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Recent collection efforts in caves of Mato Grosso state, Brazilian Midwest, have brought to light specimens of four Neritimorpha and Stylommatophora land-snail species previously unrecorded from that state: Helicina fulva d’Orbigny, 1835 (Family Helicinidae), Streptartemon abunaensis (F. Baker, 1914) and Streptartemon decipiens (Crosse, 1865) (family Streptaxidae), and Systrophia alcidiana Ancey, 1892 (family Scolodontidae). These records are not only the first from that state, but also represent large extensions to those species’ known distributions, as well as their first records from a cave habitat.

Recent collection efforts in caves of Mato Grosso state, Brazilian Midwest, have brought to light specimens of four Neritimorpha and Stylommatophora land-snail species previously unrecorded from that state: Helicina fulva d'Orbigny, 1835 (Family Helicinidae), Streptartemon abunaensis (F. Baker, 1914) and Streptartemon decipiens (Crosse, 1865) (family Streptaxidae), and Systrophia alcidiana Ancey, 1892 (family Scolodontidae). These records are not only the first from that state, but also represent large extensions to those species' known distributions, as well as their first records from a cave habitat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. Understanding of animal movement behaviour is critical for developing appropriate conservation strategies because of its profound implications for predicting species' responses to perturbations. To date there is a substantial knowledge gap of the movement behaviour of subterranean invertebrates. 2. In this study temporary emigration (TE), the probability that an individual is absent from the cave on a given sampling occasion, was used as a method to inform on the movement and behaviour of cave‐dwelling invertebrates. Because these animals are difficult to study with traditional tracking techniques, the capture–recapture (CR) modelling framework was used to assess TE and to account for imperfect detectability and unobservable states. 3. Specifically, the influence of season, sex, and surface weather variables on the TE of the facultative cave‐dwelling harvestman species, Paranemastoma sillii sillii (Herman, 1871), was investigated. Multistate CR models were used while accounting for individual heterogeneity on 999 individually marked adults of two populations inhabiting two caves, located in southwestern Romania. 4. Harvestmen demonstrated clear heterogeneity and seasonality in TE. Findings showed that the TE of harvestmen exhibited variation between caves and there was little support for surface weather variables influencing TE and for sex‐specific TE patterns. 5. These results show that the study of TE patterns is useful to gain valuable insights into movement and intrinsic behavioural processes of cave‐dwelling harvestmen. The method could potentially be used for other invertebrate groups with similar movement characteristics and when traditional tracking techniques are difficult. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2008 the change to the Brazilian legislation regarding the use of natural caves has caused an increase in the number of studies on environmental impacts involving caves. The legislation requires the classification of such environments according to their importance, and caves that are not classified highly may be irreversibly impacted. Thus, caves in rocks of high economic interest have been intensively sampled, which has resulted in the collection of several specimens of Palpigradi in them. The Iron Quadrangle (in Minas Gerais state) stands out among these areas as one the most important sources of iron ore in Brazil. Several palpigrades from this region are housed in collections: most of them belong to the edaphic species Eukoenenia ferratilis, and a small portion belong to new species that are morphologically quite distinct from E. ferratilis, with longer bodies and more elongated appendages, indicating the presence of troglomorphisms. Therefore, the present study aimed to describe threenew troglobitic species of Eukoenenia, which can be distinguished morphometrically and by means of some qualitative characters. These descriptions are important for the preservation of the caves where they occur, since the presence of troglobitic species increases the relevance of the caves, which have been severely threatened by mining activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Populations trends of cave-dwelling bats in the Eastern Iberian Peninsula and the effect of placing a perimeter fencing around their roosts (to avoid human disturbance on breeding colonies) were evaluated from 1997 to 2014. The species with the highest relative abundance was Miniopterus schreibersii (62.4%), followed by Myotis myotis/ blythii (18%), and both populations showed positive trends. On the other hand, Myotis capaccinii (6.2%), M. escalerai (4.8%) and M. emarginatus (0.9%) showed significant, but minor increases, particularly in recent years. Rhinolophus mehelyi (0.2%) displayed no significant trends, while a moderate population decline was recorded for R. euryale (5.1%). Rhinolophus ferrumequinum (2.2%) and R. hipposideros (0.1%) showed positive growth trends. The main assemblages in the evaluated roosts were formed by Myotis myotis/ blythii, Miniopterus schreibersii and R. ferrumequinum. This denotes their less specific requirements or greater flexibility when selecting roosts, compared with other species, except for M. capaccinii and R. mehelyi. No significant differences were found between roosts with different levels of protection, but there were positive trends in the protected roosts. Most non-fenced cavities showed negative