Three-dimensional diffractive acoustic tomography.

Acoustically probing biological tissues with light or sound, photoacoustic and ultrasound imaging can provide anatomical, functional, and/or molecular information at depths far beyond the optical diffusion limit. However, most photoacoustic and ultrasound imaging systems rely on linear-array transducers with elevational focusing and are limited to two-dimensional imaging with anisotropic resolutions. Here, we present three-dimensional diffractive acoustic tomography (3D-DAT), which uses an off-the-shelf linear-array transducer with single-slit acoustic diffraction.

A hundred-year-old mystery-the reproductive mode and larval morphology of the enigmatic frog genus Allophryne (Amphibia; Anura; Allophrynidae).

Frogs of the Allophrynidae are an enigmatic family from South America. To date, published information is lacking regarding this group's reproductive biology and larval morphology. Here, we provide the first detailed description of the reproductive mode, developmental mode, and tadpole morphology for Allophryne ruthveni.

Tissue-specific in vivo transformation of plasmid DNA in Neotropical tadpoles using electroporation.

Electroporation is an increasingly common technique used for exogenous gene expression in live animals, but protocols are largely limited to traditional laboratory organisms. The goal of this protocol is to test in vivo electroporation techniques in a diverse array of tadpole species. We explore electroporation efficiency in tissue-specific cells of five species from across three families of tropical frogs: poison frogs (Dendrobatidae), cryptic forest/poison frogs (Aromobatidae), and glassfrogs (Centrolenidae).

Glassfrogs conceal blood in their liver to maintain transparency.

Transparency in animals is a complex form of camouflage involving mechanisms that reduce light scattering and absorption throughout the organism. In vertebrates, attaining transparency is difficult because their circulatory system is full of red blood cells (RBCs) that strongly attenuate light. Here, we document how glassfrogs overcome this challenge by concealing these cells from view.

Genetically based demographic reconstructions require careful consideration of generation time.

Bakker et al. use Robinson et al.'s reconstruction of three species of vulture to illustrate how incorrect generation time estimates can yield inaccurate results, underscoring the importance of generation time specification for genetically based reconstructions, especially for comparisons and species of conservation concern.

Applying circuit theory and landscape linkage maps to reintroduction planning for California Condors.

Conservation practitioners are increasingly looking to species translocations as a tool to recover imperiled taxa. Quantitative predictions of where animals are likely to move when released into new areas would allow managers to better address the social, institutional, and ecological dimensions of conservation translocations. Using >5 million California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) occurrence locations from 75 individuals, we developed and tested circuit-based models to predict condor movement away from release sites.

Cultivating Positive Youth Development, Critical Consciousness, and Authentic Care in Urban Environmental Education.

This paper addresses the issue of how to provide affordances for youth development in the context of environmental stewardship in cities. Urban environmental education encompasses place-based and action-oriented stewardship practices, including community gardening and vegetable production, often with the dual goals of developing youth and community assets. Yet in-depth understanding of how these goals are achieved is lacking.

A review of Northern Peruvian glassfrogs (Centrolenidae), with the description of four new remarkable species.

Peru is well known for amphibian diversity and endemism, yet there have been relatively few field studies of glassfrog (Centrolenidae) diversity in this country. Research in Colombia and Ecuador indicates that centrolenid diversity is higher in the northern Andes. However, part of this trend appears to be due to sampling effort.

Glassfrog embryos hatch early after parental desertion.

Both parental care and hatching plasticity can improve embryo survival. Research has found that parents can alter hatching time owing to a direct effect of care on embryogenesis or via forms of care that cue the hatching process. Because parental care alters conditions critical for offspring development, hatching plasticity could allow embryos to exploit variation in parental behaviour.