Visualizing Viral RNA Packaging Signals in Action.

Here we confirm, using genome-scale RNA fragments in assembly competition assays, that multiple sub-sites (Packaging Signals, PSs) across the 5' two-thirds of the gRNA of Satellite Tobacco Necrosis Virus-1 make sequence-specific contacts to the viral CPs helping to nucleate formation of its T = 1 virus-like particle (VLP). These contacts explain why natural virions only package their positive-sense genomes. Asymmetric cryo-EM reconstructions of these VLPs suggest that interactions occur between amino acid residues in the N-terminal ends of the CP subunits and the gRNA PS loop sequences.

Response of diademed sifaka () to fosa () predation in the Betampona Strict Nature Reserve, Madagascar.

Large-bodied mammals living in fragmented habitats are at higher risk of extinction, and such risk can be influenced by ecological factors such as predator-prey system dynamics. These dynamics can be particularly complex for conservation management when one endangered species preys on another endangered species in an isolated or poor-quality habitat. Here we describe predation events observed over 19 months that involved two threatened species: the largest carnivore in Madagascar, the fosa (), and three groups of diademed sifaka () in the Betampona Strict Nature Reserve.

Reproductive inequality among males in the genus .

Reproductive inequality, or reproductive skew, drives natural selection, but has been difficult to assess, particularly for males in species with promiscuous mating and slow life histories, such as bonobos () and chimpanzees (). Although bonobos are often portrayed as more egalitarian than chimpanzees, genetic studies have found high male reproductive skew in bonobos. Here, we discuss mechanisms likely to affect male reproductive skew in , then re-examine skew patterns using paternity data from published work and new data from the Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve, Democratic Republic of Congo and Gombe National Park, Tanzania.

Barriers to chimpanzee gene flow at the south-east edge of their distribution.

Populations on the edge of a species' distribution may represent an important source of adaptive diversity, yet these populations tend to be more fragmented and are more likely to be geographically isolated. Lack of genetic exchanges between such populations, due to barriers to animal movement, can not only compromise adaptive potential but also lead to the fixation of deleterious alleles. The south-eastern edge of chimpanzee distribution is particularly fragmented, and conflicting hypotheses have been proposed about population connectivity and viability.

Reproductive inequality in humans and other mammals.

To address claims of human exceptionalism, we determine where humans fit within the greater mammalian distribution of reproductive inequality. We show that humans exhibit lower reproductive skew (i.e.