trends during the period evaluated. We did not rule out other factors, such as requiring habitats with optimum food sources next to maternal roosts, which could affect population growth. The selectivity of some species of bats for certain caves will be essential for the preparation of management plans for certain roosts. Four of the seven risk factors documented for European bats affect studied population. Myotis blythii, M. myotis and Rhinolophus euryale would be most affected by a reduction in the areas they currently occupy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present text is the first part of a broader study and it provides a new perspective to certain aspects of the issue of the Troglodytes in Thrace. The analysis and the reinterpretation of the available written evidence lead to reconsidering of the traditional view that Troglodytes inhabited the territories close to the Danube Delta, or lived in the caves along the Black Sea coast, giving arguments for a new localisation in the interior of the Getic lands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

First ribs - the first or most superior ribs in the thorax - are rare in the hominin fossil record, and when found, have the potential to provide information regarding the upper thorax shape of extinct hominins. Here, we describe a partial first rib from Member 4 of the Sterkfontein Caves, South Africa. The rib shaft is broken away, so only the head and neck are preserved. The rib is small, falling closest to small-bodied Australopithecus first ribs (AL 288-1 and MH1). Given that it was recovered near the StW 318 femur excavation, which also represents a small individual, we suggest that the two may be associated. Threedimensional geometric morphometric analyses were used to quantify the rib fragment morphology and compare it to extant hominoid and other fossil hominin ribs. While only the proximal end is preserved, our analyses show that South African Australopithecus share derived features of the proximal first rib more closely resembling A. afarensis and later hominins than great apes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information related to the actual function of the Fondarca Cave in Italy. It is noted that the cave shows alternation of extended sterile beige layers and dark, greyish layers, containing a large amount of archaelogical material. It was found that the cave was attended in the period between March and September, when the external environment was milder and the cave was easier to reach.

How organisms respond to environmental change is a long-standing question in evolutionary biology. Species invading novel habitats provide an opportunity to examine contemporary evolution in action and decipher the pace of evolutionary change over short timescales. Here, we characterized phenotypic evolution in the Italian plethodontid salamander, Hydromantes strinatii, following the recent colonization of an artificial cave by a forest floor population. When compared with a nearby and genetically related population in the natural forest floor and a nearby cave population, the artificial cave population displayed significant differences in overall foot shape, with more interdigital webbing relative to the other populations. Further, this population evolved significantly larger feet, which corresponded more closely to those found in other cave populations than to forest floor populations to which the cave population is closely related. Finally, we quantified the rate of evolution for both foot shape and foot area, and found that both traits displayed large and significant evolutionary rates, at levels corresponding to other classic cases of rapid evolution in vertebrates. Together, these findings reveal that the response to novel environmental pressures can be large and rapid and that the anatomical shifts observed in the artificial cave population of H. strinatii may represent a case of rapid evolution in response to novel environmental pressures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We estimated a multigenic molecular phylogeny and reconstructed biogeographic history for the European harvestman genus Ischyropsalis C.L. Koch 1839 (Dyspnoi). To reconstruct historical biogeographic patterns we conducted an algorithmic VIP analysis which revealed patterns consistent with a vicariance-dominated history. The existing morphology-based systematic framework for Ischyropsalis is mostly inconsistent with molecular phylogenetic results, and a new informal system is established that recognizes three main clades and several sub-clades. Species-level analyses revealed two non-monophyletic species ( I. pyrenaea Simon 1872 and I. luteipes Simon 1872); subspecies of I. pyrenaea are distant relatives, and are formally elevated to species ( I. pyrenaea pyrenaea to I. pyrenaea and I. pyrenaea alpinula to I. alpinula). A preference for cryophilic microhabitats has favored the diversification of high-altitude and cave-dwelling Ischyropsalis species; molecular phylogenetic data suggest that cave-dwelling species have evolved multiple times independently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Niche construction theory concerns the modification of environments by all organisms, and gives a new perspective on zooarchaeological records in southwest Australia. Aboriginal people in this region historically used fire to improve habitat and hunt animals, suggesting pre-European traditions of environmental management. Analysis of a new faunal record from the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Region, at the Wonitji Janga rockshelter, suggests post-European changes in Aboriginal hunting are the result of changed firing regimes or restrictions on