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Arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AANAT) plays a crucial role in synchronizing internal biological functions to circadian and circannual changes. Generally speaking, only one copy of AANAT gene has been found in mammals, however, three independent duplications of this gene were detected in several cetartiodactyl lineages (i.e., Suidae, Hippopotamidae, and Pecora), which originated in the middle Eocene, a geological period characterized with the increased climate seasonality. Lineage-specific expansions of AANAT and the associated functional enhancement in these lineages strongly suggest an improvement in regulating photoperiodic response to adapt to seasonal climate changes. In contrast, independent inactivating mutations or deletions of the AANAT locus were identified in the four pineal-deficient clades (cetaceans, sirenians, xenarthrans, and pangolins). Loss of AANAT function in cetaceans and sirenians could disrupt the sleep-promoting effects of pineal melatonin, which might contribute to increasing wakefulness, adapting these clades to underwater sleep. The absence of AANAT and pineal glands in xenarthrans and pangolins may be associated with their body temperature maintenance. The present work demonstrates a far more complex and intriguing evolutionary pattern and functional diversity of mammalian AANAT genes than previously thought and provides further evidence for understanding AANAT evolution as driven by rhythmic adaptations in mammals.

Many evolutionary relationships remain controversial despite whole-genome sequencing data. These controversies arise, in part, due to challenges associated with accurately modeling the complex phylogenetic signal coming from genomic regions experiencing distinct evolutionary forces. Here, we examine how different regions of the genome support or contradict well-established relationships among three mammal groups using millions of orthologous parsimony-informative biallelic sites (PIBS) distributed across primate, rodent, and Pecora genomes. We compared PIBS concordance percentages among locus types (e.g. coding sequences (CDS), introns, intergenic regions), and contrasted PIBS utility over evolutionary timescales. Sites derived from noncoding sequences provided more data and proportionally more concordant sites compared with those from CDS in all clades. CDS PIBS were also predominant drivers of tree incongruence in two cases of topological conflict. PIBS derived from most locus types provided surprisingly consistent support for splitting events spread across the timescales we examined, although we find evidence that CDS and intronic PIBS may, respectively and to a limited degree, inform disproportionately about older and younger splits. In this era of accessible wholegenome sequence data, these results:1) suggest benefits to more intentionally focusing on noncoding loci as robust data for tree inference and 2) reinforce the importance of accurate modeling, especially when using CDS data.

We determined the histochemical activity of phosphatases of sweat and sebaceous glands in the withers of three artiodactyls species — roe deer Capreolus capreolus Linnaeus, 1758, musk deer Moschus moschiferus Linnaeus, 1758, and Saiga tatarica Linnaeus, 1766. Equal values of acid phosphatase activity (60% level of relative activity), alkaline phosphatase (80% level of relative activity), and adenosine triphosphatase (100% level of relative activity) for both the sweat and sebaceous glands of roe deer founded. Only for alkaline phosphatase, a 60% level of relative activity founded in the sweat glands of musk deer, while the remaining parameters of phosphatase activity in both types of skin glands of musk deer showed zero values. Moderate levels of activity of acid phosphatase and alkaline phosphatase (60% level of relative activity), as well as an average level of adenosine triphosphatase activity (80% level of relative activity) are typical for both the sweat and sebaceous glands of saiga. Synchronicity in the parameters of histochemical activity in both the sweat and sebaceous glands revealed, which may be associated with physiological adaptation. Coordinate analysis based on digital analogues of the histoenzymatic activity of the skin glands made it possible to calculate the Euclidean distances between the studied species. In the sweat and sebaceous glands the following individual distances identified: (1) distances between roe deer and musk deer are 5.92 and 7.07; (2) distances between the roe deer and saiga are coincide and equal to 1.41 and 1.41; (3) distances between musk deer and saiga are 5.00 and 5.83. Phenetic analysis, which includes 18 parameters of histoenzymatic activity — three types of phosphatases in the sweat and sebaceous glands of three species of artiodactyls — proximity of the values ​​of roe deer and saiga at an obvious distance of the parameters of musk deer revealed. The Euclidean distances for the three species of artiodactyls were: (1) distance between the roe deer and musk deer is 9.22; (2) distance between roe deer and saiga is 2.00; (3) distance between musk deer and saiga is 7.68.

