Rotten Logs Research Articles

A new large and colorful skink of the genus Amphiglossus from Madagascar revealed by morphology and multilocus molecular study

We describe a new species of Amphiglossus skink from the western edge of the Central Highlands of Madagascar in the Reserve of Makira, and also found in the Réserve Spéciale of Ambohijanahary and in the Réserve Spéciale of Marotandrano. Amphiglossus meva n. sp. is characterized and differentiated from other species of the genus by a combination of morphological, chromatic and molecular characters: 1) a relatively large size (SVL of adults from 126 to 150 mm); 2) a characteristic pattern of coloration, Amphiglossus meva being the only skink in Madagascar together with Amphiglossus crenni with dark grey dorsum contrasting with orange flanks and ventrum; 3) the absence of a postnasal scale; 4) the presubocular frequently absent, 5) the presence of single elongated tertiary temporal bordering lower secondary temporal and 6) pentadactyl limbs. In addition to the morphological approach, a multi-locus genetic analysis based on eight mitochondrial and nuclear genes clearly supports the distinctiveness of A. meva. This new species was found in areas of rainforest, sometimes containing transitional deciduous forest elements. It was typically observed under large rotten logs associated with dense layers of decomposed wood retaining certain humidity and providing habitat for invertebrate larvae and termites.

Turning Over the Rotting Log in Del(5q) Myelodysplasia

Turning Over the Rotting Log in Del(5q) Myelodysplasia

Species Richness, Distribution, and Status of Mosses in Selected Mountains in Mindanao, Philippines

The paper determined the species richness, distribution, and status of mosses in selected mountains in Mindanao, Philippines. Field collections of mosses were conducted in Mt. Kalatungan, Bukidnon Province, Mt. Matutum, South Cotabato Province, and Mt. Malambo, Davao Province at 10 meters on each side of the trails using alphataxonomy method. The mosses were collected, classified, and identified. Its status was also assessed. The study revealed 137 species, 87 genera and 33 families of mosses. Of the 137 species, 109 were found in Mt. Kalatungan , 59 in Mt. Matutum. and 20 in Mt. Malambo . Assessment of status of the species revealed 7 species as Philippine record, 37 new to Mindanao, 1 collected only twice, 29 widespread, 12 rare species, and all species collected were new record in terms of locality. Mt. Kalatungan had the highest species richness, followed by Mt. Matutum, and Mt. Malambo had the least number of species. Based on the findings, with the alarming rate of degradation of the mountains which is basically caused by human activities such as land clearing, slash and burn method for expanding crop plantation, urbanization, firewood consumption, over collection of moss plant materials of horticulture, landscaping and other commercial purposes. Some species are epiphytes on tree trunks or branches of live trees while others are on rotten logs, rock surfaces, moist stones along the stream banks and some grow well on soil. Hence, the identified habitats of new records in the Philippines, new to Mindanao, new in terms of locality, widespread, and rare species of mosses should be protected through a strict implementation of the forest laws by concerned authorities. Â Keywords - Mosses, species richness, distribution, status, Mindanao Island, Philippines.

Repeated Copulation in the Wood-feeding Cockroach Cryptocercus punctulatus Does Not Influence Number or Development of Offspring

Wood-feeding cockroaches in the genus Crytocercus live in biparental family groups in the interior of rotten logs and are considered socially monogamous. They typically produce a single brood of altricial offspring, with parental care then lasting until the death of adults 2 or 3 years later. Field and laboratory evidence suggests that copulation occurs repeatedly in C. punctulatus, with sexual activity occurring during non-fertile periods. We carried out a long-term field study to explore the significance of repeated copulation in C. punctulatus. The presence of a male positively affected the onset of female reproduction, but neither the male’s physical presence nor his ability to mate influenced the number or early development of nymphs. Sperm are viable in the spermathecae for at least 3 years. We conclude that it is unlikely that male-derived material benefits have driven the evolution of repeated copulation in C. punctulatus. Accumulating evidence suggests that prior to oviposition, repeated copulation may be rooted in sperm competition, but after the eggs are laid it may secure the continued paternal contribution of the male social partner.

