Ancient DNA of the extinct Lava shearwater (Puffinus olsoni) from the Canary Islands reveals incipient differentiation within the P. puffinus complex

The loss of species during the Holocene was, dramatically more important on islands than on continents. Seabirds from islands are very vulnerable to human-induced alterations such as habitat destruction, hunting and exotic predators. For example, in the genus Puffinus (family Procellariidae) the extinction of at least five species has been recorded during the Holocene, two of them coming from the Canary Islands.

Ancient DNA analysis of 8000 B.C. near eastern farmers supports an early neolithic pioneer maritime colonization of Mainland Europe through Cyprus and the Aegean Islands

The genetic impact associated to the Neolithic spread in Europe has been widely debated over the last 20 years. Within this context, ancient DNA studies have provided a more reliable picture by directly analyzing the protagonist populations at different regions in Europe. However, the lack of available data from the original Near Eastern farmers has limited the achieved conclusions, preventing the formulation of continental models of Neolithic expansion. Here we address this issue by presenting mitochondrial DNA data of the original Near-Eastern Neolithic communities with the aim of providing the adequate background for the interpretation of Neolithic genetic data from European samples. Sixty-three skeletons from the Pre Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) sites of Tell Halula, Tell Ramad and Dja'de El Mughara dating between 8,700-6,600 cal. B.C. were analyzed, and 15 validated mitochondrial DNA profiles were recovered. In order to estimate the demographic contribution of the first farmers to both Central European and Western Mediterranean Neolithic cultures, haplotype and haplogroup diversities in the PPNB sample were compared using phylogeographic and population genetic analyses to available ancient DNA data from human remains belonging to the Linearbandkeramik-Alföldi Vonaldiszes Kerámia and Cardial/Epicardial cultures. We also searched for possible signatures of the original Neolithic expansion over the modern Near Eastern and South European genetic pools, and tried to infer possible routes of expansion by comparing the obtained results to a database of 60 modern populations from both regions. Comparisons performed among the 3 ancient datasets allowed us to identify K and N-derived mitochondrial DNA haplogroups as potential markers of the Neolithic expansion, whose genetic signature would have reached both the Iberian coasts and the Central European plain. Moreover, the observed genetic affinities between the PPNB samples and the modern populations of Cyprus and Crete seem to suggest that the Neolithic was first introduced into Europe through pioneer seafaring colonization.

Populations of breeding birds in Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands

Data about breeding populations of birds in the Antarctica are rare and fragmented. Thus, information about the status of the breeding populations of Antarctic birds is crucial given the current scenario of climate change, which is particularly acute in Antarctica. This paper presents new information about the populations of the Antarctic tern Sterna vittata, the kelp gull Larus dominicanus, the southern giant petrel Macronectes giganteus, the Antarctic skua Catharacta antarctica lonnbergi, the chinstrap penguin Pygoscelis antarctica and the gentoo penguin Pygoscelis papua on Byers Peninsula (Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands). We used line transects counts to estimate both densities and numbers of nests of the different species. We estimate that there are 398.96 birds km-2 of southern giant petrels (2793 individuals), 62.4 birds km-2 of Antarctic tern (3746 individuals) and 269.1 birds km-2 of kelp gull (1884 individuals). Furthermore, we found 15 nests of Antarctic skua in 25 km2, from which we can estimate that 6091 birds must breed on Byers Peninsula. We also censused two colonies of gentoo penguins (3000 and 1200 pairs) and 50 pairs of chinstrap. Compared to previous estimates, gentoo penguins seem to have increased whereas chinstrap penguin have decreased. Finally, the populations of Antarctic tern, southern giant petrel and kelp gull have stabilized or slightly increased.

Chemical characterization of tin-lead glazed pottery from the Iberian Peninsula and the Canary Islands: initial steps toward a better understanding of Spanish Colonial pottery in Americas

Majolica pottery was the most characteristic tableware produced in Europe during the Medieval and Renaissance periods. Because of the prestige and importance attributed to this ware, Spanish majolica was imported in vast quantities into the Americas during the Spanish Colonial period. A study of Spanish majolica was conducted on a set of 186 samples from the 10 primary majolica production centres on the Iberian Peninsula and 22 sherds from two early colonial archaeological sites on the Canary Islands. The samples were analysed by neutron activation analysis (NAA), and the resulting data were interpreted using an array of multivariate statistical approaches. Our results show a clear discrimination between different production centres, allowing a reliable provenance attribution of the sherds from the Canary Islands.