Extant wild bovids of Greece include only the Balkan Chamois and the Wild Goat of Creta, though past bovid biodiversity was tremendously higher, accounting up to ten contemporaneous species and representing a wide array of ecomorphological types. Despite the known stratigraphic discontinuity of the Greek fossil record, the review of the Greek fossil bovids from a total of 80 fossil localities revealed the presence of at least fifty two (52) genera and eighty three (83) valid species of Bovidae [among which 17 species of Bovinae, and 66 of Antilopinae] distributed from early middle Miocene (Orleanian) till latest Pleistocene. Fifty eight (58) of these species were named from type localities in Greece, and twenty three (23) represent genotypes, mostly from Pikermi, Samos, and Axios Valley classical fossil sites. The peak in bovid taxonomic diversity is noted during the Turolian. Gazella s.l. stands as the taxon with the widest temporal distribution from late Vallesian to late Villafranchian (ca. 7 Ma). Most of the Greek bovids through time seem to represent the westernmost populations of taxa with a Central-West Asian distribution, though taxa with a more restricted South European/European distribution are also present especially during late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene.

This catalogue offers a list of basic data of meteorites finding in the Argentine Antarctic Sector extracted from the Database of Meteoritical Bulletin. References for all meteorites reported up to October 22, 2019 are included. The sites where the meteorites recorded here were found are: La Paz Icefield, Pecora Escarpment and Patuxent Range.

Shotgun proteomics techniques infer the presence and quantity of proteins using peptide proxies produced by cleavage of the proteome with a protease. Most protein quantitation strategies assume that multiple peptides derived from a protein will behave quantitatively similar across treatment groups, but this assumption may be false due to (1) heterogeneous proteoforms and (2) technical artifacts. Here we describe a strategy called peptide correlation analysis (PeCorA) that detects quantitative disagreements between peptides mapped to the same protein. PeCorA fits linear models to assess whether a peptide's change across treatment groups differs from all other peptides assigned to the same protein. PeCorA revealed that ∼15% of proteins in a mouse microglia stress data set contain at least one discordant peptide. Inspection of the discordant peptides shows the utility of PeCorA for the direct and indirect detection of regulated post-translational modifications (PTMs) and also for the discovery of poorly quantified peptides. The exclusion of poorly quantified peptides before protein quantity summarization decreased false-positives in a benchmark data set. Finally, PeCorA suggests that the inactive isoform of prothrombin, a coagulation cascade protease, is more abundant in plasma from COVID-19 patients relative to non-COVID-19 controls. PeCorA is freely available as an R package that works with arbitrary tables of quantified peptides.

Shotgun proteomics techniques infer the presence and quantity of proteins using peptide proxies, which are produced by cleavage of all isolated protein by a protease. Most protein quantitation strategies assume that multiple peptides derived from a protein will behave quantitatively similar across treatment groups, but this assumption may be false for biological or technical reasons. Here, I describe a strategy called peptide correlation analysis (PeCorA) that detects quantitative disagreements between peptides mapped to the same protein. Simple linear models are used to assess whether the slope of a peptide’s change across treatment groups differs from the slope of all other peptides assigned to the same protein. Reanalysis of proteomic data from primary mouse microglia with PeCorA revealed that about 15% of proteins contain one discordant peptide. Inspection of the discordant peptides shows utility of PeCorA for direct and indirect detection of regulated PTMs, and also for discovery of poorly quantified peptides that should be excluded. PeCorA can be applied to an arbitrary list of quantified peptides, and is freely available as a script written in R.

Charcoal analysis, applied in sediment facies analysis of the Pecora river palaeochannel (Tyrrhenian southern Tuscany, Italy), detected the occurrence of past fire events in two different fluvial landforms at 800–450 BC and again at AD 650–1300. Taking place in a central Mediterranean district adequately studied through palaeoenvironmental and archaeological research, the investigation determined land changes, time phases and socio-economic driving forces involved in dynamic processes of fire. The fire sequences had purely anthropogenic origins and were linked to forest opening and reduction by local communities. Introduced by the Etruscans, fires dated to 800–450 BC involved mainly the forest cover on the hilly slopes, ensuring agricultural exploitation. From AD 650, fires contributed to Medieval upstream reclamation and vegetation clearing of flat swamplands. From AD 850 to 1050, the use of fire spread over a wider area in the river valley, increasing arable lands. Between AD 1150 and 1300, fires belonged to a regional forest clearance phase. Medieval fire episodes had a paramount importance in shaping and determining the character of the Tuscan Mediterranean landscape. From AD 850, Medieval fire clearing influenced regional vegetation history contributing to the decline of the dominant deciduous Quercus woodland. Open habitats became the new form of a clearly detectable agricultural landscape from AD 950. The use of fire clearing and the resulting landscape changes in the Pecora river valley depended on the political strategies adopted by Medieval authorities and marked, in fact, the progression of a cultural landscape still characterizing central Tyrrhenian Italy.