Description of Two New Species of Baeocera Erichson (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scaphidiinae) from México

Abstract Two new species of the genus Baeocera, B. pulchella n. sp. and B. gutierrezberaudi n. sp., are described based on specimens collected in Jalisco, Mexico. Both were found on rotten logs with mycelia of Ganoderma australe (Friese) Patouillard and unidentified species of Poria Persoon (Fomitopsidaceae) and Trichia Haller (Trichiaceae). A key for the identification of the Mexican species of Baeocera is provided.

Laboratory observation of siblicide with hatching asynchrony in an insect with parental provisioning

We report laboratory observation of siblicide with hatching asynchrony in the passalid beetle Cylindrocaulus patalis. Parents construct a breeding gallery in rotten logs and show complex care of offspring, including provisioning. Clutch sizes are extremely small, and only a single offspring is raised in a colony in each breeding season. We introduced field-collected colonies into an artificial gallery and recorded the behaviour of colony members. Eggs hatched at 2- to 10-day intervals in each colony. Fatal fighting invariably occurred among the larvae soon after hatching of the junior larva, and a single larva, usually the senior one, survived.

Evolution of advanced social traits in phylogenetically basal ants: striking worker polymorphism and large queens in Amblyopone australis

The ecological success of ants results notably from their ability to derive several phenotypes from the same genotype. In higher ants, polyphenism can be extreme: high queen–worker size dimorphism and worker polymorphism allow for better success at colony founding by lone queens, better division of tasks, and ultimately access to new ecological niches. However in basal ants, polyphenism is much more limited, restricting them to narrow niches. It is often assumed that basal ants lack the ability to produce a pronounced polyphenism. In Amblyopone, most species nest and hunt centipedes in soil and leaf litter, and polyphenism is weak, e.g. A. pallipes. Here we studied A. australis, which forages and nests in rotten logs. Using analyses of morphometry and allometry, we showed that queen–worker dimorphism and worker polymorphism are much higher in A. australis than in A. pallipes. Workers of A. australis exhibit various sizes and shapes, and large individuals could be better adapted for digging galleries in rotten logs. Moreover, larger queens are probably more efficient during non-claustral colony foundation. We conclude that the evolution of advanced social traits typical of higher ants is also possible in basal ants, but it is not often selected for.

Color Variation in Two Neotropical Species ofScutellinia

Collecting trips in the American tropics have yielded two unusual specimens of Scutellinia. Although assigned to existing species, these specimens exhibit subtle differences from the descriptions of both species. Normally red to brownish red, a specimen of Scutellinia balansae was collected on decaying banana leaves in Venezuela that has a yellow hymenium. In Scutellinia blumenaviensis the hymenium is usually bright red, brownish red to grayish, however, a specimen with a golden-yellow hymenium was collected on a rotting log in the northeastern lowlands of Ecuador. Descriptions and illustrations of these two species are provided.

Two new species of the spider genus Ochyrocera (Araneae, Ochyroceratidae) from Mexico

Abstract Two new species of the spider genus Ochyrocera Simon 1891 are described from Mexico. Ochyrocera juquila new species was collected under moist rotten logs and hollow trunks on a thick bed of pine needles in oak-pine forests located in a mountain range south of the city of Oaxaca at 1400–2700 m elev. Ochyrocera juquila resembles O. quinquevittata Simon 1891 from the Island of St. Vincent, in the angular shape of the embolus, which in the new species is V-shaped and in O. quinquevittata is L-shaped. Ochyrocera chiapas new species, was collected under rotten trunks and hollow trunks in abundant leaf litter in the tropical, humid Lacandona rainforest region located in eastern Chiapas, near the border with Guatemala. The species occurs at 160–260 m elev. Ochyrocera chiapas resembles O. arietina Simon, 1891 from the island of St. Vincent, in the similar shape of the embolus and distal apophysis of the cymbium, but in O. chiapas the embolus is more strongly curved and directed toward the distal part of t...