Spiders on a Hot Volcanic Roof: Colonisation Pathways and Phylogeography of the Canary Islands Endemic Trap-Door Spider Titanidiops canariensis (Araneae, Idiopidae)

Studies conducted on volcanic islands have greatly contributed to our current understanding of how organisms diversify. The Canary Islands archipelago, located northwest of the coast of northern Africa, harbours a large number of endemic taxa. Because of their low vagility, mygalomorph spiders are usually absent from oceanic islands. The spider Titanidiops canariensis, which inhabits the easternmost islands of the archipelago, constitutes an exception to this rule. Here, we use a multi-locus approach that combines three mitochondrial and four nuclear genes to investigate the origins and phylogeography of this remarkable trap-door spider. We provide a timeframe for the colonisation of the Canary Islands using two alternative approaches: concatenation and species tree inference in a Bayesian relaxed clock framework. Additionally, we investigate the existence of cryptic species on the islands by means of a Bayesian multi-locus species delimitation method. Our results indicate that T. canariensis colonised the Canary Islands once, most likely during the Miocene, although discrepancies between the timeframes from different approaches make the exact timing uncertain. A complex evolutionary history for the species in the archipelago is revealed, which involves two independent colonisations of Fuerteventura from the ancestral range of T. canariensis in northern Lanzarote and a possible back colonisation of southern Lanzarote. The data further corroborate a previously proposed volcanic refugium, highlighting the impact of the dynamic volcanic history of the island on the phylogeographic patterns of the endemic taxa. T. canariensis includes at least two different species, one inhabiting the Jandia peninsula and central Fuerteventura and one spanning from central Fuerteventura to Lanzarote. Our data suggest that the extant northern African Titanidiops lineages may have expanded to the region after the islands were colonised and, hence, are not the source of colonisation. In addition, T. maroccanus may harbour several cryptic species.

Deep-water macroalgal-dominated coastal detritic assemblages on the continental shelf off Mallorca and Menorca (Balearic Islands, Western Mediterranean)

We present a quantitative physiognomic characterization of major macroalgal-dominated assemblages on coastal detritic bottoms of the continental shelf off Mallorca and Menorca (Balearic Islands, Western Mediterranean). In late spring of 2007 and 2008, 29 samples were collected by bottom trawling at depths between -52 and -93 m. These samples were then sorted and identified to their lowest taxonomic level. Statistical analyses distinguished six different assemblage types: shallower water environments (-52 to -65 m in depth) were characterized by Osmundaria volubilis and Phyllophora crispa meadows and two types of Peyssonnelia beds; two assemblage types, Laminaria rodriguezii beds and maërl beds, were only present in deep-water environments (-77 to -81 m); and an assemblage dominated by P. crispa and Halopteris filicina was found in both shallow and deep waters (-57 to -93 m). We assess the distribution of these six assemblage types through the studied area.

Autonomy and islands: a global study of the factors that determine island autonomy

Att ett geografiskt territorium uppnår autonomi förklaras ofta av skillnad I etnicitet, språk eller religion. En region som skiljer sig i någon av dessa kulturella aspekter från övriga regioner i ett land anses därför ha större sannolikhet att utveckla autonomi. Pär M. Olausson visar i sin avhandling att kulturella aspekter inte är den viktigaste förklaringen till att vissa öar utvecklar autonomi. Kulturella aspekter är bara en del i förklaringen till varför vissa öar utvecklar autonomi medan andra förblir en integrerad del av moderlandet. Kulturella aspekter måste kombineras med andra aspekter för att utgöra en tillräcklig förklaring till skillnaden i autonomi. Bland de autonoma regionerna i världen idag utgör öar en klar majoritet. Öar anses ofta ha speciella egenskaper som gör att de skiljer sig från fastlandet. Känslan av samhörighet och gemenskap är ofta starkare på öar pga deras ofta isolerade läge vilket i sin tur anses förklara varför många öar utvecklar autonomi. Genom att studera både autonoma och icke-autonoma öar visar Olausson att autonomi kan förklaras av att ön ligger längre än 1 000 km från fastlandet eller att den skiljer sig från fastlandet i någon av de kulturella aspekterna, att den har varit ockuperad av främmande stat och därmed avskiljd från övriga landet eller utgjort en egen stat. Den viktigaste förklaringen till varför vissa öar utvecklar autonomi men inte andra är emellertid öns strategiska betydelse.

