Factors affecting nest height and ground nesting behaviour in Eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) of the northern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In order to achieve a better understanding of the factors that might have led our hominin ancestors to transition to a more terrestrial niche, including sleeping on the ground, we have conducted a study on the ground nesting behavior of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Chimpanzees, like all other species of great apes, build nests in which to sleep each night, but little is known about regional differences in their nesting habits. Previously, nesting on the ground was considered typical of gorillas, but rare in most populations of chimpanzees.

Juvenile Spider Mites Induce Salicylate Defenses, but Not Jasmonate Defenses, Unlike Adults.

When plants detect herbivores they strengthen their defenses. As a consequence, some herbivores evolved the means to suppress these defenses. Research on induction and suppression of plant defenses usually makes use of particular life stages of herbivores.

Spider Mites Cause More Damage to Tomato in the Dark When Induced Defenses Are Lower.

Plants have evolved robust mechanisms to cope with incidental variation (e.g. herbivory) and periodical variation (e.

Molecular and Phenotypic Characterization of Nannizzia (Arthrodermataceae).

Phylogenetic studies of the family Arthrodermataceae have revealed seven monophyletic dermatophyte clades representing the genera Trichophyton, Epidermophyton, Nannizzia, Lophophyton, Paraphyton, Microsporum, and Arthroderma. Members of the genus Nannizzia are geo- or zoophiles that occasionally infect humans. With the newly proposed taxonomy, the genus Nannizzia comprises thirteen species, i.

Bili-Uéré: A Chimpanzee Behavioural Realm in Northern Democratic Republic of Congo.

To improve our understanding of the evolutionary origins of culture and technology in humans, it is vital that we document the full extent of behavioural diversity in our great ape relatives. About half of the world's remaining chimpanzees (Pan spp.) live in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), yet until now we have known almost nothing about their behaviour.

Molecular epidemiology and in vitro antifungal susceptibility of Trichophyton schoenleinii, agent of tinea capitis favosa.

Trichophyton schoenleinii is an anthropophilic dermatophyte usually causing tinea favosa. Only few studies have provided data on molecular epidemiology and antifungal profiles of this fungus due to its limited prevalence after 1950s. Forty-nine strains from Asia (n = 27), Africa (n = 10), Europe (n = 10) and from unknown regions (n = 2) were analysed with amplified fragment length polymorphism fingerprinting (AFLP) to reveal intraspecific genetic diversity in this dataset.

Phylogeny of dermatophytes with genomic character evaluation of clinically distinct and .

and are prevalent agents of human dermatophyte infections, the former being found on glabrous skin and nail, while the latter is confined to the scalp. The two species are phenotypically different but are highly similar phylogenetically. The taxonomy of dermatophytes is currently being reconsidered on the basis of molecular phylogeny.

Genomic Understanding of an Infectious Brain Disease from the Desert.

accounts for the majority of fungal brain infections in the Middle East, and is restricted to the arid climate zone between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Neurotropic dissemination caused by this fungus has been reported in immunocompromised, but also immunocompetent individuals. If untreated, the infection is fatal.

Field Attraction of Carob Moth to Host Plants and Conspecific Females.

The carob moth, Ectomyelois ceratoniae (Zeller; Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), is a devastating pest in high-value crops around the world. An efficient sex pheromone attractant is still missing for the management of this pest, because the major pheromone component is unstable. Host plant volatiles attract herbivore insects and have shown to have good potential to be exploited as alternatives or supplements to sex pheromones.

Time-calibrated molecular phylogeny of pteropods.

Pteropods are a widespread group of holoplanktonic gastropod molluscs and are uniquely suitable for study of long-term evolutionary processes in the open ocean because they are the only living metazoan plankton with a good fossil record. Pteropods have been proposed as bioindicators to monitor the impacts of ocean acidification and in consequence have attracted considerable research interest, however, a robust evolutionary framework for the group is still lacking. Here we reconstruct their phylogenetic relationships and examine the evolutionary history of pteropods based on combined analyses of Cytochrome Oxidase I, 28S, and 18S ribosomal rRNA sequences and a molecular clock calibrated using fossils and the estimated timing of the formation of the Isthmus of Panama.

Global molecular epidemiology and genetic diversity of Fusarium, a significant emerging group of human opportunists from 1958 to 2015.

Fusarium is a rapidly emerging, multidrug-resistant genus of fungal opportunists that was first identified in 1958 and is presently recognized in numerous cases of fusariosis each year. The authors examined trends in global Fusarium distribution, clinical presentation and prevalence since 1958 with the assumption that their distributions in each region had remained unaltered. The phylogeny and epidemiology of 127 geographically diverse isolates, representing 26 Fusarium species, were evaluated using partial sequences of the RPB2 and TEF1 genes, and compared with AFLP fingerprinting data.

Variability of Bacterial Communities in the Moth Heliothis virescens Indicates Transient Association with the Host.

Microbes associated with insects can confer a wide range of ecologically relevant benefits to their hosts. Since insect-associated bacteria often increase the nutritive value of their hosts' diets, the study of bacterial communities is especially interesting in species that are important agricultural pests. We investigated the composition of bacterial communities in the noctuid moth Heliothis virescens and its variability in relation to developmental stage, diet and population (field and laboratory), using bacterial tag-encoded FLX pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA amplicons.

Food preparation with mucoralean fungi: A potential biosafety issue?

