Levels Of Relatedness Research Articles

Interpopulation variation in inbreeding is primarily driven by tolerance of mating with relatives in a spermcasting invertebrate.

The degree to which individuals inbreed is a fundamental aspect of population biology shaped by both passive and active processes. Yet, the relative influences of random and non-random mating on the overall magnitude of inbreeding are not well characterized for many taxa. We quantified variation in inbreeding among qualitatively accessible and isolated populations of a sessile marine invertebrate (the colonial ascidian Lissoclinum verrilli) in which hermaphroditic colonies cast sperm into the water column for subsequent uptake and internal fertilization. We compared estimates of inbreeding to simulations predicting random mating within sites to evaluate if levels of inbreeding were (1) less than expected because of active attempts to limit inbreeding, (2) as predicted by genetic subdivision and passive inbreeding tolerance, or (3) greater than simulations due to active attempts to promote inbreeding via self-fertilization or a preference for related mates. We found evidence of restricted gene flow and significant differences in the genetic diversity of L. verrilli colonies among sites, indicating that on average colonies were weakly related in accessible locations, but their levels of relatedness matched that of first cousins or half-siblings on isolated substrates. Irrespective of population size, progeny arrays revealed variation in the magnitude of inbreeding across sites that tracked with the mean relatedness of conspecifics. Biparental reproduction was confirmed in most offspring (86%) and estimates of total inbreeding largely overlapped with simulations of random mating, suggesting that interpopulation variation in mother-offspring resemblance was primarily due to genetic subdivision and passive tolerance of related mates. Our results highlight the influence of demographic isolation on the genetic composition of populations, and support theory predicting that tolerance of biparental inbreeding, even when mates are closely related, may be favoured under a broad set of ecological and evolutionary conditions.

Sibling competition for food and kin selection in nestlings of a colonial raptor

Kin selection theory predicts that individual progeny members, in species where offspring share depreciable parental care, should increasingly attempt to monopolize resources provided by the parents as their relatedness to brood competitors declines. Although the level of relatedness among broodmates is often variable in vertebrates, whether it affects within-brood competition dynamics has seldom been studied. We tested this prediction in nestlings of the lesser kestrel, Falco naumanni , a cavity-nesting colonial raptor that can breed in high-density colonies, where nestlings often move between nearby nests, generating mixed parentage among broodmates. Pairs of nestlings composed of either unrelated, unfamiliar individuals or siblings were experimentally forced to compete for food. Nestlings stole prey more frequently when competing with an unrelated, unfamiliar competitor than when competing with a sibling. This finding adds to the limited evidence that rivalry among broodmates is affected by their relatedness, suggesting that kin recognition and kin selection may play an important role in determining individual competitive strategies and care allocation in multiparous species. • Coloniality favours the occurrence of mixed kinship broods. • Competition for food should differ between siblings and unrelated offspring. • We tested this prediction in mixed kinship lesser kestrel broods. • Prey thefts were more frequent when competitors were unrelated. • Kin selection affects competitive behaviour in altricial avian offspring.

Worldview defence and self‐determination theory explain the return of racial voting: Evidence from the 2016 US election

AbstractWe use self‐determination (SDT) and worldview defence theories (WDT) to explicate the psychological roots of identitarian voting in recent US, UK and EU elections. We test our theory using the 2016 US election as a case study, data from a representative sample of nearly half a million Americans, and a measure of racial animus derived from Google search data. We find that worry has a strong and significant positive association with Trump's vote share, as predicted by WDT. However, this is reversed in counties with high levels of relatedness—one of the three basic psychological needs emphasised by SDT. The positive relationship between racial animus and Trump also loses significance once an interaction between racial animus and relatedness is introduced. These results imply that identitarianism is driven at least in part by a desire for in‐group affiliation emerging out of worldview defence and unmet basic psychological needs.

Analysis of Antimicrobial Resistance and Genetic Correlations of Escherichia Coli in Dairy Cow Mastitis.

