http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/ The University of Queensland en Fez http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:74208 A new acantha species-group is erected in the genus Euhesma Michener. Three new species are described: E. acantha, E. loorea, and E. collaris. Scanning electron micrographs and line drawings illustrate the species-group and a key to females enables the separation of species. Known distributions are mapped. 2007-08-15T00:00:00Z Exley, E. M. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:69389 The ischnacanthid acanthodian Grenfellacanthus zerinae gen. et sp. nov. is described on the basis of two large jaw bones from the Late Devonian (late Famennian) Hunter Formation, near Grenfell, N.S.W. The new species is the youngest known ischnacanthid, and the largest ischnacanthid from Gondwana. As for many ischnacanthids, the structure of the jaws and teeth indicate that Grenfellacanthus was probably an ambush predator. 2007-08-15T00:00:00Z Long, J. A. og Burrow, C. J. og Ritchie, A. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:100112 2007-08-23T00:00:00Z Zalucki, M. P. og Cunningham, J.P. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:9957 Despite the potential importance of movement patterns to crocodilian life histories; movement, home range behavior and dispersal have received careful examination only in Alligator mississippiensis (Hutton 1989). Data for other species of crocodilian are deficient and stem mostly from mark-recapture studies, which have provided baseline information on many species (e.g., Gorzula 1978; Walsh and Whitehead 1993; Webb and Messel 1978; Tucker et al. 1997). However, telemetry is more suitable for clarifying theories about patterns of movement and advancing our understanding of dynamic activity budgets and seasonal patterns of habitat use by different life-history stages (Tucker et al. 1997). Radio-telemetry has been used successfully to track A. mississippiensis (e.g. Joanen and McNease 1970, 1972; McNease and Joanen 1974; Goodwin and Marion 1979; Rootes and Chabreck 1993), Crocodylus acutus (Rodda 1984a), Crocodylus niloticus (Hutton 1989; Hocutt et al. 1992), Crocodylus intermedius (Munoz and Thorbjarnarson 2000), Paleosuchus trigonatus (Magnusson and Lima 1991), and Melanosuchus niger (Martin and da Silva 1998). Attachment configurations for radio tags have included neck collars (e.g. ,Joanen and McNease 1970), tethering (Rodda 1984a; Rodda 1984b; Martin and da Silva 1998; Munoz and Thorbjarnarson 2000), ingestion (Magnusson and Lima 1991), and surgical implantation (Magnusson and Lima 1991; Hocutt et al. 1992). The most successful methods in terms of longevity have been neck collars (Taylor 1984) and surgical implantation (Hocutt et al. 1992), which have enabled animals to be radio located for periods in excess of 3 and 2 years, respectively. This paper describes a new method used for attaching VHF radio tags to Crocodylus porosus that could easily be modified to attach other electronic devices such as satellite tags, GPS data loggers or time-depth recorders. 2005-01-27T00:00:00Z Kay, Winston R. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:79355 Although the aim of conservation planning is the persistence of biodiversity, current methods trade-off ecological realism at a species level in favour of including multiple species and landscape features. For conservation planning to be relevant, the impact of landscape configuration on population processes and the viability of species needs to be considered. We present a novel method for selecting reserve systems that maximize persistence across multiple species, subject to a conservation budget. We use a spatially explicit metapopulation model to estimate extinction risk, a function of the ecology of the species and the amount, quality and configuration of habitat. We compare our new method with more traditional, area-based reserve selection methods, using a ten-species case study, and find that the expected loss of species is reduced 20-fold. Unlike previous methods, we avoid designating arbitrary weightings between reserve size and configuration; rather, our method is based on population processes and is grounded in ecological theory. 2007-08-15T00:00:00Z Nicholson, Emily og Westphal, Michael I. og Frank, Karin og Rochester, Wayne A. og Pressey, Robert L. og Lindenmayer, David B. og Possingham, Hugh P. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:65436 Previously, two species of Myrmozercon (= Myrmonyssus) have been described from ground-nesting Australian ants in the genus Iridiomyrmex. Herein a new species, Myrmozercon iainkayi, infesting workers and alate adults of a leaf-nesting species of Polyrachis ant is described. The new species has a number of unusual or unique characters, including coxal hypertrichy (6-6-6-4 for legs I-IV, respectively), and based on the structure of its mouthparts, appears to be a haemolymph-feeding parasite. 