Picture yourself on a crowded sideway with people milling about. The acoustic and visual signals generated by the crowd provide you with complementary information about their locations and motion ...which needs to be integrated. It is not well understood how such inputs from different sensory channels are combined into unified perceptual states. Coherence of oscillatory neural signals might be an essential mechanism supporting multisensory perception. Evidence is now emerging which indicates that coupled oscillatory activity might serve to link neural signals across uni- and multisensory regions and to express the degree of crossmodal matching of stimulus-related information. These results argue for a new view on multisensory processing which considers the dynamic interplay of neural populations as a key to crossmodal integration.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
A working checklist of accepted taxa worldwide is vital in achieving the goal of developing an online flora of all known plants by 2020 as part of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation. We here ...present the first-ever worldwide checklist for liverworts (Marchantiophyta) and hornworts (Anthocerotophyta) that includes 7486 species in 398 genera representing 92 families from the two phyla. The checklist has far reaching implications and applications, including providing a valuable tool for taxonomists and systematists, analyzing phytogeographic and diversity patterns, aiding in the assessment of floristic and taxonomic knowledge, and identifying geographical gaps in our understanding of the global liverwort and hornwort flora. The checklist is derived from a working data set centralizing nomenclature, taxonomy and geography on a global scale. Prior to this effort a lack of centralization has been a major impediment for the study and analysis of species richness, conservation and systematic research at both regional and global scales. The success of this checklist, initiated in 2008, has been underpinned by its community approach involving taxonomic specialists working towards a consensus on taxonomy, nomenclature and distribution.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Latitudinal gradients in species interactions are widely cited as potential causes or consequences of global patterns of biodiversity. However, mechanistic studies documenting changes in interactions ...across broad geographic ranges are limited. We surveyed predation intensity on common prey (live amphipods and gastropods) in communities of eelgrass (Zostera marina) at 48 sites across its Northern Hemisphere range, encompassing over 37° of latitude and four continental coastlines. Predation on amphipods declined with latitude on all coasts but declined more strongly along western ocean margins where temperature gradients are steeper. Whereas in situ water temperature at the time of the experiments was uncorrelated with predation, mean annual temperature strongly positively predicted predation, suggesting a more complex mechanism than simply increased metabolic activity at the time of predation. This large-scale biogeographic pattern was modified by local habitat characteristics; predation declined with higher shoot density both among and within sites. Predation rates on gastropods, by contrast, were uniformly low and varied little among sites. The high replication and geographic extent of our study not only provides additional evidence to support biogeographic variation in predation intensity, but also insight into the mechanisms that relate temperature and biogeographic gradients in species interactions.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, INZLJ, KILJ, NLZOH, NMLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK, ZRSKP
The suborder Jungermanniineae of the Jungermanniales is a major lineage of leafy liverworts, recognized in recent classifications to include 15 families. Gametophytes within the suborder are ...morphologically diverse, but commonly anisophyllous to distichous, usually with succubous, rarely transverse or incubuous, leaf insertions. Sporophytes are frequently, but not universally, enclosed by stemderived perigynia or coelocaules, often accompanied by perianth reduction or loss and some level of geocauly or marsupial development. We herein provide the first comprehensive molecular phylogeny of this geographically widespread suborder, using sequences generated from one nuclear (rpb2), two mitochondrial (nad1 and rps3), and seven plastid (atpB, psbA, psbT-H, rbcL, rps4, trnG and trnL) loci, sampled from 279 accessions representing 163 species in 57 genera. Ancestral states were reconstructed for 14 morphological characters generally considered taxonomically diagnostic for families in the suborder. Our phylogenetic analyses support the return of Leiomylia (=Mylia anomala) to the Myliaceae, removal of Myliaceae from the Jungermanniineae, and validation of the monogeneric suborder Myliineae subord. nov. to house it. Eighteen families are recognized within the Jungermanniineae, nine of which are monogeneric; namely, Endogemmataceae, Harpanthaceae, Gyrothyraceae, Arnelliaceae, Saccogynaceae, Geocalycaceae, Jackiellaceae, Notoscyphaceae stat. nov., and Trichotemnomaceae. The generic compositions of other families are modified as follows: Saccogynidium is transferred from Geocalycaceae to a newly named subfamily of Acrobolbaceae, Acrobolbaceae subf. Saccogynidioideae, and one other subfamily of the Acrobolbaceae is validated, Acrobolbaceae subf. Austrolophozioideae;Hygrobiella is included in Antheliaceae (previously in Cephaloziaceae or its own family); Jungermanniaceae is broadened to include Mesoptychiaceae and Delavayellaceae; Cryptocoleopsis and Nardia are transferred from Solenostomataceae to Gymnomitriaceae; Gottschelia, Herzogobryum, and Nothogymnomitrion are excluded from the Jungermanniineae; Solenostomataceae is recognized to include Solenostoma, Arctoscyphus, Cryptocolea, and Diplocolea. Additional nomenclatural changes include recognizing Horikawaella as a synonym of Solenostoma and Apomarsupella as a synonym of Gymnomitrion, establishing two new subgenera of Solenostoma, Solenostomasubg. Metasolenostoma and Solenostoma subg. Eucalyx, and transferring Jungermannia conchata to Cephalozia. Morphological character state reconstructions identify dioecious inflorescences, gametangia on leading stems, flagelliform or stoloniferous branches absent, dorsal leaf insertions not overlapping the stem midline, large underleaves, and lack of gemmae as ancestral within the Jungermanniineae. All morphological characters appear to be moderately to highly homoplasious within the suborder.