traditional management techniques. These preliminary findings suggest that similar research planned for the Swan Coastal Plain, coupled with advances in ancient DNA analysis, will demonstrate past landscape modification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Triatoma dimidiata, currently the major Central American vector of Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite that causes Chagas disease, inhabits caves throughout the region. This research investigates the possibility that cave dwelling T. dimidiata might transmit the parasite to humans and links the blood meal sources of cave vectors to cultural practices that differ among locations. Methodology/Principal Findings: We determined the blood meal sources of twenty-four T. dimidiata collected from two locations in Guatemala and one in Belize where human interactions with the caves differ. Blood meal sources were determined by cloning and sequencing PCR products amplified from DNA extracted from the vector abdomen using primers specific for the vertebrate 12S mitochondrial gene. The blood meal sources were inferred by ≥99% identity with published sequences. We found 70% of cave-collected T. dimidiata positive for human DNA. The vectors had fed on 10 additional vertebrates with a variety of relationships to humans, including companion animal (dog), food animals (pig, sheep/goat), wild animals (duck, two bat, two opossum species) and commensal animals (mouse, rat). Vectors from all locations fed on humans and commensal animals. The blood meal sources differ among locations, as well as the likelihood of feeding on dog and food animals. Vectors from one location were tested for T. cruzi infection, and 30% (3/10) tested positive, including two positive for human blood meals. Conclusions/Significance: Cave dwelling Chagas disease vectors feed on humans and commensal animals as well as dog, food animals and wild animals. Blood meal sources were related to human uses of the caves. We caution that just as T. dimidiata in caves may pose an epidemiological risk, there may be other situations where risk is thought to be minimal, but is not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is focused on the ways that terminology describing the study of music and sound within archaeology has changed over time, and how this reflects developing methodologies, exploring the expectations and issues raised by the use of differing kinds of language to define and describe such work. It begins with a discussion of music archaeology, addressing the problems of using the term ‘music’ in an archaeological context. It continues with an examination of archaeoacoustics and acoustics, and an emphasis on sound rather than music. This leads on to a study of sound archaeology and soundscapes, pointing out that it is important to consider the complete acoustic ecology of an archaeological site, in order to identify its affordances, those possibilities offered by invariant acoustic properties. Using a case study from northern Spain, the paper suggests that all of these methodological approaches have merit, and that a project benefits from their integration. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

ABSTRACT The upper ankle joint forms a single articular plane between organism and the foot and substrate. Singular warp analysis shows that its shape reflects substrate use. This study explores whether the differences in shape are genetic with a developmental trajectory evident during ontogeny or epigenetic and the result of substrate use by the individual. A total of 418 matched distal tibial and proximal talar landmarked surfaces from adult and subadult specimens from 12 diverse catarrhine taxa were studied. Specimens were grouped by molar eruption (M1, M2, and M3) for comparative analysis. Generalized Procrustes analysis, multivariate regression, relative warp analysis, singular warp analysis, and permutation tests were used. Singular warp analysis for the entire cohort was highly significant in the first singular warp, with the adult taxa sorting by substrate use. All 173 subadults clustered with an adult 'arboreal' shape profile. Among Hominoidea, adults (M3) sorted by substrate use with Pan paniscus and Hylobatidae assuming an 'arboreal' shape separate from Pan troglodytes and the remaining taxa with 'terrestrial' shape. Cercopithecoid adults sorted by substrate use as well, with the M3 specimens of Papio hamadryas and Macaca thibetana demonstrating a 'terrestrial' shape. Differences in mode of locomotion did not affect the findings in the first singular warp. Results confirmed the convergence of talo-crural shape among superfamilies based on substrate use and divergence in shape within Pan and Macaca, based on substrate use. The shape differences among adults (M3) are consistent with a plastic response to the behavioral stimulus of substrate use. Am J Phys Anthropol 154:447-458, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discussions of Paleolithic Cave Art rarely, if ever, explore the possibilities of evidence of writing and yet finger flutings (lines made by fingers in soft moonmilch or clay on cave walls and ceilings) raise significant questions as to what is writing and what internal structures would need to be evident within fluted panels to constitute writing. In this paper, the author shares findings from the French caves of Rouffignac and Gargas, and nine caves in Cantabrian, Spain. This paper does not pose to claim that finger flutings are necessarily writing, but instead raises the question of what elements would need to be present for them to be considered writing, and asks what would be the implications if they did. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the ways in which early modern knowledge of the Malay world informed European science, through a case study of the classification of humans in the work of the Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus. In the 1758 edition of his Systema Naturae, Linnaeus proposed an entirely new species of human, Homo troglodytes, a counterpoint to Homo sapiens, said to be a resident of the Malay world. Whereas this ‘different’ species has hitherto been seen through Linnaeus’ application of his own taxonomic principles, and has also been dismissed as a product of an uncritical reliance on ‘travel lies’ of the day, this article takes the Homo troglodytes back to his assumed natural habitat. Through a detailed examination of Linnaeus’ sources and the genealogies of European writing on the Malay world in the 18th century a complex picture emerges, framed by local folklore and an early modern ‘ethnography of difference’. Crucially, it is suggested that information about the Malay world available to Linnaeus was ultimately generated by the unique ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity of the region, in particular the ambivalent relationships between the ethnically different peoples of the coast and interior, a longstanding theme in Southeast Asian history. The figure of the troglodyte then becomes a powerful interlocutor between interpretations of the diversity of the Malay world that served to shape not only natural history, but also Enlightenment debates on the relationship between man and beast. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Remembering the location of fruiting trees for extended periods of time has been hypothesized to play a major role in the evolution of primate cognition. Such ability would be especially useful when paired with a fast learning mechanism capable of consolidating long-term memory after minimal exposure. We investigated whether chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes) can remember different food locations after minimal exposure (i.e., 1-2 trials) both after 24 hr and after 3-month. We released pairs of chimpanzees in their indoor enclosure (the enclosure of group A measured 430 m2 and group B's measured 175 m2) and tested them for four consecutive days (Baseline, Test, Retest, and Post-test). During the Test and Retest food was hidden in the same location whereas no food was hidden during the Baseline and Post-test days (control trials). Subjects were tested with four different locations and assessed for their retention after 24 hr and 3-month since the initial food discovery. Results revealed that chimpanzees accurately remembered the locations in which they found the food after one or two exposures to them, and both after 24 hr and a 3-month retention interval. Am. J. Primatol. 76:485-495, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empirical descriptions of vocal behaviour are important for understanding avian biology. In this study, we provide the first detailed analysis of the vocal behaviour of the Brown-throated Wren ( Troglodytes brunneicollis), a neotropical songbird found in oak forests in the highlands of Mexico and the southwestern United States. We quantify the fine structural characteristics of the song, and describe the size and structure of the song repertoire. Further, we describe diel variation, analyze song-sharing patterns among neighbors, and explore whether this species uses syntactical rules for creating their songs. Our analyses reveal that Brown-throated Wrens have complex songs and simple calls. They sing with eventual variety, repeating songs many times before switching to a new song type. Males combine syllables into phrases to create songs. We show that song repertoire size is not fixed; birds recombine their syllables to produce highly variable song types. Brown-throated Wrens sing with high vocal output after sunrise and song activity declines throughout the morning. Song sharing shows no variation with distance among our sampled individuals. We divide the syllables in Brown-throated Wren songs into 13 categories; birds sing some syllables more frequently than others, and some syllables are more likely to be found at the beginning, middle, or end of the song. Transitions between syllable categories deviate significantly from random chance, and most males analyzed follow similar patterns of syllable transitions, revealing syntactical structure. This research, which provides the first empirical study of Brown-throated Wren song, expands our knowledge of the behaviour of this poorly-studied taxon, and contributes insight into the organization and composition of song in tropical birds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Documenting the diversity of vocal behaviour across different avian taxa is key to understanding the ecology and evolution of complex behaviours. Unique to Cozumel Island in the Mexican Caribbean Sea, the Cozumel Wren ( Troglodytes aedon beani) provides an opportunity to investigate how isolation influences complex cultural traits. Most aspects of the biology, natural history, and taxonomy of Cozumel Wrens are unknown. In an attempt to better understand the Cozumel Wren's biology, we provide the first description of the songs and the vocal behaviour of this island-endemic bird. Based on more than 700 h of recordings, including more than 36,000 songs, we describe the fine structural characteristics of male Cozumel Wrens songs, and explore patterns of repertoire organization and song sharing. Cozumel Wrens sing songs composed of highly variable syllables, with prominent trills at the end of each song. Each bird has a limited repertoire of songs, which they create by recombining a restricted number of syllable and trill types. They repeat a song type several times before switching to a different one, with some variation in the number of times they repeat specific elements. Cozumel Wrens share more song types with neighbours than distant individuals. Syllable sharing, however, is equivalent between neighbours and distant individuals. Our results provide important data for future research on the ecology, evolution, and behaviour of this island-endemic songbird, and for helping to clarify the taxonomic status of Cozumel Wrens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