Experiência educativa com grupos de atenção à criança em Mariana-MG

INTRODUÇÃO: A educação em saúde é o foco da experiência relatada neste trabalho que foi desenvolvido como uma das atividades de um grupo do Programa de Educação pelo Trabalho para a Saúde (PET Saúde) da Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto (UFOP) em parceria com a Secretaria Municipal de Saúde de Mariana, no âmbito do Programa de Atenção à Criança do município. OBJETIVOS: Melhorar a interatividade entre profissionais e população por meio de estratégias participativas e lúdicas envolvendo grupos de mães. MÉTODOS: Realização de dinâmicas educativas e avaliativas com os responsáveis pelas crianças e de atividades lúdicas para entretenimento das crianças que são assistidas pelo Programa, ambas pautadas na metodologia da educação popular. RESULTADOS: Os profissionais envolvidos se mostraram receptivos ao uso de novas metodologias educativas no trabalho com aqueles grupos operativos. Os participantes demonstraram interesse e interação nos encontros. As crianças se mostraram satisfeitas em ter um passatempo enquanto aguardavam a avaliação nutricional. O processo proporcionou reflexão crítica e construção de conhecimento entre os monitores e professores. CONCLUSÃO: A aproximação entre profissionais de saúde e população, historicamente pautada pela dicotomia entre o saber técnico e o saber popular, é beneficiada por ações que permitem a criação de espaços de diálogo, como os que foram desenvolvidos no grupo com o suporte da metodologia da educação popular.

Fatores edáficos e as variações florísticas de um trecho de Mata Ciliar do Rio Gualaxo do Norte, Mariana, MG

Este trabalho teve como objetivo verificar a correlação entre a distribuição de espécies arbóreas ciliares do rio Gualaxo do Norte (S20°16'31,9" W43°26'15,3" e S20°16'30,6" W43°26'07,3") com fatores edáficos, assim como se existem espécies de ocorrência restrita à área de depleção ciliar que possam ser indicadas para recuperação de matas ciliares. As parcelas foram alocadas em 1 ha dividido em três blocos com declividades distintas. Todos os indivíduos com circunferência do tronco a 1,30 m do solo igual ou superior a 15 cm foram registrados e identificados. Foram coletadas cinco amostras simples de solo em cada parcela para análises químicas de fertilidade. A ordenação dos dados de solo e vegetação foi realizada pela análise de correspondência canônica (CCA), que indicou que variações na fertilidade, na acidez do solo e na altitude estavam influenciando a distribuição da vegetação arbórea ao longo do gradiente topográfico. Albizia hassleri, Bathysa meridionalis, Cariniana estrelensis, Casearia gossypiosperma, Casearia sp., Cecropia hololeuca, Himatanthus lancifolius, Luehea grandiflora, Picramnia sp., Platypodium elegans, Pseudopiptadenia contorta, Tibouchina candoleana e Virola oleifera são espécies adaptadas a condições edáficas com elevada acidez e fertilidade muito baixa, apresentando potencial para utilização em projetos de recuperação de áreas degradadas, principalmente de encostas e topo de morros. Já Casearia sylvestris, Dalbergia villosa, Dendropanax cuneatus, Machaerium aculeatum, Machaerium stiptatum, Ocotea odorifera, Ocotea pulchella, Rollinea longifolia, Schinus terebinthifolius, Tibouchina granulosa, Vernonia piptocarphoides e Vismia sp. estavam correlacionadas com solos menos ácidos, mais férteis e mais próximos ao rio, apresentando potencial para a restauração florestal em áreas ciliares.