Escherichia coli is a widespread environmental pathogen frequently causing dairy cow mastitis. This bacterium is particularly capable of acquiring antimicrobial resistance, which can have severe impacts on animal food safety and human health. The objective of the study was to investigate antimicrobial resistance and genetic correlations of E. coli from dairy cow mastitis cases in northern China. Forty strains of E. coli from 196 mastitis milk samples were collected, susceptibility to 13 common antibiotics and the prevalence of resistance genes were tested in these strains, and the genetic characteristics were identified by multilocus sequence typing. The results showed that most isolates were multidrug resistant (MDR) (75%), and the resistance rates to cefazolin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and ampicillin were 77.5%, 55.0%, and 52.5%, respectively. The representative genes of the isolates were aadA (62.5%) and tet(B) (60.0%). Multilocus sequence typing showed 19 different sequence types (STs) and 5 clonal complexes (CCs) in the 40 isolates, mainly represented by ST10 and CC10. The strains of the same ST or CC showed a high level of genetic relatedness, but the characteristics of their antimicrobial resistance were markedly different. Most E. coli isolates in the study were MDR strains. Some strains of the same ST or CC showed diverse resistance characteristics to common antimicrobials. Therefore, E. coli from dairy cow mastitis in northern China should be investigated to elucidate its antimicrobial resistance and genotypes.

Regional recombinant novelty, related and unrelated technologies: a patent-level approach

ABSTRACT This paper investigates the impact of regional technological relatedness on the emergence of recombinant novelty (i.e., new combinations of subclasses occurring for the first time) in French regions using patent data over the period 1990–2010. We find that relatedness favours incremental innovations that reuse already applied combinations, whereas increasing levels of relatedness reduce the likelihood of novelty. However, the impact is less negative when combined technologies are new, unrelated or not locally specialized because it facilitates learning and technological recombination. We also find that universities and large incumbents are less dependent on relatedness than small and novel players to create novelty.

P506 First case of cutaneous mycosis caused by Nannizziopsis sp. in Chelonia

Poster session 3, September 23, 2022, 12:30 PM - 1:30 PMThe present report characterized a case of severe superficial and deep mycoses in a yellow-bellied slider (Trachemys scripta scripta) caused by Nannizziopsis sp. detected by histopathology and fungal culture. A female, 4-year-old, yellow-bellied slider (Trachemys scripta scripta) was presented for ulcerative and proliferative, chronic, skin lesions. White to pink, slightly round, with fuzzy borders, 0.5-2.5 cm in diameter, multifocal, proliferative, and ulcerative lesions were evident mainly on the left forelimb, right forelimb, pericloacal, chin, and oral cavity. The left forelimb was severely affected by a nodular subcutaneous mass.Several courses of disinfectant therapy, antibiotic, and antifungal treatments were given with no clinical improvements.Cytological smears of the ulcerative skin lesion revealed macrophages, heterophils, and fragments of septate hyphae. To investigate the cause of the lesions, the left forelimb was excised, fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin, and submitted for histopathological examination. Biopsies and swabs from left forelimb, right forelimb, chin, and oral lesions were submitted for microbiological analysis.Samples were cultured on Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (SDA) and incubated at 30°C for 10 days. Histopathological examination showed severe pyogranulomatous dermatitis and myositis. Numerous septate, irregularly branched hyphae were evident within the pyogranulomas. Grocott methenamine silver stain (GMS) and Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) confirmed the presence of filamentous fungi in the examined sections.Pure cultures of the same fungal strain were obtained from all the samples. Mature colonies on SDA showed a powdery aspect and a white felted surface. Microscopically, the hyphae were straight and branched, and conidia were clavate, sessile, or on short stalks.Based on both macroscopic and microscopic features the fungal strain was identified as Nannizziopsis sp.Susceptibility profile of the fungal isolate was tested for griseofulvin, miconazole, fluconazole, voriconazole, itraconazole, clotrimazole, and ketoconazole. Amplification and sequencing of ITS, 18S, and SSU gene regions have been performed to identify the fungal isolate. The sequences were aligned with the most similar sequences of established species deposited in GenBank in order to define levels of relatedness. Sequences showed that the isolate clustered with Nannizziopsiaceae. The sequence similarities of the isolate were 99% to N. arthrosporioides in ITS (535/543 bps), 99% to N. vriesii in 18S, and SSU (1648/1649 and 970/973 bps, respectively).Based on the histopathological, microbiological, and molecular analysis, Nannizziopsis sp. was the primary cause of severe deep mycoses in the present turtle. Mycoses caused by Chrysosporium-related fungi are an emerging infectious disease affecting reptiles. The fungi of this group were collectively identified as Chrysosporium anamorph of Nannizziopsis vriesii (CAVN) complex by their morphological characteristics. Recent molecular taxonomy studies have now re-classified Chrysosporium-related fungi into three genera: Nannizziopsis, Paranannizziopsis, and Ophidiomyces.Until now, nine species have been isolated and identified from reptiles. Dermatomycosis associated with Nannizziopsis spp. is frequently reported in lizards, terrestrial, and aquatic snakes, and crocodiles, with classical cutaneous ulcerative lesions. Cutaneous mycosis is common in turtles, however, to our knowledge this is the first case of Nannizziopsis cutaneous mycosis in Chelonia.