My purpose in this article is modest: I wish merely to examine why many of us in academe are reluctant to say “I” when we write. We go to considerable lengths to avoid that “I”—even when we mean “I” and nothing else. Why do we resort to such awkward constructions as “The present study will argue that… ,” or “We shall attempt to demonstrate that… ,” or “One perceives in Sartre's hell a stylized version of lived reality… ,” rather than saying simply “I”? What are we trying to hide? What lurks within us and threatens to erupt, unloosed by this “I”? We are not dope fiends or outlaw bikers, utterly enslaved to our basest impulses. We are not troglodytes, grunting and belching our way through life. No. We are monkish folk for the most part, fully accustomed to keeping our ids in check. One doesn't often find us wallowing in the ego, and at the very least we should be able to enjoy the simple pleasure of speaking in our own voice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Phenotypic traits are important for assessing differences between populations, especially in groups with poorly resolved taxonomy. One such group, the House Wren complex, presents extensive taxonomic controversy and is thought to comprise many independent evolutionary units. Although the songs and morphological features of House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon) show extensive variation, differences between populations have not been quantified. We assessed variation in acoustic and morphometric traits within this complex and compared patterns of variation with currently recognized subspecies boundaries. First, we compared songs and morphology among eight recognized subspecies (T. a. aedon, T. a. parkmanii, T. a. cahooni, T. a. brunneicollis, T. a. nitidus, T. a. musculus, T. a. beam, and T. a. rufescens), controlling for significant effects of latitude. Second, we used variation in male song, a trait with an important role in mate choice and male-male competition, to assess divergence among subspecies. We compared variation among subspecies to variation across seven currently recognized Troglodytes species (T. hiemalis, T. pacificas, T. tanner!, T. sissonii, T. cobbi, T. rufociliatus, and T. ochraceus). Our results, based on broad sampling of songs (n = 786) and morphological traits (n = 401) from 609 locations throughout the Americas, show that most of the subspecies examined diverge in song, morphology, or both. In addition, the acoustic differences between subspecies are similar to, and in some instances greater than, the divergence between pairs of currently recognized species. Our results suggest that at least four allopatric subspecies-T. a. nitidus, T. a. musculus, T. a. beani, and T. a. rufescens-are likely different species, and we identify many other vocally and morphologically differentiated subspecies that may, upon further detailed genetic analysis, result in new species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of Pygmies in Thrace is neither a misunderstanding nor a fantasy of Pliny the Elder: this reference, confirmed by Stephanus of Byzantium, can be explained through the history of the Pygmies, mythic people mentioned in the Iliad and integrated in the Classical, Hellenistic, Roman, Medieval and Renaissance descriptions of the inhabited world. The modern historian can reveal the reasons that made the Greeks and Romans locate these little men in the northern country of the cranes: the indigenous, under-earth houses of Dobrodgea and the abandoned caves in the region of Yailata as well as the Greek toponymy imported from the Aegean nourished the imagination of the Greeks and their stories about the Euxine Pontus, colonized by Milesians and Megarians. These observations contribute not only to a better understanding of the geography and ethnography of the western Black Sea coast, but also throw light on the process of "inventing" foreign peoples, at the center but also at the periphery of the civilized world, on the basis of racial, geographic and historical otherness, by taking into account the everlasting authority of the literary tradition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors argue that the second cave episode in Jerome's Vita Malchi Monachi Captivi should, in view of the similarities with the first cave episode and the high incidence of literary devices employed in it, be recognised for its value in the interpretation of this vita. The book was intended as a defence of, and an exhortation to a life of celibacy and this dual purpose is clearly demonstrated in both episodes in which a cave is used as the setting. The second cave episode has been neglected in the scholarly debate about the purpose of the book and this article attempts to set the record straight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study by geneticists Matthias Meyer and Benjamin Vernot published in Science, which reveals that the first nuclear DNA from sediment shows turnover, migration among ancient cave dwellers in Spain. It mentions about more abundant human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from cave floors, and nuclear DNA, available only from bones and teeth.

