Genetic drift drives rapid speciation of an Arctic insular endemic shrew (Sorex pribilofensis).

Episodes of Quaternary environmental change shaped the genomes of extant species, influencing their response to contemporary environments, which are changing rapidly. Island endemics are among the most vulnerable to such change, accounting for a disproportionate number of recent extinctions. To prevent extinctions and conserve island biodiversity it is vital to combine knowledge of species' ecologies with their complex evolutionary histories.

Population genomics of free-ranging Great Plains white-tailed and mule deer reflects a long history of interspecific hybridization.

Hybridization is a natural process at species-range boundaries that may variably promote the speciation process or break down species barriers but minimally will influence management outcomes of distinct populations. White-tailed deer () and mule deer () have broad and overlapping distributions in North America and a recognized capacity for interspecific hybridization. In response to contemporary environmental change to any of one or multiple still-unknown factors, mule deer range is contracting westward accompanied by a westward expansion of white-tailed deer, leading to increasing interactions, opportunities for gene flow, and associated conservation implications.

Multi-individual microsatellite identification: A multiple genome approach to microsatellite design (MiMi).

Bespoke microsatellite marker panels are increasingly affordable and tractable to researchers and conservationists. The rate of microsatellite discovery is very high within a shotgun genomic data set, but extensive laboratory testing of markers is required for confirmation of amplification and polymorphism. By incorporating shotgun next-generation sequencing data sets from multiple individuals of the same species, we have developed a new method for the optimal design of microsatellite markers.

Rapid isolation and characterization of microsatellites in the critically endangered mountain bongo ().

High-throughput sequencing tools promise to revolutionize many aspects of genetic research, e.g. by allowing the identification of functional adaptive genetic variation.

Developmental role of acetylcholinesterase in impulse control in zebrafish.

Cellular and molecular processes that mediate individual variability in impulsivity, a key behavioral component of many neuropsychiatric disorders, are poorly understood. Zebrafish heterozygous for a nonsense mutation in ache (ache (sb55/+)) showed lower levels of impulsivity in a 5-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT) than wild type and ache(+∕+). Assessment of expression of cholinergic (nAChR), serotonergic (5-HT), and dopamine (DR) receptor mRNA in both adult and larval (9 dpf) ache (sb55/+) revealed significant downregulation of chrna2, chrna5, and drd2 mRNA in ache (sb55/+) larvae, but no differences in adults.

Moderate alcohol exposure during early brain development increases stimulus-response habits in adulthood.

Exposure to alcohol during early central nervous system development has been shown variously to affect aspects of physiological and behavioural development. In extreme cases, this can extend to craniofacial defects, severe developmental delay and mental retardation. At more moderate levels, subtle differences in brain morphology and behaviour have been observed.

The utility of zebrafish to study the mechanisms by which ethanol affects social behavior and anxiety during early brain development.

Exposure to moderate levels of ethanol during brain development has a number of effects on social behavior but the molecular mechanisms that mediate this are not well understood. Gaining a better understanding of these factors may help to develop therapeutic interventions in the future. Zebrafish offer a potentially useful model in this regard.

Discrimination reversal and attentional sets in zebrafish (Danio rerio).

The potential of zebrafish as a comparative model in behavioural neuroscience is currently hampered only by the lack of reliable and validated behavioural assays available to researchers. In the present experiment, we describe the performance of zebrafish in a test of attentional set formation. The fish were initially trained on a two-choice colour discrimination.

Housing conditions differentially affect physiological and behavioural stress responses of zebrafish, as well as the response to anxiolytics.

Zebrafish are a widely utilised animal model in developmental genetics, and owing to recent advances in our understanding of zebrafish behaviour, their utility as a comparative model in behavioural neuroscience is beginning to be realised. One widely reported behavioural measure is the novel tank-diving assay, which has been often cited as a test of anxiety and stress reactivity. Despite its wide utilisation, and various validations against anxiolytic drugs, reporting of pre-test housing has been sparse in the literature.

Development and implementation of a three-choice serial reaction time task for zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Zebrafish are an established and widely utilized developmental genetic model system, but limitations in developed behavioral assays have meant that their potential as a model in behavioral neuroscience has yet to be fully realized. Here, we describe the development of a novel operant behavioral assay to examine a variety of aspects of stimulus control in zebrafish using a 3 choice serial reaction time task (3 CSRTT). Fish were briefly exposed to three spatially distinct, but perceptually identical stimuli, presented in a random order after a fixed-time inter-trial interval (ITI).