Studying the cognitive relatedness between topics in the global science landscape: The case of Big Data research

Taking Big Data research as a case study, this article intends to investigate the cognitive relatedness of research topics across the global science landscape to a focal topic. Several levels of cognitive relatedness are established depending on the citation distance between the citing publications and a core set of publications. The concept of citation generation is adopted for identifying and classifying other publications with different levels of relatedness to the core set. The micro publication-level classification system of Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) is applied for determining clusters of publication sets at the topic level. The overall cognitive relatedness of micro clusters to Big Data core publications are measured based on the mean citation generation of all the publications in corresponding clusters. In addition to the given clusters, this study also explores the ‘topics’ relatedness from a semantic point of view, by extracting high-frequency title terms of publications in each generation. Results show that data analysis methods and technologies are the topics with the strongest cognitive relatedness to Big Data research, while topics on physics and astronomy studies present the weakest relatedness. This approach allows assessment of relatedness between research topics by considering the citations distribution across multiple citation generations, and can provide useful insights to study and characterise topics with fuzzy boundaries or are difficult to delineate, thus representing a novel toolset relevant in the context of studying interdisciplinary research.

Two modes of being together: The levels of intersubjectivity and human relatedness in neuroscience and psychoanalytic thinking.

The notion of intersubjectivity has achieved a primary status in contemporary psychoanalytic debate, stimulating new theoretical proposals as well as controversies. This paper presents an overview of the main contributions on inter-subjectivity in the field of neurosciences. In humans as well as—probably—in other species, the ability for emotional resonance is guaranteed early in development. Based on this capacity, a primary sense of connectedness is established that can be defined inter-subjective in that it entails sharing affective states and intentions with caregivers. We propose to define such a form of inter-subjectivity as contingent, since the infant’s early abilities for resonance do not imply the more generalized capacity to permanently conceive of the relationship outside the realm of current interactions and the infant-caregiver’s mutual correspondence of internal states. This form of connection, hence, results in a self-referential, bodily, and affectively codified, context- and time dependent, like-me experience of interactions. The gradual maturation of brain structures and processes as well as interactive experiences allow proper intersubjectivity exchanges, grounded on new intentional and representational capacities, to evolve. In this more mature form of intersubjectivity, the individual is allowed to conceive of her own psychic space both as distinct and as possibly connected with the other’s contents and experience, even in the absence of current behavioral indicators of such correspondence. This multi-layered model of intersubjectivity, which is embraced by current neuroscience research, seems to allow for new interpretations of psychoanalytic models of human relatedness based upon classic clinical observations.

Population-Specific Plant-To-Plant Signaling in Wild Lima Bean.