Conservation specialists have used different techniques to conserve historic monuments according to relevant theoretical principles. This paper, however, investigates approaches used by local people in a semi-nomadic society: vernacular conservation. Maymand village in Iran is examined here: its inhabitants have produced architectural forms in harmony with nature in their three residential quarters (troglodytic village, ābādis and āghols). First, the local inhabitants' beliefs and views about the site have been approached qualitatively. Then conservation concepts and techniques of the local population are introduced through field examinations in troglodytic houses and āghols. These two aspects of the subject combine to show that the local people have a deep knowledge of their site, and their attitude towards conservation is interestingly similar to scholarly conservation theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Underground compartments are one of the least known environments in the world. In our study we collected 137 samples, using different techniques, in 30 caves and other cavities (mine galleries, underground chalk quarries, superficial underground compartments – SUC and resurgences). In total 814 individuals of mites were collected, representing 99 taxa from 43 families. Eighty-three species were added to the list of mite speleofauna in Belgium; the highest number of new species for underground environments was noted for Mesostigmata. Four mite species were classified as obligate cave dwellers. We also made an extrapolated estimate of the number of species in subterranean habitats in Belgium. The fauna of the superficial underground compartments was distinct with 60% of species typical of underground compartments. In most cavities accessible for tourists and artificial cavities high number of mites was observed. Additionally, the importance of using different sampling methods to recognize biodiversity in a subterranean biome were discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We explored the relationship between growth in tooth root length and the modern human extended period of childhood. Tooth roots provide support to counter chewing forces and so it is advantageous to grow roots quickly to allow teeth to erupt into function as early as possible. Growth in tooth root length occurs with a characteristic spurt or peak in rate sometime between tooth crown completion and root apex closure. Here we show that in Pan troglodytes the peak in root growth rate coincides with the period of time teeth are erupting into function. However, the timing of peak root velocity in modern humans occurs earlier than expected and coincides better with estimates for tooth eruption times in Homo erectus. With more time to grow longer roots prior to eruption and smaller teeth that now require less support at the time they come into function, the root growth spurt no longer confers any advantage in modern humans. We suggest that a prolonged life history schedule eventually neutralised this adaptation some time after the appearance of Homo erectus. The root spurt persists in modern humans as an intrinsic marker event that shows selection operated, not primarily on tooth tissue growth, but on the process of tooth eruption. This demonstrates the overarching influence of life history evolution on several aspects of dental development. These new insights into tooth root growth now provide an additional line of enquiry that may contribute to future studies of more recent life history and dietary adaptations within the genus Homo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the study on the vocalizations of cave-dwelling fruit bat in Madagascar. It states that bats flew within 50-100 centimeter (cm) of the cave ceiling and frequently settle and perch every 5-10 meters (m) along flight patch and moves in a leapfrog manner towards the entrance of the cave. The fruit bats have three identified distinct call types including social calls, socials calls, and echo clicks. The fruit bats creates echo clicks while flying in the entrance while the two calls are emitted at roost sites. It also mentions that bats employ social calls for social communication while echo clicks used in sensory context.

As a result of environmental variability, animals may be confronted with uncertainty surrounding the presence of, or accessibility to, food resources at a given location or time. While individuals can rely on personal experience to manage this variability, the behavior of members of an individual's social group can also provide information regarding the availability or location of a food resource. The purpose of the present study was to measure how captive chimpanzees individually and collectively adjust their foraging strategies at an artificial termite mound, as the availability of resources provided by the mound varied over a number of weeks. As predicted, fishing activity at the mound was related to resource availability. However, chimpanzees continued to fish at unbaited locations on the days and weeks after a location had last contained food. Consistent with previous studies, our findings show that chimpanzees do not completely abandon previously learned habits despite learning individually and/or socially that the habit is no longer effective. Am. J. Primatol. 74:661-668, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crop-raiding is a major source of conflict between people and wildlife globally, impacting local livelihoods and impeding conservation. Conflict mitigation strategies that target problematic wildlife behaviours such as crop-raiding are notoriously difficult to develop for large-bodied, cognitively complex species. Many crop-raiders are generalist feeders. In more ecologically specialised species crop-type selection is not random and evidence-based management requires a good understanding of species' ecology and crop feeding habits. Comprehensive species-wide studies of crop consumption by endangered wildlife are lacking but are important for managing human-wildlife conflict. We conducted a comprehensive literature search of crop feeding records by wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), a ripe-fruit specialist. We assessed quantitatively patterns of crop selection in relation to species-specific feeding behaviour, agricultural exposure, and crop availability. Crop consumption by chimpanzees is widespread in tropical Africa. Chimpanzees were recorded to eat a considerable range of