2007-08-15T00:00:00Z Walter, D. E. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:155059 2008-09-12T00:00:00Z Faggotter, S. J. og Salisbury, S. W. og Yabumoto, Y. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:151456 2008-06-19T00:00:00Z Faggotter, S. J. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:65918 2007-08-15T00:00:00Z Popple, L. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:69942 Glaphyromorphus clandestinus, sp. nov., is described from granite-slab habitat on Mt Elliot, north-eastern Queensland. This species can be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of the following characters: large size (SVL 72 mm), adpressed limbs of adult separated by noticeably more than the length of the forelimb, 26 mid-body scale rows, and flanks patterned with dark flecks forming a series of longitudinal lines. The distribution, habitat preferences and habits of this species are poorly known. Currently G. clandestinus is known from a single locality where individuals have been found in an exposed area of exfoliating granite, set in a mosaic of rainforest and eucalyptus woodland. The discovery of this species brings to three the number of vertebrate species known to be endemic to Mt Elliot and highlights the evolutionary significance of this southerly outlier to the mountainous rainforest of the Wet Tropics. 2007-08-15T00:00:00Z Hoskin, C. J. og Couper, P. J. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:187721 2009-11-24T00:00:00Z Ferreira, M.L. og Smit, N.J. og Grutter, A.S. og Davies, A.J. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:289507 2013-01-20T00:11:56Z Malysheva, S. V. og Cribb, T. H. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:77714 2007-08-15T00:00:00Z Holt, Timothy R. og Salisbury, Steven W. og Willis, Paul M. A. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:242862 2011-06-23T00:00:00Z Cribb, T.H. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:64476 Phyllurus gulbaru, sp. nov., is a highly distinct species of leaf-tailed gecko restricted to rocky rainforest of Pattersons Gorge, north-west of Townsville. The possession of a cylindrical, non-depressed, tapering original and regenerated tail separates P. gulbaru from all congeners except P. caudiannulatus. From this species P. gulbaru is separated by having a partially divided, as opposed to fully divided, rostral scale. Furthermore, the very small spinose body tubercles of P. gulbaru are in marked contrast to the large spinose body scales of P. caudiannulatus. An analysis of 729 bp of mitochondrial 12S rRNA and cytochrome b genes reveals P. gulbaru to be a deeply divergent lineage with closer affinities to mid-east Queensland congeners than the geographically neighbouring P. amnicola on Mt Elliot. In conservation terms, P. gulbaru is clearly at risk. Field surveys of Pattersons Gorge and the adjacent ranges indicate that this species is restricted to a very small area of highly fragmented habitat, of which only a small proportion receives a degree of protection in State forest. Further, there is ongoing, unchecked destruction of dry rainforest habitat by fire. Under current IUCN criteria, P. gulbaru warrants an Endangered ( B1, 2) listing. 2007-08-14T00:00:00Z Hoskin, C. J. og Couper, P. J. og Schneider, C. J. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:180852 A new species of the North American genus Pseudatrichia Osten Sacken is described. Pseudatrichia bezarki sp. nov. is described based on a male and female reared from wood-boring beetle galleries in Pinus sp. from Arizona (United States). 2009-09-03T00:00:00Z Winterton, S.L. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:266046 2012-01-25T00:00:00Z Daniels, Greg http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:165949 A new species of an atoposaurid crocodilian, Theriosuchus guimarotae, is described from the Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian) of Portugal. Theriosuchus guimarotae can be distinguished from other species of Theriosuchus by a lateral surface of squamosal bevelled ventrally; a rounded, caudally projecting and dorsally sculptured caudolateral corner of the squamosal; a premaxillomaxillary suture aligned caudomedially in dorsal aspect; a minimum space between the supratemporal foramina that comprises one third of the total width of the cranial table; a minimum width of the frontal between the orbits that comprises one third of the maximum