Previously undescribed remains of a new large giraffid have been identified from the late Miocene Siwaliks Hills of the Potwar Plateau in Pakistan. This taxon is very intimately related to the late Miocene giraffid genus Decennatherium, previously only certainly identified in the Iberian Peninsula, and with some possible remains assigned to Decennatherium crusafonti from Aliäbäd (Iran). The new material collected in the Siwaliks Hills shows a high morphological similarity with the Spanish remains of the genus, especially the early Vallesian Decennatherium pachecoi. Two previously undescribed ossicone fragments from the same area are also described and identified as cf. Decennatherium. These findings represent the easternmost occurrence of the genus Decennatherium and show a late Miocene migration of the genus throughout the Iberian Peninsula and Southern Asia., M.R. acknowledges an FPI predoctoral grant (Spanish Government MINECO) as well as the EEBB-FPI grant program 2013, 2014 and 2015.

208 p. La tesis estudia los ácidos grasos (AG) presentes en la leche de los rumiantes. Se intentó cuantificar la síntesis endógena de los AG en la glándula mamaria del ovino mediante la administración de ácido estercúlico a ovejas en lactación. Asimismo, se estudió cómo podía afectar al porcentaje de grasa de la leche una suplementación de la dieta con microalgas marinas. Por último, partiendo del mencionado cambio en la alimentación se trató de analizar su efecto sobre la regulación de los genes implicados en el metabolismo lipídico en ovejas lecheras

Bovidae, the largest family in Pecora infraorder, are characterized by a striking variability in diploid number of chromosomes between species and among individuals within a species. The bovid X chromosome is also remarkably variable, with several morphological types in the family. Here we built a detailed chromosome map of musk ox (Ovibos moschatus), a relic species originating from Pleistocene megafauna, with dromedary and human probes using chromosome painting. We trace chromosomal rearrangements during Bovidae evolution by comparing species already studied by chromosome painting. The musk ox karyotype differs from the ancestral pecoran karyotype by six fusions, one fission, and three inversions. We discuss changes in pecoran ancestral karyotype in the light of new painting data. Variations in the X chromosome structure of four bovid species nilgai bull (Boselaphus tragocamelus), saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis), gaur (Bos gaurus), and Kirk&rsquo, s Dikdik (Madoqua kirkii) were further analyzed using 26 cattle BAC-clones. We found the duplication on the X in saola. We show main rearrangements leading to the formation of four types of bovid X: Bovinae type with derived cattle subtype formed by centromere reposition and Antilopinae type with Caprini subtype formed by inversion in XSB3.

Amphimoschus is an extinct Eurasian ruminant genus, mostly recorded in Europe, without a close living relative and, hence, an unknown systematic position. This genus is known from around 50 localities from the late early to the middle Miocene. Two species were described during 180 years, but since their first description during the late 19th century and early 20th century, hardly any detailed taxonomic work has been done on the genus. Over the years, extensive collecting and excavating activities have enriched collections with more and more complete material of this still rare and enigmatic animal. Most interestingly, a number of skull remains have been unearthed and are promising in terms of providing phylogenetic information. In the present paper, we describe cranial material, the bony labyrinth, the dentition through 780 teeth and five skulls from different ontogenetic stages. We cannot find a clear morphometric distinction between the supposedly smaller and older species Amphimoschus artenensis and the supposedly younger and larger species A. ponteleviensis. Accordingly, we have no reason to retain the two species and propose, following the principle of priority (ICZN chapter 6 article 23), that only A. ponteleviensis Bourgeois, 1873 is valid. Our studies on the ontogenetic variation of Amphimoschus does reveal that the sagittal crest may increase in size and a supraorbital ridge may appear with age. Despite the abundant material, the family affiliation is still uncertain.