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BFBNIB, NMLJ, NUK, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
A commonly cited mechanism for invasion resistance is more complete resource use by diverse plant assemblages with maximum niche complementarity. We investigated the invasion resistance of several ...plant functional groups against the nonindigenous forb Spotted knapweed (Centaurea maculosa). The study consisted of a factorial combination of seven functional group removals (groups singularly or in combination) and two C. maculosa treatments (addition vs. no addition) applied in a randomized complete block design replicated four times at each of two sites. We quantified aboveground plant material nutrient concentration and uptake (concentration x biomass) by indigenous functional groups: grasses, shallow-rooted forbs, deep-rooted forbs, spikemoss, and the nonindigenous invader C. maculosa. In 2001, C. maculosa density depended upon which functional groups were removed. The highest C. maculosa densities occurred where all vegetation or all forbs were removed. Centaurea maculosa densities were the lowest in plots where nothing, shallow-rooted forbs, deep-rooted forbs, grasses, or spikemoss were removed. Functional group biomass was also collected and analyzed for nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and sulphur. Based on covariate analyses, postremoval indigenous plot biomass did not relate to invasion by C. maculosa. Analysis of variance indicated that C. maculosa tissue nutrient percentage and net nutrient uptake were most similar to indigenous forb functional groups. Our study suggests that establishing and maintaining a diversity of plant functional groups within the plant community enhances resistance to invasion. Indigenous plants of functionally similar groups as an invader may be particularly important in invasion resistance.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Cyanolophocolea echinella R.M.Schust. is an intriguing species, possessing some character states characteristic of the genus Chiloscyphus, such as the ability to produce both male and female ...gametangia on leading shoots, while having other features that are generic characters of Heteroscyphus, namely presence of gametangia on short, abbreviated lateral-intercalary branches. Its systematic identity was here studied using morphological and DNA sequence data of the chloroplast gene regions of rbcL, rps4 and trnL-F. Thirty-seven exemplars including eight of Cyanolophocolea echinella, 27 of Lophocoleaceae and two of Plagiochilaceae were used for phylogenetic reconstruction using both maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference methods. Our analyses placed Cyanolophocolea echinella within Heteroscyphus with strong support. Heteroscyphus echinellus (Lindenb. & Gottsche) J.J.Engel & XiaoL.He is proposed and based on morphological variations two varieties, var. echinellus and var. hyalinus J.J.Engel, are recognized. A large indel (59 base pairs) and one substitution in the trnL intron region, and also one substitution in the intergenic spacer region were found in the trnL-F in two Cyanolophocolea echinella exemplars both with hyaline oil-bodies. This indicates rapid molecular evolution might have occurred within the species.
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BFBNIB, NMLJ, NUK, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Lamellocolea was previously a monotypic genus endemic to New Zealand. Lamellocolea integrostia, a second species in the genus, is described and illustrated from New Zealand.
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BFBNIB, NMLJ, NUK, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Abstract
Purpose
The current study compares the strength of a previously studied technique for flexor tendon repair with barbed sutures to an experimental approach that aligns all the barbs to ...oppose distraction.
Methods
Twelve flexor tendons from cadaveric specimens were mechanically tested following repair of simulated zone II tendon injuries. Two repair techniques utilizing barbed sutures were studied: the Marrero-Amadeo four-core barbed suture approach and the experimental configuration with all barbs on four cores opposing distraction. Maximum applied load at failure, that is, ultimate load, and 2-mm gap force were compared between the two repair techniques, both as raw values and after normalization to cross-sectional area of the intact tendon. Statistical testing was performed using
t
-tests and Mann-Whitney
U
-tests, where appropriate, with a significance level of 0.05.
Results
The ultimate loads, raw (58.2 N) and normalized (4.8 N/mm
2
), were significantly larger for the Marrero-Amadeo repair than the proposed experimental approach (35.6 N and 2.7 N/mm
2
;
p
< 0.05). No significant differences were identified for 2-mm gap force.
Conclusion
The innovation of suturing to align all barbs to oppose distraction does not improve strength of the repaired tendon. The Marrero-Amadeo technique was found to have superior strength for use in traumatic zone II flexor tendon injuries.
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