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Two years of harmonized aerosol number size distribution data from 24 European field monitoring sites have been analysed. The results give a comprehensive overview of the European near surface aerosol particle number concentrations and number size distributions between 30 and 500 nm of dry particle diameter. Spatial and temporal distribution of aerosols in the particle sizes most important for climate applications are presented. We also analyse the annual, weekly and diurnal cycles of the aerosol number concentrations, provide log-normal fitting parameters for median number size distributions, and give guidance notes for data users. Emphasis is placed on the usability of results within the aerosol modelling community. International audience

The amino acid compositions were determined in four different algal species: the temperate Thalassiosira rotula and Phaeocystis globosa and the polar Thalassiosira antarctica and Phaeocystis antarctica. An extraction procedure was developed to obtain amino acids from phytoplankton species. The amino acids were analysed after precolumn derivatization with 9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl chloride (FMOC-Cl); the procedure was optimized and the samples were analysed quantitatively on a Superspher RP8 C8 column. The good stability of the FMOC derivatives was utilized to develop a new semipreparative chromatographic method for the separation and collection of the most important amino acids.

AbstractThere is considerable debate over the value of male sexual ornaments as signals of genetic quality. Studies alternately report that environmental variation enhances or diminishes the genetic signal, or leads to crossover where genotypes perform well in one environment but poorly in another. A unified understanding is lacking. We conduct a novel experimental test examining the dual effects of distinct categories of genetic (inbred vs. crossed parental lines) and environmental quality (low, through high to extreme larval food stress) on a condition‐dependent male ornament. We find that differences in genetic quality signalled by the ornament (male eyespan in Diasemopsis meigenii stalk‐eyed flies) become visible and are amplified under high stress but are overwhelmed in extreme‐stress environments. Variance among independent genetic lines increases with environmental stress in both genetic quality classes, but at a slower rate in high quality outcrossed flies. Individual genetic lines generally maintain their ranks across environments, except among high quality lines under low environmental stress, where low genetic variance among lines precludes differentiation between ranks. Our results provide a conceptual advance, demonstrating a unified pattern for how genetic and environmental quality interact. They show when environmental conditions lead to the amplification of differences in signals of genetic quality and thereby enhance the potential indirect genetic benefits gained by female mate choice.

European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the COMPETE - Operational Competitiveness Programme national funds through FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology CNPq GINOP Species of the cnidarian genus Henneguya Thelohan, 1892 (Myxosporea: Myxobolidae) are histozoic parasites commonly found in freshwater and, more rarely, in marine fish. The development of these parasites in fish tissues includes the formation of plasmodia within which occurs the sporogony originating spores with two caudal processes, which are usually randomly distributed within the plasmodia. In this report the authors present some cases of non-random distribution of the spores of six species of Henneguya within their plasmodia. Two different patterns of non-random distribution were found based on a literature survey. These patterns and their origin are discussed. Apparently this non-random distribution of the spores is due to both internal and external factors. Univ Porto, Fac Ciencias, Dept Biol, Rua Campo Alegre,Edificio FC4, P-4169007 Oporto, Portugal CIMAR, CIIMAR, Ctr Interdisciplinar Invest Marinha & Ambiental, Matosinhos, Portugal Inst Super Engn Porto, Lab Engn Matemat LEMA, Oporto, Portugal|Univ Fed Sao Paulo, UNIFESP, Dept Ecol & Biol Evolut, Diadema, SP, Brazil Univ Estadual Campinas, Inst Biol, Dept Biol Anim, Campinas, SP, Brazil Ctr Agr Res, Inst Vet Med Res, Budapest, Hungary Hungarian Acad Sci MTA, Budapest, Hungary Univ Fed Sao Paulo, UNIFESP, Dept Ecol & Biol Evolut, Diadema, SP, Brazil European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the COMPETE - Operational Competitiveness Programme national funds through FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology: PEst-C/MAR/LA0015/2013 CNPq: 305630/2013-0 GINOP: 2.3.3-15-2016-00004 Web of Science

Summation of ionotropic receptor-mediated responses is critical in neuronal computation by shaping input-output characteristics of neurons. However, arithmetics of summation for metabotropic signals are not known. We characterized the combined ionotropic and metabotropic output of neocortical neurogliaform cells (NGFCs) using electrophysiological and anatomical methods in the rat cerebral cortex. These experiments revealed that GABA receptors are activated outside release sites and confirmed coactivation of putative NGFCs in superficial cortical layers in vivo. Triple recordings from presynaptic NGFCs converging to a postsynaptic neuron revealed sublinear summation of ionotropic GABAA responses and linear summation of metabotropic GABAB responses. Based on a model combining properties of volume transmission and distributions of all NGFC axon terminals, we predict that in 83% of cases one or two NGFCs can provide input to a point in the neuropil. We suggest that interactions of metabotropic GABAergic responses remain linear even if most superficial layer interneurons specialized to recruit GABAB receptors are simultaneously active.