In “The Function of Criticism in a ‘Post-Secular’ Age,” Vincent Pecora addresses the issue of the critical vocabulary and new mental frame needed to reopen the question of how we talk (or remain silent) about the religious elements of literary texts (belief, doctrine, the distinction between religion and myth) from the Enlightenment on, with a focus on the tools (or lack thereof) at our disposal. Challenging the supposed religious-to-secular narrative of epistemological progress, Pecora problematizes the various modes of the “post-secular,” and the powerful traditions of thought behind them, suggesting other ways of understanding religious currents in literary texts. Precisely because religion as an imaginative human production continues to be as central in the long view as literature, it should not be ignored. Pecora concludes that post-secular literary interpretation can only be embraced once we acknowledge that secularization and religious revival are not mutually exclusive historical categories, and that understanding religion in the text is more properly a question of language, of tracing out the discursive patterns of doctrines and their secularization that have come to thread themselves throughout our literary traditions.

Free radicals are unstable and reactive molecules, with one ore more unpaired electrons in the outer orbit and adverse effects on plant, animal, and human cells. In particular free radicals are responsible of lipids peroxidation, proteins oxidative damages, and DNA cleavage, resulting in increased risk of mutation. Antioxidants represent an important defence against these injuries. Vegetable derived foods are known as important sources of dietary antioxidants such as phenols, anthocyanin, tocopherols, tocotrienols, carotenoids, retinol precursors, and ascorbate. With this background, the aims of this Ph.D. project were: i) to develop and validate analytical methods for quantification of tocopherols, thiols, and total antioxidant activity (TAA) of milk; ii) to describe the phenotypic variation of thiols in milk of dairy and dual-purpose cow breeds; iii) to describe the phenotypic variation of TAA in milk of cow, buffalo, goat, and sheep; iv) to evaluate the feasibility of mid infrared spectroscopy to predict TAA of cow milk; v) to evaluate the effect of skimming and heat treatments on milk tocopherols and TAA. In the 1st Chapter, a simplified saponification protocol, followed by cheap HPLC method based on methanol elution and sensible fluorescence detection was developed and validated for the quantification of α-tocopherol and γ-tocopherol, in different types of commercial fluid milk. Chromatograms showed two analytical peaks, corresponding to α-T and γ-T. The method was able to detect the adverse effects of skimming and UHT treatment on α-T and γ-T concentrations. The proposed method could be usefully adopted in future for large scale studies, aiming to investigate phenotypic variation of tocopherols in milk. The 2nd Chapter represent a first contribution to the characterization of low molecular weight thiols in milk of different cattle breeds. Thiols were extracted from the soluble fraction of milk, and following a derivatization protocol they were separated by reverse phase HPLC and detected fluorimetrically. Six thiol species were detected and two of them, glutathione (GSH) and cysteine-glycine (Cys-Gly), were identified and quantified. The average concentration of Cys-Gly in milk was greater than that of GSH, and milk from dual-purpose breeds was richer in thiols than milk from dairy cows. The 3rd Chapter deals with the development and the validation of a robust and fast spectrophotometric method for the determination of TAA of different types of milk. The method was linear, and highly repeatable and reproducible. Preservative added on raw milk had negligible effects on TAA measurement. The greatest TAA was measured on skimmed pasteurised milk, followed by skimmed UHT milk, raw milk, whole pasteurised milk, and whole UHT milk. The 4th Chapter is the first contribution to the phenotypic characterization of TAA of bovine milk. This phenotype exhibited an exploitable variability, similar to that of other quality traits. Favourable phenotypic correlations of TAA with fat, protein, and casein percentages were observed, as well as with somatic cell score. Total antioxidant activity of milk increased across lactation. Mid-infrared prediction models developed to predict milk TAA were not enough accurate for analytical purposes. The 5th Chapter deals with the phenotypic characterization of TAA of buffalo, goat, and sheep milk. Sheep milk showed the greatest TAA. This is probably due to its relatively high content in fat, protein, and casein percentages, that are known as compounds contributing to milk antioxidant capacity. Accordingly, buffalo and goat milk had lower TAA as well as lower fat, protein and casein percentages. Milk TAA was unfavourably correlated with milk yield, but the relationship was significant only for buffalo, whereas protein and casein percentages were positively correlated with TAA of goat milk.

The description of new material and the reassessment of specimens previously assigned to Gelocus quercyi lead us to propose a new genus for this species, Mosaicomeryx gen. nov. Moreover, the description of a juvenile skull and other specimens of Prodremotherium elongatum, and comparison with Dremotherium, provide evidence that these two genera are not closely related as previously thought. A phylogenetic analysis based on 40 dental, cranial and postcranial features highlights the misidentification of Gelocus quercyi and suggests that Mosaicomeryx gen. nov. is closely related to Prodremotherium elongatum. Mosaicomeryx quercyi and Prodremotherium elongatum form a monophyletic group of stem Pecora that first appeared in Western Europe by the late Early Oligocene (MP25–26), and Prodremotherium elongatum persisted up to MP28; following this time both taxa appear to be replaced by Dremotherium and Amphitragulus. This time interval covers two major Oligocene faunal and climate changes: Extinction 1 (MP24), assoc...

