Batesian mimicry is the process in which harmless species adopt the appearance of a dangerous, aposematic species. In some prey species, both Batesian mimetic and non-Batesian morphs coexist, presupposing that both morphs have to be evolutionarily advantageous. The viperine snake, Natrix maura, exhibits a zigzag dorsal pattern and antipredatory behavior that mimics European vipers. This snake also has a striped dorsal pattern that coexists with the zigzag pattern. We have examined whether individuals belonging to different geographically structured clades were more likely to exhibit a certain dorsal pattern, and whether the zigzag pattern has a protective function by exposing artificial snakes to predation in natural environments, in addition to comparing antipredatory behavior between zigzag and striped snakes also in natural environments. Our results indicate that the striped pattern was not geographically structured, but habitat-dependent. Aerial predators less frequently attacked zigzag plasticine models than striped or unpatterned models. We detected a shift in antipredator behavior between the 2 morphs, as Batesian mimicking N. maura responded to an approaching potential predator by remaining immobile or fleeing at shorter distances than did striped ones. We conclude that Batesian mimics maintain the cryptic and aposematic value by resembling vipers, whereas in open habitats the non-Batesian mimic has altered its antipredator behavior to maintain its fitness.
ResumenEl meloncillo es una especie en expansión en el centro y norte de la Península Ibérica. Ningún trabajo, hasta la fecha, había confirmado este proceso dispersivo en su borde de distribución suroriental, situado en trabajos previos entre las provincias de Málaga y Granada. Por medio de un muestreo sistemático e intensivo focalizado en la especie (con trampas de pelo, rastreo de indicios, recolección de citas y encuestas), se muestrearon 49 cuadrículas UTM (10x10 km) en aproximadamente la mitad occidental de la provincia de Granada, entre noviembre de 2014 y enero de 2015. Se detectó la presencia segura de la especie en 16 cuadrículas (bibliografía científica, trampas de pelo, atropello, entrada en centro de recuperación, capturas en coto de caza, fototrampeo y taxidermia) y seis con presencia probable (avistamientos sin foto, huellas y encuestas). Nuestros resultados muestran que el meloncillo está experimentando una expansión hacia el extremo suroriental de la Península. Este estudio pone de relieve que las trampas de pelo constituyen un método no invasivo de gran eficacia para el seguimiento de la distribución de la especie. Los resultados obtenidos tienen gran utilidad como herramienta de gestión en proyectos de conservación e investigación sobre dicha especie. Palabras clave: Granada, meloncillo, presencia, rastreo de indicios, trampa de pelo. AbstractThe Egyptian mongoose is expanding in the center and north of the Iberian Peninsula. So far no studies confirm the dispersal process in the most southeastern distribution, which was previously located between the provinces of Malaga and Granada. Through a systematic and intensive methodology focused on detecting mongoose (hair-traps, sign surveys and questionnaires), 49 UTM-grids (10x10 km) were sampled in approximately the western region of the province of Granada, between November 2014 and January 2015. The presence of the species has been confirmed in 16 grids (scientific literature, hair-traps, roadkills, records from wildlife recovery centers, kills in hunting grounds, reliable quotes from camera traps and/or taxidermy) and in other 6 grids the presence was considered probable (sightings without photo, fingerprints and surveys). Our results show that the mongoose is undergoing an expansion to the southeastern part of the Peninsula. This study also shows that hair-traps are a non-invasive method highly effective for monitoring the distribution of this species. These results could be a useful management tool in conservation projects and research on this species.
Myotonic dystrophy type 1 is a complex disease caused by a genetically unstable CTG repeat expansion in the 3′-untranslated region of the DMPK gene. Age-dependent, tissue-specific somatic instability has confounded genotype–phenotype associations, but growing evidence suggests that it also contributes directly toward disease progression. Using a well-characterized clinical cohort of DM1 patients from Costa Rica, we quantified somatic instability in blood, buccal cells, skin and skeletal muscle. Whilst skeletal muscle showed the largest expansions, modal allele lengths in skin were also very large and frequently exceeded 2000 CTG repeats. Similarly, the degree of somatic expansion in blood, muscle and skin were associated with each other. Notably, we found that the degree of somatic expansion in skin was highly predictive of that in skeletal muscle. More importantly, we established that individuals whose repeat expanded more rapidly than expected in one tissue (after correction for progenitor allele length and age), also expanded more rapidly than expected in other tissues. We also provide evidence suggesting that individuals in whom the repeat expanded more rapidly than expected in skeletal muscle, have an earlier age-at-onset than expected (after correction for the progenitor allele length). Pyrosequencing analyses of the genomic DNA flanking the CTG repeat revealed that the degree of methylation in muscle was well predicted by the muscle modal allele length and age, but that neither methylation of the flanking DNA, nor levels of DMPK sense and anti-sense transcripts, could obviously explain individual- or tissue-specific patterns of somatic instability.
E l libro de Pablo Lazo Briones acerca de Charles Taylor puede ofrecer, para algunos de nosotros, un cierto número de sorpresas. Probablemente ciertos lectores, como yo, localizan al filósofo canadiense por sus importantes contribuciones en torno a G. W. F. Hegel y por sus concepciones acerca del llamado multiculturalismo. Pues bien, en el libro que nos ocupa a lo largo de más de 400 páginas, la imagen que resulta es la de un hermeneuta, mucho más próximo a Gadamer, Ricoeur o incluso al mismo Heidegger. No es desde luego que Hegel haya desaparecido súbitamente: está presente -y a ello se dedica el capítulo iii-pero su intervención es matizada por motivaciones más profundas en Charles Taylor. Con esta corrección poseemos, pues, una percepción más precisa de uno de los filósofos más interesante de nuestros días.El argumento central del autor es actual e importante: se propone ofrecer una conjunción entre ética y hermenéutica que sea una alternativa a las éticas formalistas de corte kantiano o procedimental. Digo "alternativa", porque fundamenta la acción moral en una autorreflexión sustantiva del agente acerca de sus propios valores, especialmente en su enfrentamiento con culturas que nos resultan ajenas. Frente a la diversidad cultural, ciertas éticas se colocan en actitud de etnocentrismo o simplemente de rechazo; una ética de raíz hermenéutica por el contrario se propone adoptar una actitud que no sea ni de apropiación, ni de manipulación, asumiendo a la vez una actitud crítica de sí misma a través de una comprensión de la otredad que sea dialógica y tolerante. En breve, se trata de alcanzar mediante la hermenéutica, criterios y directrices generales para la acción ética que descansen en la tolerancia teórica y práctica en el ámbito privado, público y en las relaciones interculturales.Antes de entrar en lo vivo de la cuestión, permítaseme subrayar algunos aspectos formales de la obra de Pablo Lazo. El libro presenta una exposición clara y bien articulada de las tesis que se propone defender, incluidas aquellas
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