The exposure to volatiles from damaged plants can increase the resistance of the neighboring plants to herbivores. Studies have demonstrated that the strength of this response depends on the level of relatedness between the interacting plants. Indeed, a field study with Phaseolus lunatus found that the responses to induced volatiles were population-specific; individuals exposed to damaged conspecifics from the ‘local’ population exhibited greater resistance to herbivores than those exposed to damaged conspecifics from ‘foreign’ populations. Here, we repeated this study in the laboratory by placing undamaged plants near damaged plants from either their local or a foreign population. The former plants experienced less herbivory than the latter after a subsequent challenge by a generalist herbivore. To understand the role of the volatiles underlying this observed specificity, we explored the variability in the constitutively released volatiles and volatiles released after mechanical or herbivore damage among the three tested populations of P. lunatus. The total volatile emissions were 5× and 10× higher from the mechanically and herbivore-damaged plants, respectively, compared to the undamaged plants. The populations differed in their relative ratios of dominant constitutive compounds, but no pattern was observed that could explain the differential responses to induced volatiles among the populations. Overall, this study confirms the population-specific volatile-mediated interactions in P. lunatus.

The inseparable two: Impact of prior success and failure on new product development project discontinuation

AbstractNew product development (NPD) is a risky and expensive endeavor. Therefore, discontinuing less promising NPD projects, based on their development trajectories, is very important, yet firms face challenges when deciding whether and when to discontinue NPD projects. This article examines how characteristics of a firm's prior success and failure experiences, such as the number of launched and discontinued past projects, their attributes (i.e., the codification and quality of the knowledge underlying these past projects), and their level of relatedness (i.e., similarity) to current projects, influence the risks of continuing and discontinuing NPD projects, thus impacting their future discontinuation decisions. We adopt a mixed method approach, where we formally model and empirically test the influence of prior experiences on future decision‐making. A formal model enables us to offer reasoning that considers the risks of continuing a project versus discontinuing that project as the basis for theoretical arguments for a set of proposed testable relationships. We then empirically test these relationships on 2938 new drug development projects of biopharma firms worldwide. We find that firms with a greater amount of success and failure experiences tend to discontinue less promising NPD projects sooner than firms with less success and failure experiences. Also, we find that while the attributes (particularly knowledge codification) of successful experiences predominantly helped firms decide on timely discontinuation, failure experiences influenced firms' decision on timely discontinuation only when the projects were closely related to their failure experiences.

The Effect of Foreign Competition on Related Diversification and Performance

This study examines whether foreign competition affects related diversification. To obtain exogenous variation in product market competition, I exploit a quasi-natural experiment provided by large currency appreciation that occurred between 2005 and 2010 in the manufacturing sector of commodity-exporting countries. This paper examines the impact of a significant real appreciation of the Colombian Peso in the 2000s at the product-firm level. A currency appreciation shock affects a firm through two different channels: (1) Firms adjust their product portfolio by reducing sales and dropping products affected by an appreciation shock; (2) firms are more likely to add products when they have higher levels of relatedness to the core products under competitive pressure. These findings provide the first evidence on how foreign competition affect corporate diversification at the product level.

Calcium Determines Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Intraspecies Competitive Fitness.