This article presents some elements that compose the Jesuits' epistle practice in the old State of Maranhao and Grao-Para, using a particular example represented by a letter of Father Antonio Vieira. Stemming from observations by authors such as Alcir Pecora and Joao Adolfo Hansen, among others, the writing that proceeds attempts to demonstrate and to discuss the fact that the Jesuit letters are inserted in discursive practices current at the time of the missions in the territory of the colony, especially in the 17th century. The demonstration of the constituent elements of the Jesuit epistolography emphasizes more the edifying character of those letters than the factual one.

O artigo trata das implicações teórico-críticas da renovação dos estudos de retórica, com atenção para os estudos de João Hansen, Alcir Pécora, Adma Muhana, Hélio Alves e Belmiro Pereira. Numa primeira parte, discutimos esquematicamente a limitação das categorias literárias para abordagem de textos anteriores ao conceito “teórico” de literatura; numa segunda, fazemos observações para um modelo de estudo que atenda ao imperativo cognitivo da discriminação de períodos e que não recaia naquelas limitações epistêmicas. Trata-se de pensar a possibilidade de periodizar a partir dos estudos de retórica, tomando por horizonte a elaboração de uma ideia de “espaço ético-retórico” como ferramenta periodológica. (Projeto Fapesp No. 2017/11260-4.)

The endemic monogeneric fossil family Hoplitomerycidae currently includes six known species, the remains of which are found in Lower Tortonian coastal tidal-flat layered calcarenites at Scontrone, in Abruzzo (central Italy), as well as in karstic fissure fillings, supposedly of Messinian age, in the Gargano Promontory, Apulia (southeastern Italy). Their remains are found associated with bones of many other vertebrates which indicate the existence of a vast territory, the so-called Abruzzo-Apulia Platform, which was isolated from the nearest mainland at least from the Early Oligocene up to the latest Miocene. A recent cladistic analysis showed that the classification of the hoplitomerycids in Cervoidea, which currently enjoys vast popularity, is not justified. The family is characterized by a set of cranial and postcranial primitive traits, above all their non-parallel-sided astragalus, that suggest that the family probably stemmed from a primitive ruminant stock somewhere before the emergence of Pecora, consistent with geological evidence showing that about 29 Ma a land-bridge connected the Abruzzo-Apulia Platform with the Balkans across the Adriatic Sea, approximately where the Tremiti islands are today. The present study intended to reconnect to the results of the cladistic analysis and to extend them in the attempt to track down the possible ancestors of Hoplitomerycidae. The family expectedly radiated developing autapomorphic features that make the search quite arduous. Nonetheless, its primitive, leftover characters relate it to Oligocene basal ruminants with asymmetric astragalus. Following the distribution of the non-parallel astragalus through space and time leads to speculate a possible origin of the family from primitive Tragulina representatives that dispersed in Anatolia in the course of the Oligocene. Current reconstructions of the Early Oligocene paleogeography of the eastern Mediterranean show that the Apulian Platform was connected via a cross-Adriatic land-bridge to the Balkans, Anatolia and by that way also to middle and central Asia and central-eastern Europe.

Five families are traditionally recognized within higher ruminants (Pecora): Bovidae, Moschidae, Cervidae, Giraffidae and Antilocapridae. The phylogenetic relationships of Antilocapridae and Giraffidae within Pecora are, however, uncertain. While numerous fusions (mostly Robertsonian) have accumulated in the giraffe's karyotype (Giraffa camelopardalis, Giraffidae, 2n = 30), that of the pronghorn (Antilocapra americana, Antilocapridae, 2n = 58) is very similar to the hypothesised pecoran ancestral state (2n = 58). We examined the chromosomal rearrangements of two species, the giraffe and pronghorn, using a combination of fluorescence in situ hybridization painting probes and BAC clones derived from cattle (Bos taurus, Bovidae). Our data place Moschus (Moschidae) closer to Bovidae than Cervidae. Although the alternative (i.e., Moschidae + Cervidae as sister groups) could not be discounted in recent sequence-based analyses, cytogenetics bolsters conclusions that the former is more likely. Additionally, DNA sequences were isolated from the centromeric regions of both species and compared. Analysis of cenDNA show that unlike the pronghorn, the centromeres of the giraffe are probably organized in a more complex fashion comprising different repetitive sequences specific to single chromosomal pairs or groups of chromosomes. The distribution of nucleolar organiser region (NOR) sites, often an effective phylogenetic marker, were also examined in the two species. In the giraffe, the position of NORs seems to be autapomorphic since similar localizations have not been found in other species within Pecora.