Parabiosis between basal fungus-growing ants (Formicidae, Attini)

We describe the first observation of parabiosis between two Attini ants (Apterostigma urichii Forel and Cyphomyrmex faunulus Wheeler) found in northern Manaus, AM, Brazil. Complete, mature colonies of both species were found in a single cavity inside a rotten log, sharing and tending a single combined fungus garden, made up of two distinct halves, each cultivated by one species. Workers of one species often antennated workers of the other species and showed no aggression toward each other or toward each other’s workers, queens, or immatures. Laboratory observations suggest that immatures of both species feed on hyphae from either half of the fungus garden. We were not able to find other parabiotic pairs involving the same species in the same locality, although we found colonies of both species sharing trails and foraging territories.

New Records of Philippine Mosses from Mindanao Island

The study identified the record status of the collected species of mosses found on selected mountains in Mindanao. Field collections of mosses were conducted in Mt. Kalatungan, Bukidnon Province and Mt. Matutum, South Cotabato Province at 10 meters on each side of the trails. The study sites were labeled Southeastern, Northeastern and Western Sloes. The moss specimens were collected, classified and described. Using the key of Bartram (1939) and other literatures, the specimens were identified. The study revealed 137 species, 87 genera and 33 families of mosses. Of the 137 species, 109 were found in Mt. Kalatungan and 59 in Mt. Matutum. Assessment of conservation status revealed seven new records of Philippines mosses namely: Acroporium ramicola, Garovaglia bauerlenii, Hypnodendron auricomum, Leucobryum boninense, Meiotheciella papillosa, Neolindbergia cladomnioides, and Symphysodontella parvifolia are reported. The annihilation of the mountains is basically caused by human activities such as land clearing, slash and burn method for expanding crop plantation, urbanization, firewood consumption, over collection of moss plant materials of horticulture, landscaping and other commercial purposes. Some species are epiphytes on tree trunks or branches of live trees while others are on rotten logs, rock surfaces, moist stones along the stream banks and some grow well on soil. Â Key words - Mosses,Acroporium ramicola, Garovaglia bauerlenii, Hypnodendron auricomum, Leucobryum boninense, Meiotheciella papillosa, Neolindbergia cladomnioides, and Symphysodontella parvifolia.

Effects of temperature and oxygen availability on water loss and carbon dioxide release in two sympatric saproxylic invertebrates

Water loss and VCO(2) relative to temperature and oxygen tension was investigated in a log-dwelling onychophoran (Euperipatoides rowelli) and a sympatric, un-described millipede species using flow-through respirometry. Onychophorans possess a tracheal system featuring permanently open spiracles. Total body water loss was consistently very high in E. rowelli and there was a positive correlation with increasing temperature. CO(2) output was continuous, increasing with higher temperatures and decreasing under lower oxygen concentrations. The millipede which has occludible spiracles also showed continuous gas exchange; however water loss was up to an order of magnitude lower than E. rowelli. An ability to survive under hypoxia is apparent for both species and corresponds with reports of hypoxic conditions within rotting logs. The rotting log habitat common to both taxa is characterized by high relative humidity and typically cool temperatures that approach 0 degrees C at night in winter. Consequently, dispersal through the higher temperatures and lower humidity of the exposed and dry understorey between suitable habitat may be hazardous for E. rowelli due to high desiccation susceptibility.