width of the skull at the orbits; a dentition that comprises only pseudocaniniform and lanceolate-shaped teeth; the presence of an external mandibular fenestra and all vertebral bodies amphicoelous. Its osteology also sheds light on the diagnosis of Theriosuchus within Atoposauridae. The material additionally includes specimens representative of several ontogenetic stages, each of which is discussed here. With its Late Jurassic age, T. guimarotae represents the oldest well-preserved material of Theriosuchus and reveals further knowledge about the palaeobiogeography of the genus in western Europe. © 2005 Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved. 2009-03-04T00:00:00Z Schwarz, Daniela og Salisbury, Steven W. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:223049 A new subgenus, Arachnocampa (Lucifera) subgen. nov., is described to include the Tasmanian species, Arachnocampa tasmaniensis Ferguson and the Mount Buffalo glow-worm, Arachnocampa buffaloensis sp. nov. The new subgenus is separated from the subgenera Arachnocampa (Arachnocampa) and Arachnocampa (Campara) by differences in wing venation. The subgenus Arachnocampa now includes only the New Zealand species A. luminosa (Skuse) which differs from species of Lucifera and Campara by its unusual method of vertical pupal suspension. The Australian species A. tasmaniensis, A. flava Harrison and A. richardsae Harrison are redescribed. Five new species are described: A. buffaloensis sp. nov. (Victoria) within the subgenus Lucifera; and A. tropica sp. nov. (north Queensland), A. gippslandensis sp. nov. (eastern Victoria), A. otwayensis sp. nov. (western Victoria) and A. girraweenensis sp. nov. (southeast Queensland/northern New South Wales) within the subgenus Campara. 2010-11-30T00:00:00Z Baker, Claire H. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:290421 Delias mysis smithersi subsp. n. is described from Karumba and Kowanyama, southeastern Gulf of Carpentaria, Queensland. 2013-02-02T10:41:22Z Daniels, G. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:166226 2009-03-05T12:34:48Z Salisbury, S. W. og Molnar, R. E. og Lamanna, M. C. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:260659 2011-11-06T00:00:00Z Barr, Lissa M. og Pressey, Robert L. og Fuller, Richard A. og Segan, Daniel B. og McDonald-Madden, Eve og Possingham, Hugh P. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:164768 Eucalyptus melanophloia and E. populnea dominate large areas of savanna in eastern Australia. Under aboriginal management, fires probably occurred under a broad range of conditions, but under pastoral management, burning is avoided when soil moisture is low. This experiment subjected E. melanophloia and E. populnea seedlings to burning and moisture stress, to examine whether this change in burning regime could affect seedling survivorship. The findings suggest survivorship rates are 87–93% for unstressed seedlings with relatively large lignotubers (>12 mm2 plan area) and 56–66% for unstressed seedlings with small lignotubers. There was no substantial interactive effect between moisture stress and burning for E. melanophloia, but such an interaction was apparent for E. populnea, such that moisture stress multiplied the effect of burning. The timing of burning in relation to soil-moisture conditions may have an enduring effect on woodland structure where E. populnea is dominant. E. melanophloia seedlings are more resistant to burning, especially with moisture stress, and fire may not be limiting structural development in woodlands where this species dominates. However, a more detailed understanding of species demography is required, including the conditions required for germination, causes of seedling mortality and the time taken for seedlings to develop fire resistance in the field. 2009-02-18T00:00:00Z Fensham, R. J. og Fairfax, R. J. og Buckley, Y. M. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:181491 2009-09-03T00:00:00Z Frentiu, Francesca D. og Adamski, Marcin og McGraw, Elizabeth A. og Blows, Mark W. og Chenoweth, Stephen F. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:79549 Ornithologists, and especially northern hemisphere ornithologists, have traditionally thought of migration as an annual return movement of populations between regular breeding and non-breeding grounds. Problems arise because selection does not ordinarily act on populations and because organisms of many taxa (including birds) are clearly migrants, but fail to undertake movements of the kind described. There are also extensive return movements that are not migratory. I propose that it is more useful to think of migration as a syndrome of behavioral and other traits that function together within individuals, and that such a syndrome provides a common ground across taxa from aphids to albatrosses. Large-scale return movements of populations are one outcome of the syndrome. Similar behavioral and physiological traits serve both to define migration and to provide a test for it. I use two insect (Hemipteran) examples to illustrate migratory syndromes and to demonstrate that, in many migrants, behavior and physiology correlate with life history and morphological traits to form syndromes at two levels. I then compare the two Hemipterans with migration in birds, butterflies, and fish to assess the question of whether there are migratory syndromes in common between these diverse migrants. Syndromes are more similar at the level of behavior than when morphology and life history traits are included. Recognizing syndromes leads to important evolutionary questions concerning migration strategies, trade-offs, the maintenance of genetic variance and the responses of migratory syndromes to both similar and different selective regimes. 2007-08-15T00:00:00Z Dingle, H http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:160990 Mimicry in vertebrates is usually a permanent state — mimics resemble and normally accompany their model throughout the life stages during which they act as mimics. Here we show that the bluestriped fangblenny fish (Plagiotremus rhinorhynchos), which aggressively attacks other coral-reef fish, can turn off the mimetic colours that disguise it as the benign bluestreak cleaner wrasse, Labroides dimidiatus, and assume a radically different appearance. This opportunistic facultative mimicry extends the fangblenny's scope by allowing it to blend into shoals of small reef fish as well as to remain inconspicuous at cleaning stations 2009-01-16T00:00:00Z Côté, Isabella M. og Cheney, Karen L. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:79550 2007-08-15T00:00:00Z Eyles, D http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:75555 Animal color pattern phenotypes evolve rapidly. What influences their evolution? Because color patterns are used in communication, selection for signal efficacy, relative to the intended receiver's visual system, may explain and predict the direction of evolution. We investigated this in bowerbirds, whose color patterns consist of plumage, bower structure, and ornaments and whose visual displays are presented under predictable visual conditions. We used data on avian vision, environmental conditions, color pattern properties, and an estimate of the bowerbird phylogeny to test hypotheses about evolutionary effects of visual processing. Different components of the color pattern evolve differently. Plumage sexual dimorphism increased and then decreased, while overall (plumage plus bower) visual contrast increased. The use of bowers allows relative crypsis of the bird but increased efficacy of the signal as a whole. Ornaments do not elaborate existing plumage features but instead are innovations (new color schemes) that increase signal efficacy. Isolation between species could be facilitated by plumage but not ornaments, because we observed character displacement only in plumage. Bowerbird color pattern evolution is at least partially predictable from the function of the visual system and from knowledge of different functions of different components of the color patterns. This provides clues to how more constrained visual signaling systems may evolve. 2007-08-15T00:00:00Z Endler, J. A. og Westcott, D. A. og Madden, J. R. og Robson, T. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:283654 The effects of body mass and temperature on metabolic rate (MR) are among the most widely examined physiological relationships. Recently, these relationships have been incorporated into the metabolic theory of ecology (MTE) that links the ecology of populations, communities and ecosystems to the MR of individual organisms. The fundamental equation of MTE derives the relation between mass and MR using first principles and predicts the temperature dependence of MR based on biochemical kinetics. It is a deliberately simple, zeroth-order approximation that represents a baseline against which variation in real biological systems can be examined. In the present study, we evaluate the fundamental equation of MTE against other more parameter-rich models for MR using an information-theoretic approach to penalize the inclusion of additional parameters. Using a comparative database of MR measurements for 1359 species, from 11 groups ranging from prokaryotes to mammals, and spanning 16 orders of magnitude in mass and a 59°C range in body temperature, we show that differences between taxa in the mass and temperature dependence of MR are sufficiently large as to be retained in the best model for MR despite the requirement for estimation of 22 more parameters than the fundamental equation of MTE. 2012-10-19T19:01:25Z White, Craig R. og Frappell, Peter B. og Chown, Steven L. