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The lion Panthera leo is one of the world's most charismatic carnivores and is one of Africa's key predators. Here, we used a large dataset from 357 lions comprehending 1.13 megabases of sequence data and genotypes from 22 microsatellite loci to characterize its recent evolutionary history. Patterns of molecular genetic variation in multiple maternal (mtDNA), paternal (Y-chromosome), and biparental nuclear (nDNA) genetic markers were compared with patterns of sequence and subtype variation of the lion feline immunodeficiency virus (FIVPle), a lentivirus analogous to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In spite of the ability of lions to disperse long distances, patterns of lion genetic diversity suggest substantial population subdivision (mtDNA ΦST = 0.92; nDNA FST = 0.18), and reduced gene flow, which, along with large differences in seroprevalence of six distinct FIVPle subtypes among lion populations, refute the hypothesis that African lions consist of a single panmictic population. Our results suggest that extant lion populations derive from several Pleistocene refugia in East and Southern Africa (∼324,000-169,000 years ago), which expanded during the Late Pleistocene (∼100,000 years ago) into Central and North Africa and into Asia. During the Pleistocene/Holocene transition (∼14,000-7,000 years), another expansion occurred from southern refugia northwards towards East Africa, causing population interbreeding. In particular, lion and FIVPle variation affirms that the large, well-studied lion population occupying the greater Serengeti Ecosystem is derived from three distinct populations that admixed recently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the role of undergraduate teachers in an education program for college teaching in the U. S. Commitment to teaching profession is the primary responsibility in teacher education programs. This must be the focus of every teacher in creating a program. Teachers must view the school as a transition institution that prepares the students for future life. They serve as steward in creating and preserving the a wholesome sense of individuality, self-acceptance and commitment among the students.

Details a study of college students' metacognitive ability to see whether or to what extent it would be correlated with actual test grades. Cognition and metacognition; Study methods and results.

Discusses various aspects of behavioral ecology in South Africa. Evolutionary explanations for behavioral decisions made by organisms in their natural environment; Reasons for promoting behavioral ecology within the country; Economic aspects; Conservation-related relevance for developing nations with increasing pressure placed on their limited resources.