cultivars (51 plant parts from 36 species). Crop part selection reflected a species-typical preference for fruit. Crops widely distributed in chimpanzee range countries were eaten at more sites than sparsely distributed crops. We identified 'high' and 'low' conflict crops according to their attractiveness to chimpanzees, taking account of their importance as cash crops and/or staple foods to people. Most (86%) high conflict crops were fruits, compared to 13% of low conflict crops. Some widely farmed cash or staple crops were seldom or never eaten by chimpanzees. Information about which crops are most frequently consumed and which are ignored has enormous potential for aiding on-the-ground stakeholders (i.e. farmers, wildlife managers, and conservation and agricultural extension practitioners) develop sustainable wildlife management schemes for ecologically specialised and protected species in anthropogenic habitats. However, the economic and subsistence needs of local people, and the crop-raiding behaviour of sympatric wildlife, must be considered when assessing suitability of particular crops for conflict prevention and mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chimpanzees routinely follow the gaze of humans to outside targets. However, in most studies using object choice they fail to use communicative gestures (e.g. pointing) to find hidden food. Chimpanzees' failure to do this may be due to several difficulties with this paradigm. They may, for example, misinterpret the gesture as referring to the opaque cup instead of the hidden food. Or perhaps they do not understand informative communicative intentions. In contrast, dogs seem to be skilful in using human communicative cues in the context of finding food, but as of yet there is not much data showing whether they also use pointing in the context of finding non-food objects. Here we directly compare chimpanzees' (N = 20) and dogs' (N = 32) skills in using a communicative gesture directed at a visible object out of reach of the human but within reach of the subject. Pairs of objects were placed in view of and behind the subjects. The task was to retrieve the object the experimenter wanted. To indicate which one she desired, the experimenter pointed imperatively to it and directly rewarded the subject for handing over the correct one. While dogs performed well on this task, chimpanzees failed to identify the referent. Implications for great apes' and dogs' understanding of human communicative intentions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transmission of simian immunodeficiency and Ebola viruses to humans in recent years has heightened awareness of the public health significance of zoonotic diseases of primate origin, particularly from chimpanzees. In this study, we analyzed 71 fecal samples collected from 2 different wild chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) populations with different histories in relation to their proximity to humans. Campylobacter spp. were detected by culture in 19/56 (34%) group 1 (human habituated for research and tourism purposes at Mahale Mountains National Park) and 0/15 (0%) group 2 (not human habituated but propagated from an introduced population released from captivity over 30 years ago at Rubondo Island National Park) chimpanzees, respectively. Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, all isolates were virtually identical (at most a single base difference), and the chimpanzee isolates were most closely related to Campylobacter helveticus and Campylobacter upsaliensis (94.7% and 95.9% similarity, respectively). Whole- cell protein profiling, amplified fragment length polymorphism analysis of genomic DNA, hsp60 sequence analysis, and determination of the mol% G+C content revealed two subgroups among the chimpanzee isolates. DNA-DNA hybridization experiments confirmed that both subgroups represented distinct genomic species. In the absence of differential biochemical characteristics and morphology and identical 16S rRNA gene sequences, we propose to classify all isolates into a single novel nomenspecies, Campylobader troglodytis, with strain MIT 05-9149 as the type strain; strain MIT 05-9157 is suggested as the reference strain for the second C. troglodytis genomovar. Further studies are required to determine whether the organism is pathogenic to chimpanzees and whether this novel Campylobacter colonizes humans and causes enteric disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trabecular architecture was assessed by 3D micro-computed tomography from spherical volumes of interest located within the head and base of metacarpals (MC) 1, 2, and 5 from n = 19 adult common chimpanzees. Two subspecies, West African Pan troglodytes verus from the Taï Forest, Côte d'Ivoire ( n = 12) and Central African P. t. troglodytes from Cameroon ( n = 7), were studied. For the combined sample, the metacarpal head is distinguished by greater bone volume fraction across all metacarpals, though the MC 1 is distinctive in having thicker, more plate-like trabeculae. The architecture in the MC 2 and MC 5 can be related to strains associated with terrestrial knuckle-walking. In particular, the relatively robust MC 5 head architecture may result from functional loading incurred during braking and use of a palm-in hand posture. Examining differences between samples, we found that the Cameroon chimpanzees possess a more robust architecture across all metacarpals in the form of greater bone volume fraction, higher connectivity, and somewhat more plate-like structure. These differences are not explicable in terms of population distinctions in body size or daily travel distance, but possibly reflect a combination of more terrestrial knuckle-walking in the Cameroon sample and more diverse hand postures and precision handling required of nut-cracking in West African chimpanzees. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2011. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the archaeological excavation of Daisy Cave on California's San Miguel Island. Early human inhabitants of the cave are discussed, with a focus on their seafaring abilities and possible migration patterns. The disruption of burial sites on the island by picnickers during the 19th century is explained. Primary emphasis is given to the excavation efforts of archaeologists Charles Rozaire and, later, Dan Guthrie. The use of radiocarbon dating in determining the general time period of the cave's human occupation is discussed.

