Book review : The history of the Central Asian republics

Review of Peter L. Roudik, The History of the Central Asian Republics. The Greenwood Histories of the Modern Nations. London & Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2007, xixþ212 pp., £25.95 h/b.

Mitochondrial DNA offers unique insights into invasion history of the common starling

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) can be a powerful genetic marker for tracing origins and history of invasive populations. Here, we use mtDNA to address questions relevant to the understanding of invasion pathways of common starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) into Western Australia (WA) and discuss the utility of this marker to provide information useful to invasive species management. Mitochondrial sequence data indicate two geographically restricted genetic groups within Australia. Evidence of dispersal from genetically distinct sources outside the sampled range of starlings in Australia suggests increased vigilance by management agencies may be required to prevent further incursions from widely separated localities. Overall, genetic diversity in Australia was lower than in samples from the native range. Within Australia, genetic diversity was lowest in the most recently colonized area in the west, indicating that demographic bottlenecks have occurred in this area. Evidence of restricted dispersal between localities on the edge of the range expansion (ERE) in WA and other Australian sampling localities suggests that localized control within the ERE may be effective in preventing further range expansion. Signatures of spatial and demographic expansion are present in mismatch analyses from sampling localities located at the ERE, but neutrality indices did not support this finding, suggesting that the former may be more sensitive to recent expansion. Additionally, mismatch analyses support the presence of admixture, which is likely to have occurred pre-introduction. We compare our findings with those from a microsatellite study of the same samples and discuss how the mtDNA analyses used here offer valuable and unique insights into the invasion history of introduced species.

A history of the lie of innocence: sons who become orphans

This thesis deals with a history of the lie of innocence, its inception in biblical representation and its development in literary representations from the eighteenth century to contemporary times. The aim is to disclose the way the lie functioned across time both in Christian societies and in the secular ones in their wake.

The dark ride : The history of the thematic ride as a unique model for new media and cinematic installation

This research examines the translation of the visual language of cinema into a spatial experience. An investigation into early moving images reveals the role that amusement parks played in exploring narratives using architectural spaces. The exegesis will address the history of entertainments, in particular the ‘dark ride’, which have an emphasis on narrative over and above effect.

Extensive field research was undertaken including historical sites across the east coast of the US, in search of new approaches to new media. Over twenty key popular entertainments were experienced first-hand, from Coney Island’s legendary ‘Spookarama’, to the earliest dark ride in operation, ‘The Old Mill’ at Kennywood in Pittsburgh.

Migration exhibitions and the question of identity: reflections on the history of the representation of migration in Australian museums, 1986-2011

Museums and Migration explores the ways in which museum spaces - local, regional, national - have engaged with the history of migration, including internal migration, emigration and immigration.

The history of the introduction of the giant river prawn, Macrobrachium cf. rosenbergii (Decapoda, Palaemonidae), in Brazil: new insights from molecular data

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Phylogeography and Pleistocene demographic history of the endangered marsh deer (Blastocerus dichotomus) from the Rio de la Plata Basin

The marsh deer is the largest neotropical cervid with morphological and ecological adaptations to wetlands and riparian habitats. Historically, this now endangered species occupied habitats along the major river basins in South America, ranging from southern Amazonia into northern Argentina to the Parana river delta. This particularly close association with wetlands makes marsh deer an excellent species for studying the effects of Pleistocene climatic changes on their demographic and phylogeographic patterns. We examined mitochondrial DNA variation in 127 marsh deer from 4 areas distributed throughout the Rio de]a Plata basin. We found 17 haplotypes in marsh deer from Brazil, Bolivia and Argentina that differed by 1-8 substitutions in a 601 bp fragment of mitochondrial control region sequence, and 486 bp of cytochrome b revealed only 3 variable sites that defined 4 haplotypes. Phylogeny and distribution of control region haplotypes suggest that populations close to the Pantanal area in central Brazil underwent a rapid population expansion and that this occurred approximately 28,000-25,000 years BP. Paleoclimatic data from this period suggests that there was a dramatic increase for precipitation in the medium latitudes in South America and these conditions may have fostered marsh deer's population growth.

Evolutionary and biogeographic history of the subfamily Neoplecostominae (Siluriformes: Loricariidae)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Natural history of the South American water snake Helicops leopardinus (Colubridae : Hydropsini) in the pantanal, Central Brazil

The South American water snake Helicops leopardinus is very abundant in the Pantanal wetlands of Central Brazil. We studied the biology of this species based on specimens collected by local workers in the Paraguay River. Females attained greater body lengths and had larger heads than males, but the latter had longer tails. Helicops leopardinus fed on a wide variety of fishes (70% of the total prey items) and frogs, with fishes of the order Gymnotiformes (33.34%) and frogs of the family Hylidae (23.34%) representing the most common prey items. There was relatively lows diet overlap between the sexes and between juveniles and adults. Mean litter size was 6.6 and ranged from 4-11. The reproductive cycle was seasonal, with birth occurring late in the wet season (simultaneous with the flooding of the Paraguay River), facilitating dispersal of young snakes by floating vegetation. Floating vegetation may be a critical habitat for H. leopardinus, and management plans for their maintenance need to be developed.