly small to medium-sized frogs distributed in sub-Saharan Africa. Its high level of colour polymorphism, together with in anurans relatively rare sexual dichromatism, make systematic studies more difcult. As a result, the knowledge of the diversity and taxonomy of this genus is still limited. Hyperolius robustus known only from a handful of localities in rain forests of the central Congo Basin is one of the least known species. Here, we have used molecular methods for the frst time to study the phylogenetic position of this taxon, accompanied by an analysis of phenotype based on external (morphometric) and internal (osteological) morphological characters. Our phylogenetic results undoubtedly placed H. robustus out of Hyperolius into a common clade with sympatric Cryptothylax and West African Morerella. To prevent the uncovered paraphyly, we place H. robustus into a new genus, Congolius. The review of all available data suggests that the new genus is endemic to the central Congolian lowland rain forests. The analysis of phenotype underlined morphological similarity of the new genus to some Hyperolius species. This uniformity of body shape (including cranial shape) indicates that the two genera have either retained ancestral morphology or evolved through convergent evolution under similar ecological pressures in the African rain forests. African reed frogs, Hyperoliidae Laurent, 1943, are presently encompassing almost 230 species in 17 genera.