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:284523 2012-11-07T14:45:30Z Jayachandran, Balanchandran og Hussain, Mazhar og Asgari, Sassan http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:159228 2008-11-14T00:00:00Z Hussain, Mazhar og Taft, Ryan J. og Asgari, Sassan http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:61617 Direct comparisons between photosynthetic O-2 evolution rate and electron transport rate (ETR) were made in situ over 24 h using the benthic macroalga Ulva lactuca (Chlorophyta), growing and measured at a depth of 1.8 m, where the midday irradiance rose to 400-600 mumol photons m(-2) s(-1). O-2 exchange was measured with a 5-chamber data-logging apparatus and ETR with a submersible pulse amplitude modulated (PAM) fluorometer (Diving-PAM). Steady-state quantum yield ((Fm'-Ft)/Fm') decreased from 0.7 during the morning to 0.45 at midday, followed by some recovery in the late afternoon. At low to medium irradiances (0-300 mumol photons m(-2) s(-1)), there was a significant correlation between O-2 evolution and ETR, but at higher irradiances, ETR continued to increase steadily, while O-2 evolution tended towards an asymptote. However at high irradiance levels (600-1200 mumol photons m-(2) s(-1)) ETR was significantly lowered. Two methods of measuring ETR, based on either diel ambient light levels and fluorescence yields or rapid light curves, gave similar results at low to moderate irradiance levels. Nutrient enrichment (increases in [NO3-], [NH4+] and [HPO42-] of 5- to 15-fold over ambient concentrations) resulted in an increase, within hours, in photosynthetic rates measured by both ETR and O-2 evolution techniques. At low irradiances, approximately 6.5 to 8.2 electrons passed through PS II during the evolution of one molecule of O-2, i.e., up to twice the theoretical minimum number of four. However, in nutrient-enriched treatments this ratio dropped to 5.1. The results indicate that PAM fluorescence can be used as a good indication of the photosynthetic rate only at low to medium irradiances. 2007-08-14T00:00:00Z Longstaff, B. J. og Kildea, T. og Runcie, J. W. og Cheshire, A. og Dennison, W. C. og Hurd, C. og Kana, T. og Raven, J. A. og Larkum, A. W. D. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:265709 2012-01-22T00:00:00Z Segan, Daniel B. og Game, Edward T. og Watts, Matthew E. og Stewart, Romola R. og Possingham, Hugh P. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:278682 2012-08-07T11:22:41Z Han, Yi og Buckley, Yvonne M. og Firn, Jennifer http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:69647 A simulation-based modelling approach is used to examine the effects of stratified seed dispersal (representing the distribution of the majority of dispersal around the maternal parent and also rare long-distance dispersal) on the genetic structure of maternally inherited genomes and the colonization rate of expanding plant populations. The model is parameterized to approximate postglacial oak colonization in the UK, but is relevant to plant populations that exhibit stratified seed dispersal. The modelling approach considers the colonization of individual plants over a large area (three 500 km x 10 km rolled transects are used to approximate a 500 km x 300 km area). Our approach shows how the interaction of plant population dynamics with stratified dispersal can result in a spatially patchy haplotype structure. We show that while both colonization speeds and the resulting genetic structure are influenced by the characteristics of the dispersal kernel, they are robust to changes in the periodicity of long-distance events, provided the average number of long-distance dispersal events remains constant. We also consider the effects of additional physical and environmental mechanisms on plant colonization. Results show significant changes in genetic structure when the initial colonization of different haplotypes is staggered over time and when a barrier to colonization is introduced. Environmental influences on survivorship and fecundity affect both the genetic structure and the speed of colonization. The importance of these mechanisms in relation to the postglacial spread and genetic structure of oak in the UK is discussed. 2007-08-15T00:00:00Z Davies, S. og White, A. og Lowe, A. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:10226 The distribution of Bufo marinus in north-eastern New South Wales (Australia) was surveyed in 1975 and 1978. Hitherto it had been assumed that the toads in New South Wales were derived from a southward migration from Queensland, but the populations proved to be disjunct, being separated by 25km of coastal seaboard. Estimated times of first sightings suggest the the toads have been dispersing at least 12y from an initial introduction near Byron Bay. The mean rate of spread from Byron Bay is 1.07 km y-1. The maximum rate, 3km y-1, is attained across flat or gently undulating rural areas. As there are no major climatological or geographic disjunctions at the present boundaries, the Queensland and New South Wales populations are likely to meet within 4-12 y, and further dispersal southwards appears certain. 2004-11-11T00:00:00Z van Beurden, Eric K. og Grigg, Gordon C. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:155075 Genes encoding for proteins containing ankyrin (ANK) repeats are particularly abundant in the genomes of the bacteria Wolbachia pipientis, ubiquitous endosymbionts that infect a wide range of arthropods and filarial nematodes. ANK genes are relatively rare in prokaryotes, including related α-proteobacteria, yet the Wolbachia strain that infects Drosophila melanogaster contains >23 such genes (2% of the total number of genes). ANK domains typically mediate protein-protein interactions in other organisms, but their role in Wolbachia is yet unknown. We have previously shown that ANK proteins are extremely variable between Wolbachia strains that induce different reproductive phenotypes in their hosts, such as strains that induce cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) and those that don’t induce CI. CI is a type of embryonic lethality used by Wolbachia to quickly invade insect populations. Despite extensive research into Wolbachia, the molecular basis of CI remains a mystery. The variability of ANK genes between strains that induce different phenotypes is very interesting, as the proteins encoded in these strains are predicted to have different subcellular localizations, interact with different proteins and potentially play different roles in the symbiosis. We also show that ANK genes, in combination with tandem repeats, are extremely useful as polymorphic markers for the typing of closely related Wolbachia strains, and they can be used in evolutionary studies. As part of our ongoing research, we have developed antibodies against the most interesting ANK proteins and we are currently analyzing their localization and gene expression across Drosophila developmental stages and tissues. 2008-09-15T00:00:00Z Iturbe-Ormaetxe, I. og Riegler, M. og Miller, W. og Leong, Y. S. og O'Neill, S. L. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:164916 2009-02-20T00:00:00Z Walker, Thomas og Klasson, Lisa og Sebalhia, Mohammed og Sanders, Mandy J. og Thompson, Nicholas R. og Parkhill, Julian og Sinkins, Steven P. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:42098 1. Cluster analysis of reference sites with similar biota is the initial step in creating River Invertebrate Prediction and Classification System (RIVPACS) and similar river bioassessment models such as Australian River Assessment System (AUSRIVAS). This paper describes and tests an alternative prediction method, Assessment by Nearest Neighbour Analysis (ANNA), based on the same philosophy as RIVPACS and AUSRIVAS but without the grouping step that some people view as artificial. 2. The steps in creating ANNA models are: (i) weighting the predictor variables using a multivariate approach analogous to principal axis correlations, (ii) calculating the weighted Euclidian distance from a test site to the reference sites based on the environmental predictors, (iii) predicting the faunal composition based on the nearest reference sites and (iv) calculating an observed/expected (O/E) analogous to RIVPACS/AUSRIVAS. 3. The paper compares AUSRIVAS and ANNA models on 17 datasets representing a variety of habitats and seasons. First, it examines each model's regressions for Observed versus Expected number of taxa, including the r(2), intercept and slope. Second, the two models' assessments of 79 test sites in New Zealand are compared. Third, the models are compared on test and presumed reference sites along a known trace metal gradient. Fourth, ANNA models are evaluated for western Australia, a geographically distinct region of Australia. The comparisons demonstrate that ANNA and AUSRIVAS are generally equivalent in performance, although ANNA turns out to be potentially more robust for the O versus E regressions and is potentially more accurate on the trace metal gradient sites. 