Maze, or labyrinth, caves are high-porosity zones in karst. Reticular networks may arise through different speleogenetic processes. Here, we present and discuss an apparently multi-stage labyrinthal development in a stripe karst setting in the Norwegian Caledonides. Okshola (the upper part of the Okshola-Kristihola cave system at Fauske, Nordland) displays a network of preserved, essentially phreatic tubes intersected by four distinct, vadose inlet passages. The cave developed along a low-angle fracture (thrust) zone, which is sub-parallel with the foliation. Scallops in the walls of phreatic conduits demonstrate that water flow was directed down-dip into the rock mass, and thus that the phreatic network developed during the last active stage as a groundwater recharge zone. This flow function is consistent with the proximal location of the cave with respect to former topographically directed glacial flow. Cyclic and strong fluctuations in the hydraulic regime are evident from cave interior deposits. We suggest that Okshola developed in concert with the glacial erosion of the surface topography and that a process of caprock stripping resulted in progressive lowering of both sink and spring levels. Morphology, together with radiometric datings, indicate that speleogenesis commenced several glacial cycles ago. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many models of hunter-gatherer subsistence have traditionally focused almost exclusively on what people ate. More recently, researchers have begun to ask how these ancient foods were processed and prepared prior to consumption, questions that are best answered by looking at the context in which food remains are uncovered. At the archaeological site of Dust Cave (1Lu496), excellent preservation conditions have resulted in a plethora of cooking features. Ranging from small charcoal pits to fired clay surfaces and hearths, the features at Dust Cave are in-situ representations of the occupants' cooking and processing activities. We use a combination of paleoethnobotanical, zooarchaeological, geoarchaeological, and experimental methods to investigate these activities. Experimental studies were conducted in order to develop archaeological correlates for food processing: Experimental results are then compared to botanical and faunal remains from the site as well as chemical analyses of feature fill. Results suggest that the occupants of Dust Cave likely processed fish and plants--primarily nuts--on a large scale. Specifically, fish appear to have been roasted in coals, plants and nuts toasted or parched on flat clay "griddle-like" surfaces, and hickory nuts boiled in pit hearths to extract nut oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the larval morphology and peculiar behaviour of several epigean species of molopine beetles (Carabidae: Pterostichini: Molopina) have been known for several years, we know very little about the specialized subterranean species of some genera endemic to the Tyrrhenian area, including Molopidius Jeannel, 1942, Oscadytes Lagar, 1975, Henrotius Jeannel, 1953, Zariqueya Jeannel, 1924, and Speomolops Patrizi, 1955. In this paper, we describe and illustrate the third instar larva of Speomolops sardous Patrizi, 1955, a specialized troglobitic beetle endemic to eastern Sardinia. Diagnostic features include the lack of stemmata; the presence of a longitudinal, membranous furrow along the dorsal surface of the mandibles; a small retinaculum; and a uniquely shaped seta FR8. We compare the morphology of this larva with some of its close relatives in the genera Molops Bonelli, 1810, Tanythrix Schaum, 1858, and Typhlochoromus Moczarsky, 1913. Some data are also given about the habitat and bionomics of the larval stages of Speomolops sardous, which show an obligate, fossorial behaviour into sandy soils in deep zones of large, periodically flooded subterranean systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eight chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), five bonobos (Pan paniscus), five gorillas (Gorilla gorilla), and seven orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) were presented with two invisible object displacement tasks. In full view of the subject, a food item was hidden under one of three opaque cups resting on a platform and, after an experimental manipulation, the subject was allowed to select one of the cups. In the rotation task, the platform was rotated 180° while the subject remained stationary. In the translocation task, the platform remained stationary while the subject walked to the opposite side from where she saw the reward being hidden. The final position of the food relative to the subject was equivalent in both tasks. Single displacement trials consisted of only one manipulation, either a rotation or a translocation, whereas double displacement trials consisted of both a rotation and a translocation. We also included no displacement trials in which no displacements took place. No displacement trials were easier than single displacements which, in turn, were easier than double displacements. Unlike earlier studies with children, there was no difference in performance between rotation and translocation displacements. Overall, apes performed above chance in all conditions, but chimpanzees outperformed the other species. This study reinforces the notion that the great apes use an allocentric spatial coding. Am. J. Primatol. 72:349–359, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wonderwerk Cave (Northern Cape Province, South Africa) is an example of a natural locality that, in the past as in the present, was imbued with meaning and symbolism. Today, local communities associate the cave with a snake spirit, while rock art adorning the cave walls attests to the special status of the cave during the Later Stone Age. In the terminal Acheulean (over 180,000 years ago), hominins introduced manuports with special sensory properties into the back of the cave, a locality with singular acoustic and visual qualities. Thus, the archaeological record of Wonderwerk Cave serves as a unique and extensive diachronic record of milestones in the development of symbolic behaviour. It provides evidence to support the position that elements of symbolic behaviour emerged long before the dispersal of modern humans out of Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]