Abstract Determining parameters that govern pathogen transmission (such as the force of infection, FOI), and pathogen impacts on morbidity and mortality, is exceptionally challenging for wildlife. Vital parameters can vary, for example across host populations, between sexes and within an individual's lifetime.Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is a lentivirus affecting domestic and wild cat species, forming species‐specific viral–host associations. FIV infection is common in populations of puma (Puma concolor), yet uncertainty remains over transmission parameters and the significance of FIV infection for puma mortality. In this study, the age‐specific FOI of FIV in pumas was estimated from prevalence data, and the evidence for disease‐associated mortality was assessed.We fitted candidate models to FIV prevalence data and adopted a maximum likelihood method to estimate parameter values in each model. The models with the best fit were determined to infer the most likely FOI curves. We applied this strategy for female and male pumas from California, Colorado, and Florida.When splitting the data by sex and area, our FOI modeling revealed no evidence of disease‐associated mortality in any population. Both sex and location were found to influence the FOI, which was generally higher for male pumas than for females. For female pumas at all sites, and male pumas from California and Colorado, the FOI did not vary with puma age, implying FIV transmission can happen throughout life; this result supports the idea that transmission can occur from mothers to cubs and also throughout adult life. For Florida males, the FOI was a decreasing function of puma age, indicating an increased risk of infection in the early years, and a decreased risk at older ages.This research provides critical insight into pathogen transmission and impact in a secretive and solitary carnivore. Our findings shed light on the debate on whether FIV causes mortality in wild felids like puma, and our approach may be adopted for other diseases and species. The methodology we present can be used for identifying likely transmission routes of a pathogen and also estimating any disease‐associated mortality, both of which can be difficult to establish for wildlife diseases in particular. Age‐prevalence data are used to estimate the force of infection (FOI) of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) in puma. FIV is widespread in puma populations, yet its impact on puma mortality and its transmission routes are unclear. Our findings yield insights into the transmission of FIV and show no evidence of disease‐associated mortality. The FOI is shown to vary with puma sex and geographic location.

Abstract Voles are among the most common and abundant rodents in Central Europe, represented by several species of Microtus and other genera. This group is also common in Pleistocene fossil assemblages. However, the taxonomy of fossil finds, largely based on lower first molars, is fraught with problems and opinions of various authors often diverge, hampering phylogenetic inferences and reconstruction of lineages which led to the extant species. To help solve taxonomic incongruence, we carried out morphometric analyses on the abundant late Early Pleistocene finds from the exceptionally rich site of Somssich Hill 2 (Villany Mts., southern Hungary), complemented with less numerous but also well-dated and nearly coeval material from nearby sites Villany 6 and 8, as well as Kovesvarad from northern Hungary. Landmark analysis was performed in the present paper, and in addition, cluster and discriminant analyses were applied on the conventional linear data derived from the landmark coordinates. First lower molars of well-established recent taxa from zoological museum collections were also included in the analyses, both to assess their degree in intraspecific morphological variability to inform delineation of the extinct taxa, and to compare morphologies of fossil and recent taxa to establish phylogenetic relationships. Morphometric analyses revealed that the material from Somssich Hill 2 represents a single species, Microtus nivaloides , whereas specimens from the somewhat younger site Villany 8 belong to M. nivalinus . Paleoecology of the accompanying taxa in the fossil assemblages suggests differences in their habitat: M. nivalinus preferred more open vegetation, whereas M. nivaloides was restricted to forested areas. Geometric morphometric analyses together with modern taxa defined a morphospace where the consensus shape of M. nivaloides is centrally located, supporting the hypothesis that it represents the ancestor of modern Microtus ( Microtus ) species and forms part of a lineage which led to the M . arvalis-agrestis group. On the other hand, morphological similarities suggest a split lineage and phylogenetic relations of late Early Pleistocene M. nivalinus and the recent M. oeconomus. The emergence of ‘true’ Microtus species stems from the radiation initiated around 1.0–0.9 Ma, an important phase in vole evolution revealed by the rich finds from Somssich Hill 2 and other sites.