ABSTRACTThe importance of individual nutrients for microbial strain robustness and coexistence in habitats containing different members of the same species is not well understood. To address this for Lactiplantibacillus plantarum in food fermentations, we performed comparative genomics and examined the nutritive requirements and competitive fitness for L. plantarum strains B1.1 and B1.3 isolated from a single sample of teff injera fermentation batter. Compared to B1.1 and other L. plantarum strains, B1.3 has a smaller genome, limited biosynthetic capacities, and large mobilome. Despite these differences, B1.3 was equally competitive with B1.1 in a suspension of teff flour. In commercially sourced, nutrient-replete MRS (cMRS) medium, strain B1.3 reached 3-fold-higher numbers than B1.1 within 2 days of passage. Because B1.3 growth and competitive fitness were poor in mMRS medium (here called mMRS), a modified MRS medium lacking beef extract, we used mMRS to identify nutrients needed for robust B1.3 growth. No improvement was observed when mMRS was supplemented with nucleotides, amino acids, vitamins, or monovalent metals. Remarkably, the addition of divalent metal salts increased the growth rate and cell yields of B1.3 in mMRS. Metal requirements were confirmed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, showing that total B1.3 intracellular metal concentrations were significantly (up to 2.7-fold) reduced compared to B1.1. Supplemental CaCl2 conferred the greatest effect, resulting in equal growth between B1.1 and B1.3 over five successive passages in mMRS. Moreover, calcium supplementation reversed a B1.3 strain-specific, stationary-phase, flocculation phenotype. These findings show how L. plantarum calcium requirements affect competitive fitness at the strain level.IMPORTANCE Ecological theory states that the struggle for existence is stronger between closely related species. Contrary to this assertion, fermented foods frequently sustain conspecific individuals, in spite of their high levels of phylogenetic relatedness. Therefore, we investigated two isolates of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, B1.1 and B1.3, randomly selected from a single batch of teff injera batter. These strains spanned the known genomic and phenotypic range of the L. plantarum species, and in laboratory culture medium used for strain screening, B1.3 exhibited poor growth and was outcompeted by the more robust strain B1.1. Nonetheless, B1.1 and B1.3 were equally competitive in teff flour. This result shows how L. plantarum has adapted for coexistence in that environment. The capacity for the single macronutrient calcium to restore B1.3 competitive fitness in laboratory culture medium suggests that L. plantarum intraspecies diversity found in food systems is fine-tuned to nutrient requirements at the strain level.

First detection of avian influenza subtype H4N6 in Israel in a wild mallard (Anas platyrhynchos).

Avian influenza viruses (AIV) are a worldwide threat to animal and human health. As wild waterfowl circulate and spread these viruses around the world, investigations of AIV prevalence in wild populations are critical for understanding pathogen transmission, as well as predicting disease outbreaks in domestic animals and humans. Surveillance efforts in this study have isolated H4N6 for the first time in Israel from a faecal sample of a wild mallard (Anas platyrhynchos). Phylogenetic analyses of the HA and NA genes revealed that this strain is closely related to isolates from Europe and Asia. This Eurasian origin, together with Israel serving as an important migratory bottleneck of the mid Palearctic-African flyway, suggests a potential introduction of this strain by migratory birds. Additional phylogenetic analysis of the isolate's internal genes (PB1, PB2, PA, NP, M and NS) revealed high levels of phylogenetic relatedness with other AIV subtypes, indicating previous reassortment events. High reassortment rates are characteristic for H4N6 viruses, which, together with this subtype's ability to infect pigs and adaptability to the human receptor binding domain, raises the concern that it would potentially become zoonotic in the future. These results emphasize the importance of continuous AIV monitoring in migratory birds.

Genetic Diversity of Wild Rice (Oryza longistaminata) in Ghana

Oryza longistaminata is a wild rice taxon and an excellent source of genetic variation that remains largely unexploited. This study was conducted to understand the genetic diversity between and within O. longistaminata populations, collected from different geographic locations in Ghana. In this study, SSR markers were used to determine the intra-specific variability in O. longistaminata, and how the variation is partitioned within and between different populations. Analysis of molecular variance revealed high levels of polymorphism (95.9%) within the populations. The overall genetic diversity for all the loci in the six populations was high (Shannon's Information Index I = 0.579, Nei's unbiased expected heterozygosity, He = 0.405). Hierarchical partitioning also indicated a high genetic diversity between and within populations, with some level of relatedness between samples taken from the Savannah agroecological area. The high genetic diversity observed in this study offer a great opportunity for screening useful traits among the populations of O. longistaminata in Ghana for rice breeding programs.

Changes in Psychological Determinants of Behavior Change after Individual versus Group-Based Lifestyle-integrated Fall Prevention: Results from the LiFE-is-LiFE Trial