Concept and Classification of Coarse Woody Debris in Forest Ecosystems

Coarse woody debris (CWD) is generally considered as dead woody materials in various stages of decomposition, including sound and rotting logs, snags, and large branches. CWD is an important functional and structural component of forested ecosystems and plays an important role in nutrient cycling, long-term carbon storage, tree regeneration, and maintenance of heterogeneous environmental and biological diversity. However, the definition and classification of CWD have been the subject of a long debate in forest ecology. CWD has not been precisely defined. Recently, with the rapid development of landscape ecology in CWD, the USDA Forest Service and the Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) have provided a standardized definition and classification for CWD, which makes data comparison in landscape scale possible. Important characteristics of their definition include: (1) a minimum diameter (or an equivalent cross-section) of CWD ≥10 cm at the widest point (the woody debris with a diameter from 1 to 10 cm should be defined as fine woody debris, and the rest is litterfall); and (2) sound and rotting logs, snags, stumps, and large branches (located above the soil), and coarse root debris (larger than 1 cm in diameter). This classification has greatly facilitated CWD studies. Therefore, it has been widely applied in some countries (particularly in North America). However, this classification has long been a source of confusion for forest ecologists in China. Furthermore, different definitions and criteria are still adopted in individual studies, which makes the interpretation and generalization of their work difficult. This article reviewed recent progress in classifying CWD, with an emphasis on introducing the classification system of the USDA Forest Service and the LTER. It is expected that this review will help facilitate the development of standardized definition and classification suitable to forest ecosystems in China.

Imbolc Poems

1. Imbolc easier if once having given birth the new fawn straggled off to eden so much harder to carry her with her stick legs over snowfi elds if there were a brook a fig left lying in the snow a trickle of sap from a tree to make the journey easier o lady of the well of life have pity on one who bears herself through cold winter show yourself though you dwell beneath frozen water tap the ice until it breaks 2. Festival of Trees When we went to the clearing to visit the trees, the great trees of the clearing, [End Page 75] mother, grandmother, and daughter, sister, and faithful gatekeeper, we blessed them to grow upward, to spread the wealth of earth into the air as a fan scatters a breeze across the face. But when we came to the wise crone, the old dead tree wrapped in vines, escorted by milkweed and tall grass, her we blessed to grow downward to pour her radiance back into the soil so that all would grow from her body. That day in the snow she had the face of an owl, beak and hooded eyes. Her call could not be heard. It was beneath us, under the ground. 3. Snow Queen soft and deep the magician said to me while he ate at my table in winter soft and deep is your wisdom you are snow one can walk through you your voice is dripping water one cannot hear it except in the silence between winds you are the white roof of a stone you round the world's edges you are a wall dividing earth from sky but you are earth and sky together [End Page 76] you are an avalanche you snap the boughs of birches you are a skin on earth you cover each needle of the pines you are a snowdrift no one can move you except a little at a time 4. The Feast of Brigid The red-haired girl draws milk in a pail from the earth. The earth is a spotted cow with teats that are geysers and anthills and rotten logs. The red-haired girl strokes and strokes the dark soil. When the milk rises in spurts she catches its arc of white froth to give out to visitors. At the gate of the farm the world holds out its hand, while in a field rimed with frost the first snowdrop toddles from the ground. 5. Sunna and the Wolf My pretty, I will eat you, and when I eat you you will shine so brightly within me I will tear myself open for the joy of seeing you again. [End Page 77] Then it will be dawn. The blood of my desire will paint the sky. Only you and I will know how in the night you lay in my belly and at daybreak I let you go. 6. Baubo My beloved calls you Vagina Girl. You are her hero, the goddess who speaks with the lips of her vulva, who tells jokes about misery. You are the one who backs her father's words against the wall so her body may speak. In the mists of myth you danced with a grieving mother and made her laugh. You brought the first warm breeze to earth. You are as old as the hills and as young as the need to keep living. You are the patron saint of survivors. Everyone likes you at parties and fears you for telling the truth. When I meet you and your furry ways you tickle me. I would try to become you if I could tell one punch line without crying. 7. Demeter Pauses If I do not find her there will still be mountains and melt coming off the hills in spring and the grain will feel cool and heavy in my hand as I cast it to the hungry earth and the fir boughs will touch my face [End Page...