Ambivalent self-understanding? : change, language and boundaries in the Shetland Islands (1970–present)

Avhandlingen berör språkets roll på Shetlandsöarna från år 1970 till idag och shetländarnas självbild som shetländare och skottar. Öarna, som ligger i Storbritanniens nordligaste del, beskrivs ofta som kulturellt annorlunda och unika. Även om shetländarna uppfattar sig själva som annorlunda, har utomstående betraktare tidvis tonat ner, tidvis betonat öarnas kulturella särdrag. Shetlandsöarna utgör ett intressant undersökningsobjekt, eftersom shetländarnas uppfattningar om sig själva som en särskild grupp har genomgått en förändring under de fyra senaste årtiondena. Den ekonomiska högkonjunktur som var en konsekvens av oljefynden i Nordsjön och 1990-talets politiska förändringar på öarna och i Skottland har båda påverkat de sätt på vilka Shetland beskrivs och förstås. I den förändrade samhällssituationen tvingades shetländarna omvärdera sin relation till det skotska fastlandet. Man var också tvungen att hitta nya svar på frågan vilka shetländarna är och på vilka sätt man borde värna om den verkliga eller föreställda kulturella autonomin. Avhandlingens syfte var att undersöka och analysera de sätt på vilka de samhälleliga förändringarna har påverkat shetländarnas självförståelse, särskilt de uppfattningar som är kopplade till språket. Undersökningen visar att många av dagens uppfattningar om en kulturell särart kan spåras till slutet av 1800-talet och tiden efter andra världskriget. Som avhandlingen visar har språkhistorien spelat en viktig roll i den process i vilken shetländarna har särskilt sig som en separat grupp. Språkets betydelse kan förstås korrekt endast om man i stället för att betrakta shetländarna som en etnisk grupp betraktar Shetlandsöarna som en relativt sett autonom beslutför region. I detta fall fungerar dialekten som en symbol för regional samhörighet.

Using aster multispectral imagery for mapping woody invasive species in pico da vara natural reserve (Azores Islands, Portugal)

This paper aims to assess the effectiveness of ASTER imagery to support the mapping of Pittosporum undulatum, an invasive woody species, in Pico da Vara Natural Reserve (S. Miguel Island, Archipelago of the Azores, Portugal). This assessment was done by applying K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN), Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Maximum Likelihood (MLC) pixel-based supervised classifications to 4 different geographic and remote sensing datasets constituted by the Visible, Near-Infrared (VNIR) and Short Wave Infrared (SWIR) of the ASTER sensor and by digital cartography associated to orography (altitude and "distance to water streams") of which the spatial distribution of Pittosporum undulatum directly depends. Overall, most performed classifications showed a strong agreement and high accuracy. At targeted species level, the two higher classification accuracies were obtained when applying MLC and KNN to the VNIR bands coupled with auxiliary geographic information use. Results improved significantly by including ecology and occurrence information of species (altitude and distance to water streams) in the classification scheme. These results show that the use of ASTER sensor VNIR spectral bands, when coupled to relevant ancillary GIS data, can constitute an effective and low cost approach for the evaluation and continuous assessment of Pittosporum undulatum woodland propagation and distribution within Protected Areas of the Azores Islands.

Patterns of parasitism by Amblyomma rotundatum (Ixodidae) on Rhinella schneideri (Bufonidae) in islands of São Francisco River, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract: We sampled ticks from specimens of the rococo toad Rhinella schneideriby flannel dragging on two Islands located in the São Francisco River near the Três Marias hydroelectric dam, southeastern Brazil. A total of 120 toads was examined, of which 63 (52.5%) were parasitized only by Amblyomma rotundatumtotaling 96 larvae, 163 nymphs and 134 females. The burden of parasitism ranged from one to 43 ticks, with a mean intensity of infestation of 6.2±5.5 ticks per host. The tick A. rotundatumexhibited highly aggregated distribution. Peak abundance of larvae and nymphs occurred in the dry season (May to September), whereas peak abundance of females occurred in the wet season (October to April). We collected most ticks near the head and hind limbs of R. schneideri. The finding of two engorged A. rotundatumnymphs in the same resting places of two toads and the absence of this species in the dragged areas suggest a nidicolous behavior at the studied site.

A map of Marco Polo's voyages & travels in the 13th century through a great part of Asia, all Tartary, the East India islands & part of Africa

Nimeketiedot nimiönkehyksissä

Islands in the Southern Indian Ocean

Kartta kuuluu A. E. Nordenskiöldin kokoelmaan

The South Shetland and South Orkney Islands with the tracks of the several discoverers 1819 to 1843

Kartta kuuluu A. E. Nordenskiöldin kokoelmaan