Objective: The Lifestyle-integrated Functional Exercise (LiFE) intervention has been shown to promote physical activity in fall-prone older adults. However, the underlying mechanisms of how LiFE functions remain unclear. This study compares the effects of the individual and group-based LiFE formats on psychological determinants of behavior change derived from the health action process approach, habit formation theory, and self-determination theory. Methods: Secondary analysis on basis of the randomized, non-inferiority LiFE-is-LiFE trial were performed. Questionnaire data on psychological determinants were obtained from older adults (M = 78.8 years, range 70–95) who took part in either the individual (n = 156) or the group-based (n = 153) LiFE intervention. Measurement points varied from three to six times, and from baseline (T1) up to a 12-month follow-up (T6). A generalized linear mixed model was specified for each determinant. Results: Both LiFE and gLiFE participants reported lower levels of motivational determinants at T6. LiFE participants showed significantly higher values of action planning and coping planning at T6. Participants in both formats showed increased levels of action control at T6, whereas participants’ habit strength decreased post-intervention but then stabilized over time. LiFE participants showed higher levels of autonomy, competence, and relatedness throughout the study, but levels of intrinsic motivation did not differ between formats and from T1 to T6. Conclusion: In both formats, but especially in the individual LiFE, the behavior change techniques used affected volitional rather than motivational or general determinants of behavior change. Habit strength as an important indicator of the sustainability of the LiFE exercises stabilized over time, indicating that participants, at least partly, sustained their formed habits long-term.

Dynamics of reduced genetic diversity in increasingly fragmented populations of Florida scrub jays,Aphelocoma coerulescens.

Understanding the genomic consequences of population decline is important for predicting species' vulnerability to intensifying global change. Empirical information about genomic changes in populations in the early stages of decline, especially for those still experiencing immigration, remains scarce. We used 7834 autosomal SNPs and demographic data for 288 Florida scrub jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens; FSJ) sampled in 2000 and 2008 to compare levels of genetic diversity, inbreeding, relatedness, and lengths of runs of homozygosity (ROH) between two subpopulations within dispersal distance of one another but have experienced contrasting demographic trajectories. At Archbold Biological Station (ABS), the FSJ population has been stable because of consistent habitat protection and management, while at nearby Placid Lakes Estates (PLE), the population declined precipitously due to suburban development. By the onset of our sampling in 2000, birds in PLE were already less heterozygous, more inbred, and on average more related than birds in ABS. No significant changes occurred in heterozygosity or inbreeding across the 8‐year sampling interval, but average relatedness among individuals decreased in PLE, thus by 2008 average relatedness did not differ between sites. PLE harbored a similar proportion of short ROH but a greater proportion of long ROH than ABS, suggesting one continuous population of shared demographic history in the past, which is now experiencing more recent inbreeding. These results broadly uphold the predictions of simple population genetic models based on inferred effective population sizes and rates of immigration. Our study highlights how, in just a few generations, formerly continuous populations can diverge in heterozygosity and levels of inbreeding with severe local population decline despite ongoing gene flow.

Theoretical and experimental assessment of genome-based prediction in landraces of allogamous crops

Discovery and enrichment of favorable alleles in landraces are key to making them accessible for crop improvement. Here, we present two fundamentally different concepts for genome-based selection in landrace-derived maize populations, one based on doubled-haploid (DH) lines derived directly from individual landrace plants and the other based on crossing landrace plants to a capture line. For both types of populations, we show theoretically how allele frequencies of the ancestral landrace and the capture line translate into expectations for molecular and genetic variances. We show that the DH approach has clear advantages over gamete capture with generally higher prediction accuracies and no risk of masking valuable variation of the landrace. Prediction accuracies as high as 0.58 for dry matter yield in the DH population indicate high potential of genome-based selection. Based on a comparison among traits, we show that the genetic makeup of the capture line has great influence on the success of genome-based selection and that confounding effects between the alleles of the landrace and the capture line are best controlled for traits for which the capture line does not outperform the ancestral population per se or in testcrosses. Our results will guide the optimization of genome-enabled prebreeding schemes.

Streptomyces montanisoli sp. nov., exhibiting antimicrobial activity, isolated from mountain soil around a decaying tree.