Balsam fir and white spruce seedling recruitment in response to understory release, seedbed type, and litter exclusion in trembling aspen stands

Experimental seeding of balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) and white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) was implemented in three mature trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) stands in southeastern Manitoba to test (i) the effect of vegetation (light) competition and seedbed type (undisturbed forest floor, exposed mineral soil, and rotten logs) on seedling recruitment over the first 2 years and (ii) the effect of broadleaf litter exclusion on seedling mortality during the first winter. The study indicated that, with adequate seed supply, seedbed type was the most important factor limiting seedling recruitment, especially the recruitment of white spruce, in trembling aspen stands. Seedling recruitment on the best and the worst seedbeds differed by 1.8 times for balsam fir but by 19 times for white spruce. Significant differences in soil moisture and temperature were found between seedbed types. Broadleaf litter exclusion also facilitated the recruitment of balsam fir and white spruce, but only on undisturbed forest floor. Vegetation (light) competition, however, did not limit seedling recruitment. On the contrary, the presence of understory vegetation benefited seedling recruitment on rotten logs. Compared with white spruce, balsam fir is better adapted to regenerate in trembling aspen stands. Balsam fir was about 4, 12, and 36 times better than white spruce when regenerating on exposed mineral soil, rotten log, and undisturbed forest floor, respectively.

The beetle family Carabidae of Costa Rica: The genera of the Cryptobatida group of subtribe Agrina, tribe Lebiini, with new species and notes on their way of life (Insecta: Coleoptera)

Eight genera and eighteen species of the Cryptobatida group of subtribe Agrina, Lebiini, living in Costa Rica are diagnosed, described, illustrated or referenced and new species assigned to inclusive genera. Occurrences of some taxa outside of Costa Rica are also reported, these ranging from Texas to Argentina. Subtribe Agrina consists of those species formerly included in the Subtribe Calleidina. Four new species of Aspasiola Chaudoir 1877 are described: A. bonita Erwin, n. sp. (COSTA RICA. PUNTARENAS, Peninsula de Osa, P.N. Corcovado, Estaci n Sirena, 0 100 m, 08 28' 0 N, 083 35' 0 W, LS270500, 508300), A. osa Erwin, n. sp. (COSTA RICA. PUNTARENAS, Peninsula de Osa, P.N. Corcovado, Estaci n Sirena, upper Ollas Trail, 30 150 m, 08 29' 00 N, 083 34' 39 W), A. selva Erwin, n. sp. (COSTA RICA. HEREDIA, Estaci n Biol gica La Selva, 3.0 km S Puerto Viejo, Finca La Selva, 50 150 m, 10 25' 55 N, 084 00' 32 W, LN535500, 268000), A. steineri Erwin n. sp. (COSTA RICA. HEREDIA, Estaci n Biol gica La Selva, 3.0 km S Puerto Viejo, Finca La Selva, 50 150 m, 10 25' 55 N, 084 00' 32 W, LN535500, 268000). Two new species of Hyboptera Chaudoir 1872 are described: H. apollonia Erwin n. sp. (PANAM , COL N, Porto Bello, 113 m, 09 33' 0 N, 079 39' 0 W), H. auxiliadora Erwin n. sp. (USA. TEXAS, Hidalgo County, Mission; Bentsen State Park, 26 10' 22" N, 098 22' 56" W). Alkestis Liebke 1939 is a nomen dubium and possible junior synonym of Lelis Chaudoir 1869. Aspasiola rutilans ignea Bates 1883 is changed to full species, Aspasiola ignea Bates new status. Pseudolebia Basilewsky 1942 is NOT a synonym of Onota Chaudoir 1872. Pseudometabletus Liebke 1930 is a junior synonym of Cylindronotum Putzeys 1846. Pseudotoglossa rufitarsis nigrescens Mateu 1961:177 is a junior synonym of Pseudotoglossa terminalis (Chaudoir). An identification key is provided to the genera of the Cryptobatida Group and additional keys are provided for those genera with more than one species occurring in Costa Rica. Distribution data is provided for all species including their known occurrence outside of Costa Rica in adjacent Panam and Nicaragua, and other countries. Adults of species of Aspasiola, Cryptobatis, Otoglossa and Hyboptera are known to occur on shelf fungi on rotting logs and have also been fogged from the canopy of tropical trees (which probably contained shelf fungi on dead branches); adults of species of Cylindronotum, Onota, Pseudotoglossa, Valeriaaschero have also been fogged from the canopy of tropical trees and likely adults of Onota and Pseudotoglossa collected from rotten logs were associated with fungi.