Mucorales have been used for production of fermented food in Asia and Africa since time immemorial. Particularly Rhizopus species are rapidly growing, active producers of lipases and proteases and occur naturally during the first stages of soybean fermentation. Two biosafety issues have been raised in recent literature: (1) pathogenicity, Rhizopus species being prevalent opportunists causing erosive infections in severely compromised patients, and (2) toxicity, strains harbouring endosymbiotic Burkholderia producing toxic secondary metabolites.

Barcoding and species recognition of opportunistic pathogens in Ochroconis and Verruconis.

The genera Ochroconis and Verruconis (Sympoventuriaceae, Venturiales) have remarkably high molecular diversity despite relatively high degrees of phenotypic similarity. Tree topologies, inter-specific and intra-specific heterogeneities, barcoding gaps and reciprocal monophyly of all currently known species were analyzed. It was concluded that all currently used genes viz.

No adaptation of a herbivore to a novel host but loss of adaptation to its native host.

Most herbivorous arthropods are host specialists and the question is which mechanisms drive the evolution of such specialization. The theory of antagonistic pleiotropy suggests that there is a trade-off between adaptation of herbivores to a novel host and their native host. The mutation accumulation hypothesis proposes that herbivores on a novel host lose their adaptation to the native host through the accumulation of mutations with negligible effects on performance on the novel host.

Three New Species of the Genus Ochroconis.

Ochroconis bacilliformis, O. phaeophora and O. robusta, three novel species of the melanized genus Ochroconis (Sympoventuriaceae, Venturiales), are described, illustrated and distinguished phenotypically and molecularly from previously described species in the genus Ochroconis.

Effects of immune challenge on the oviposition strategy of a noctuid moth.

Infections can have detrimental effects on the fitness of an animal. Reproducing females may therefore be sensitive to cues of infection and be able to adaptively change their oviposition strategy in the face of infection. As one possibility, females could make a terminal investment and shift reproductive effort from future to current reproduction as life expectancy decreases.

A global phylogeny of leafmining Ectoedemia moths (Lepidoptera: Nepticulidae): exploring host plant family shifts and allopatry as drivers of speciation.

Background: Host association patterns in Ectoedemia (Lepidoptera: Nepticulidae) are also encountered in other insect groups with intimate plant relationships, including a high degree of monophagy, a preference for ecologically dominant plant families (e.g. Fagaceae, Rosaceae, Salicaceae, and Betulaceae) and a tendency for related insect species to feed on related host plant species.

Revision of agents of black-grain eumycetoma in the order Pleosporales.

Eumycetoma is a chronic fungal infection characterised by large subcutaneous masses and the presence of sinuses discharging coloured grains. The causative agents of black-grain eumycetoma mostly belong to the orders Sordariales and Pleosporales. The aim of the present study was to clarify the phylogeny and taxonomy of pleosporalean agents, viz.

Speech-like rhythm in a voiced and voiceless orangutan call.

The evolutionary origins of speech remain obscure. Recently, it was proposed that speech derived from monkey facial signals which exhibit a speech-like rhythm of ∼5 open-close lip cycles per second. In monkeys, these signals may also be vocalized, offering a plausible evolutionary stepping stone towards speech.

Effect of repeated exposures and sociality on novel food acceptance and consumption by orangutans.

Hundreds of rehabilitant great apes have been released into the wild, and thousands await release. However, survival rates after release can be as low as 20%. Several factors influence individuals' survival rates, one of which is the capacity to obtain an adequate diet once released.

Coexistence of habitat specialists and generalists in metapopulation models of multiple-habitat landscapes.

In coarse-grained environments specialists are generally predicted to dominate. Empirically, however, coexistence with generalists is often observed. We present a simple, but previously unrecognized, mechanism for coexistence of a habitat generalist and a number of habitat specialist species.

Impact of humans on long-distance communication behaviour of eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) in the Northern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

We systematically recorded all long-distance chimpanzee vocalizations and tree drums over a 26-month study period in 13 forest regions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We found that the frequency of chimpanzee vocalizations and tree drums was considerably higher in the remote Gangu Forest than in other forest regions closer to human settlements and roads. We present evidence indicating that chimpanzees may reduce their levels of vocalizations in areas characterized by high levels of human hunting.

Reactions of Bili-Uele chimpanzees to humans in relation to their distance from roads and villages.

In order to assess the impact of human activities on chimpanzee behavior, we compared reactions to humans of Eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) living in proximity to and at a distance from roads and settlements in the Bili-Uele landscape in Northern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). We found that chimpanzees in the remote Gangu Forest were more likely to show curious or neutral reactions to us and were less likely to flee than those living closer to roads. In addition, arboreal contact durations with Gangu chimpanzees lasted significantly longer than elsewhere.

Elucidation of distribution patterns and possible infection routes of the neurotropic black yeast Exophiala dermatitidis using AFLP.

Distribution of populations of the opportunistic black yeast Exophiala dermatitidis was studied using AFLP. This fungus has been hypothesized to have a natural habitat in association with frugivorous birds and bats in the tropical rain forest, and to emerge in the human-dominated environment, where it occasionally causes human pulmonary or fatal disseminated and neurotropic disease. The hypothesis of its natural niche was investigated by comparing a set of 178 strains from natural and human-dominated environments in Thailand with a worldwide selection of 107 strains from the reference collection of the CBS Fungal Biodiversity Centre, comprising 75.