A Gram-stain-positive, aerobic actinobacterial strain designated MMS17-BM035T isolated from mountain soil around a decaying tree was subjected to taxonomic characterization. The isolate developed extensively branched substrate mycelia and white aerial hyphae on International Streptomyces Project 2 agar. Strain MMS17-BM035T grew at 15-34 °C (optimum, 30 °C), at pH 5.0-8.0 (optimum, pH 7.0) and in the presence of 0-6 % NaCl (optimum, 0 %). Analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that MMS17-BM035T fell into a phylogenetic cluster belonging to the genus Streptomyces. MMS17-BM035T shared the highest sequence similarity of 99.45 % with Streptomyces fuscigenes JBL-20T, and no higher than 98.7 % with other species of Streptomyces. Based on the orthologous average nucleotide identity, MMS17-BM035T was again mostly related to S. fuscigenes JBL-20T with 84.14 % identity, and less than 80 % with other species. The digital DNA-DNA hybridization analysis also indicated low levels of relatedness with related species, as the highest value was observed with S. fuscigenes JBL-20T (28.8 %). The major fatty acids of the strain were anteiso-C15 : 0, a summed feature (consisting of C18 : 1 ω7c/C18 : 1 ω6c), iso-C15 : 0, C16 : 0 and C20 : 0. The major respiratory quinones were MK-9(H4) and MK-9(H6). The diagnostic polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylinositolmannoside. The major cell-wall diamino acid was ll-diaminopimelic acid, and the characteristic whole-cell sugars were glucose and ribose. The DNA G+C content was 72.1 mol%. Strain MMS17-BM035T exhibited antimicrobial activity against several Gram-positive bacteria and yeasts. Based on both phenotypic and phylogenetic evidences, strain MMS17-BM035T should be classified as representing a novel species, for which the name Streptomyces montanisoli sp. nov. (type strain=MMS17-BM035T=KCTC 49544T=JCM 34528T) is proposed.

Public R&D funding and new regional specialisations: The contingent role of technological relatedness​

ABSTRACT It is widely acknowledged that new technological specialisations of regions are to a large extent driven by the recombination of existing knowledge and capabilities. Yet, little is known about the role of policy in this process. To address this, we analyse the relationship between the regional allocation of research grants and new technological specialisations of European regions between 1999 and 2010. Research grants are measured as the number of R&D projects supported by the EU Framework Programmes (FP) and technological specialisations based on regional patenting activities. Using a fixed effects linear probability model, our results indicate that FP participations have a positive but relatively small effect on the development of new specialisations of regions. Results further suggest that the effect is highest if the level of relatedness with the new technology is neither too low nor too high, indicating that participations can compensate for a lack of local related capabilities.

Patterns of sex-biased dispersal are consistent with social and ecological constraints in a group-living cichlid fish

BackgroundSex-biased dispersal is a common and widespread phenomenon that can fundamentally shape the genetic structure of the social environments in which animals live. For animals that live in and move between social groups, sex-biased dispersal can result in an asymmetry in the degree of relatedness among cohabiting males and females, which can have strong implications for their social evolution. In this study, we measured the relatedness structure within and across groups of a wild population of Neolamprologus multifasciatus, a highly-social, shell-dwelling cichlid fish endemic to Lake Tanganyika, East Africa. In total, we genotyped 812 fish from 128 social groups at 20 microsatellite loci. Neolamprologus multifasciatus live at high densities, and also experience strong ecological constraints on free movement throughout their habitat. At the same time, they exhibit sex differences in the degree of reproductive competition within their groups and this makes them an excellent model system for studying the factors associated with sex-biased dispersal.ResultsSocial groups of N. multifasciatus consist of multiple males and females living together. We found that cohabiting females were unrelated to one another (Lynch-Ritland estimates of relatedness = 0.045 ± 0.15, average ± SD), while males shared much higher, albeit variable, levels of relatedness to other males in their groups (0.23 ± 0.27). We uncovered a pronounced decline in relatedness between males living in separate groups as the spatial separation between them increased, a pattern that was not evident in females. Female dispersal was also markedly constrained by the distribution and availability of nearby territories to which they could emigrate.ConclusionsOur results indicate female-biased dispersal in N. multifasciatus. Our study also highlights how the spatial distribution of suitable dispersal destinations can influence the movement decisions of animals. We also emphasize how sex-biased dispersal can influence the relatedness structure of the social environment in which individuals interact and compete with one another.