4. The ANNA method is recommended for use in bioassessment of rivers, at least for corroborating the results of the well established AUSRIVAS- and RIVPACS-type models, if not to replace them. 2007-08-13T00:00:00Z Linke, Simon og Norris, Richard H. og Faith, Daniel P. og Stockwell, David http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:252221 2011-09-18T00:00:00Z McDougall, Carmel og Korchagina, Natalia og Tobin, Jonathan L. og Ferrier, David E. K. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:199479 2010-03-16T00:00:00Z McDougall, C. og Hui, J. H. L. og Monteiro, A. og Takahashi, T. og Ferrier, D. E. K. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:166438 When females of Drosophila melanogaster and males of Drosophila simulans are mated, the male progeny are inviable, whereas the female progeny display manifold malformations and are sterile. These abnormalities result from genetic incompatibilities accumulated since the time the lineages of the species diverged, and may have their origin in aberrant gene transcription. Because compensatory changes within species may obscure differences at the regulatory level in conventional comparisons of the expression profile between species, we have compared the gene-expression profile of hybrid females with those of females of the parental species in order to identify regulatory incompatibilities. In the hybrid females, we find abnormal levels of messenger RNA for a large fraction of the Drosophila transcriptome. These include a gross underexpression of genes preferentially expressed in females, accompanying gonadal atrophy. The hybrid females also show significant overexpression of male-biased genes, which we attribute to incompatibilities in the regulatory mechanisms that normally act to control the expression of these genes in females. The net result of the multiple incompatibilities is that the gene-expression profiles of the parental females are more similar to each other than either is to that of the hybrid. 2009-03-06T13:54:50Z Ranz, José M. og Namgyal, Kalsang og Gibson, Greg og Hartl, Daniel L. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:281523 With one-fourth of the world’s mammals threatened with extinction and limited budget to save them, adopting an efficient conservation strategy is crucial. Previous approaches to setting global conservation priorities have assumed all species to have equal conservation value, or have focused on species with high extinction risk, species that may be hard to save. Here, we identify priority species for optimizing the reduction in overall extinction risk of the world’s threatened terrestrial mammals. We take a novel approach and focus on species having the greatest recovery opportunity using a new conservation benefit metric: the Extinction risk Reduction Opportunity (ERO). We discover that 65–87% of all threatened and potentially recoverable species are overlooked by existing prioritization approaches. We use the ERO metric to prioritize threatened species, but the potential applications are broader; ERO has the potential to integrate with every strategy that aims to maximize the likelihood of conservation success. 2012-09-08T06:37:46Z Di Marco, Moreno og Cardillo, Marcel og Possingham, Hugh P. og Wilson, Kerrie A. og Blomberg, Simon P. og Boitani, Luigi og Rondinini, Carlo http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:40150 Soil, snow and organic material, collected in November 1997 from the Vestvold Hills, Davis Base, Antarctica, were screened for yeasts. Two isolates, which were shown to be indistinguishable by rDNA sequencing and protein analysis by SIDS-PAGE, are described in this communication as a novel species, Cryptococcus watticus sp. nov. (type culture, CBS 9496(T) = NRRL Y-27556(T)). Sequence analyses of the 26S rDNA D1/D2 region placed C. watticus in the hymenomycetous yeasts in a cluster with Holtermannia corniformis and Cryptococcus nyarrowii. This species has been allocated to the genus Cryptococcus on the basis of physiological and morphological characteristics. 2007-08-13T00:00:00Z Guffogg, SP og Thomas-Hall, S og Holloway, P og Watson, K http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:68639 Maternal factors introduced into host insects by endoparasitoid wasps are usually essential for successful parasitism. This includes polydnaviruses (PDVs) that are produced in the reproductive organ of female hymenopteran endoparasitoids and are injected, together with venom proteins, into the host hemocoel at oviposition. Inside the host, PDVs enter various tissue cells and hemocytes where viral genes are expressed, leading to developmental and physiological alterations in the host, including the suppression of the host immune system. Although several studies have shown that some PDVs are only effective when accompanied by venom proteins, there is no report of an active venom ingredient(s) facilitating PDV infection and/or gene expression. In this study, we describe a novel peptide (Vn1.5) isolated from Cotesia rubecula venom that is required for the expression of C. rubecula bracoviruses (CrBVs) in host hemocytes (Pieris rapae), although it is not essential for CrBV entry into host cells. The peptide consists of 14 amino acids with a molecular mass of 1598 Da. In the absence of Vn1.5 or total venom proteins, CrBV genes are not expressed in host cells and did not cause inactivation of host hemocytes. 