The herb and dwarf shrubs colonization of decaying logs in subalpine forest in the Polish Tatra Mountains

This is a study of the colonization pattern of herbs and dwarf shrubs on rotten logs in subalpine spruce forests (Plagiothecio Piceetum) in the Tatra Mountains. On four study plots (total area 1.43 ha.) all dead logs were measured and the decomposition stage was estimated using the 8-degree scale. For each log the cover of all vascular species, bryophytes and lichens was determined according to the methods of classical phytosociology. Constancy and an index of coverage were calculated for all vascular species growing on logs. The total volume of logs was relatively high (93 m3 ha−1) and constituted 22% of the volume of living trees. Logs and stumps covered 411 m2 ha−1. These values are similar to those known from natural spruce forest from Carpathians and Scandinavia. The 8 stages of decomposition were equally represented, which indicates a constant supply of dead wood to the forest floor over time. The colonization of dead wood starts with lichens, followed by bryophytes and finally herbs and tree saplings. The first vascular plant colonists of dead logs appear at decay stage nr. 3 at least 20 years after tree death. The most suitable condition for most of the herb species corresponds to decay stage nr. 6 ca. 50 years after tree death. The herb cover is distinctively dominated by Vaccinium myrtillus. Simultaneously with herb species, tree seedlings colonize the logs. Constancy and abundance of Norway spruce saplings increases with advanced decomposition. It seems that the herb cover of logs does not hinder the regeneration of spruce.

Larvae and pupae of species of the genusMacraspis(Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae: Rutelini)

AbstractThird-instar larvae and pupae ofMacraspis aterrimaWaterhouse,Macraspis rufonitidaBurmeister, andMacraspis chrysis(Linné) from Mexico andMacraspis festivaBurmeister andMacraspis pseudochrysisLandin from Brazil are described. All larvae and pupae were found in rotten logs or stumps of numerous tree species. Illustrations of diagnostic structures, brief comments on the biology of each species, and a key to the seven larvae of the genus are included.

Pheromonally mediated colonization patterns in the velvet worm Euperipatoides rowelli (Onychophora)

AbstractWe demonstrate that the males of the peripatopsid Euperipatoides rowelli secrete a pheromone from crural papillae, which acts as an attractant to both males and females of the species. Patterns of colonization of decomposing logs and differences in sex ratio between incipient vs established populations indicate that males are the initial dispersers and colonizers, finding suitable log habitats in an exploratory fashion, while females subsequently colonize logs. This results in a disproportionately high frequency of males in newly colonized logs, followed by a gradual increase in female proportion. We argue that females use the aggregating pheromone secreted by males to target appropriate rotting log microhabitats, resulting in a clumped distribution of females compared to a more random distribution for males among recently colonized logs. This mode of colonization reduces the time that animals, especially females, spend outside the safety of suitable logs, and the risk‐taking strategy of male exploration may explain the marked sex ratio bias in favour of females in the population. Rapid and non‐random dispersal may also account for the contradictory evidence of unexpectedly high rates of colonization of new logs, yet a paucity of animals in leaf litter samples. The possibility that pheromone trails play a part in the dispersal process is discussed.

Diversity of bryophyte flora and vegetation on rotten wood in rain and montane forests of northeastern Tanzania

Decomposing wood forms the substrate for special lignicolous, hygrophilous, and sciophilous plant communities. In a moist tropical forest, vegetation on this substrate consists mostly of bryophytes. The material gathered from Mt. Meru and the Usambara Mts. in Tanzania comprises 102 taxa or genera of bryophytes. Of these 86 taxa are mosses and 16 hepatics. They were collected from a number of rotten logs at different stages of decay both in primeval and in cultivated forests. The bryophyte vegetation on these logs was examined by use of quadrats 20 x 20 cm. A total of 71 taxa occurred in 51 plots.