2007-08-15T00:00:00Z Zhang, G. M. og Schmidt, O. og Asgari, S. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:95412 2007-08-23T00:00:00Z Whittington, I. og Ernst, I. og Corneillie, S. og Talbot, C. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:266376 Cytokinin (CK) has long been implicated as a promoter of bud outgrowth in plants, but exactly how this is achieved in coordination with other plant hormones is unclear. The recent discovery of strigolactones (SLs) as the long-sought branchinhibiting hormone allowed us to test how CK and SL coordinately regulate bud outgrowth in pea (Pisum sativum). We found that SL-deficient plants are more sensitive to stimulation of bud growth by low concentrations of locally applied CK than wildtype plants. Furthermore, in contrast with SL mutant plants, buds of wild-type plants are almost completely resistant to stimulation by CK supplied to the vasculature. Regardless of whether the exogenous hormones were supplied locally or to the xylem stream, SL and CK acted antagonistically on bud outgrowth. These data suggest that SLs do not affect the delivery of CK to axillary buds and vice versa. Rather, these data combined with dose-response experiments suggest that SLs and CK can act directly in buds to control their outgrowth. These hormones may converge at a common point in the bud outgrowth regulatory pathway. The expression of pea BRANCHED1, a TCP transcription factor expressed strongly in buds and thought to act downstream of SLs in shoot branching, is regulated by CK and SL without a requirement for protein synthesis and in a manner that correlates with observed bud growth responses. 2012-01-31T00:00:00Z Dun, Elizabeth A. og de Saint Germain, Alexandre og Rameau, Catherine og Beveridge, Christine A. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:70520 The plant hormones abscisic acid (ABA), jasmonic acid (JA), and ethylene are involved in diverse plant processes, including the regulation of gene expression during adaptive responses to abiotic and biotic stresses. Previously, ABA has been implicated in enhancing disease susceptibility in various plant species, but currently very little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon. In this study, we obtained evidence that a complex interplay between ABA and JA-ethylene signaling pathways regulate plant defense gene expression and disease resistance. First, we showed that exogenous ABA suppressed both basal and JA-ethylene-activated transcription from defense genes. By contrast, ABA deficiency as conditioned by the mutations in the ABA1 and ABA2 genes, which encode enzymes involved in ABA biosynthesis, resulted in upregulation of basal and induced transcription from JA-ethylene responsive defense genes. Second, we found that disruption of AtMYC2 (allelic to JASMONATE INSENSITIVE1 [JIN1]), encoding a basic helix-loop-helix Leu zipper transcription factor, which is a positive regulator of ABA signaling, results in elevated levels of basal and activated transcription from JA-ethylene responsive defense genes. Furthermore, the jin1/myc2 and aba2-1 mutants showed increased resistance to the necrotrophic fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum. Finally, using ethylene and ABA signaling mutants, we showed that interaction between ABA and ethylene signaling is mutually antagonistic in vegetative tissues. Collectively, our results indicate that the antagonistic interactions between multiple components of ABA and the JA-ethylene signaling pathways modulate defense and stress responsive gene expression in response to biotic and abiotic stresses. 2007-08-15T00:00:00Z Anderson, Jonathan P. og Badruzsaufari, Ellet og Schenk, Peer M. og Manners, John M. og Desmond, Olivia J. og Ehlert, Christina og Maclean, Donald J. og Ebert, Paul R. og Kazan, Kemal http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:41090 2007-08-10T00:00:00Z Carey, P. og Franklin, C. E. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:200847 2010-03-26T16:01:16Z Carey, Peter og Franklin, Craig