Lack of suitable biological material for genetic studies in wildlife species can be a bottleneck for studies of conservation, phylogeny, evolution and sustainable management of specific wildlife species. This is due to animal stress during immobilization for sample collection, restricted rules in Zoos and Natural Parks or even physical difficulties in getting samples from living animals. Noninvasive techniques are more often used to obtain samples like hair, faeces and old museum collections, among others. However, the amount and quality of DNA obtained is a major concern and comparison of suitable methodologies must be done for optimization of methodologies for specific purposes. Suiformes are a large group that represents an important repository of biodiversity and constitutes an excellent group for clarification of the phylogenetic relationships based on the results of comparative genomic approaches. They include several species that constitute an important group for meat production and hunting. Pigs and babirusa, peccaries and hippopotamuses belong to the mammalian order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates, of which there are three major lineages or clades — the Suiformes, Tylopoda and Pecora — each ranked as a suborder. Of these, the Suiformes are the only nonruminants (Groves and Grubb 1993). Among them Suiformes species possess several million years of distinct evolutionary history and show several morphological size variations, changes in several external and internal structures, different environmental adaptations, a characteristic geographical distribution (Macdonald 1988), and also different karyotype (Adega et al. 2006). These

Giraffids include the only living giraffomorph ruminants and are diagnosed by the presence of bi-lobed canines and a special type of epiphyseal cranial appendages called ossicones. The family Giraffidae ranges from the latest early Miocene until today. However they are currently extant relics with only two living representatives, the African genera Okapia and Giraffa. Giraffids were much more diverse and widespread in the past, with more than 30 fossil species described. For the past decades a number of studies intended to resolve the phylogenetic relationships of the family, but due to the lack of really good cranial material no clear consensus was reached regarding the phylogenetic relationships amongst the different members of the group. The exceptionally complete remains of a new large giraffid from the late Miocene of Spain, Decennatherium rex sp. nov., allows us to improve and reassess giraffid systematics, offering a lot of new data, both anatomic and phylogenetic, on the large late Miocene giraffids of Eurasia. The results of our cladistic analysis show Decennatherium as a basal offshoot of a clade containing the gigantic samotheres and sivatheres, characterized by the presence of a Sivatherium-like ossicone-plan among other features. Decennatherium thus offers the most ancient evidence of this Sivatherium-plan and firmly establishes the early morphological patterns of evolution of a sivathere / samothere-clade that is defined as the less inclusive clade that contains Decennatherium and Sivatherium. Finally, this large group of four-ossiconed giraffids evolutionarily links Miocene Europe and Africa indicating vicariance / migration processes among the giraffid genetic pools separated by the Mediterranean Sea., MR acknowledges a FPI predoctoral grant (2012-2016) (Spanish Government MINECO http://www.mineco.gob.es/ codes: BES-2012-052589, EEBB-I-14-07947, EEBB-I-15-09349, EEBB-I-16-10617) as well as the EEBB-FPI grant program 2013, 2014 and 2015. IMS acknowledges the CERCA Program (Generalitat de Catalunya) and the CGL2016-76431-P research project by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (http://www.mineco.gob.es/). This study was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (research projects CGL2011-25754 (2012-2015) and CGL2015-68333-P (2016-2019), http://www.mineco.gob.es/).

When Popular Communication made its debut in 2003 as an independent, but affiliated, journal of the International Communication Association, editors Sharon Mazzarella and Norma Pecora stated in the...

Dietary behaviour and competition for resources are investigated for the small-sized ruminants Andegameryx Ginsburg, 1971 and Procervulus Gaudry, 1877 representatives of two largely distinct states of diversification of pecorans. Results obtained from dental microwear and mesowear methodologies are concordant with a mixed feeder strategy for the taxa from the Early Miocene environments of the Iberian Chain (Central Spain). Further, the Spanish taxa investigated had less abrasive diets than their relatives from others similarly aged localities in Europe. This fact raises an important evolutionary uncertainty concerning the traditional characterization of first pecorans as specialized browsers. Instead, data strongly corroborate the recently proposed notion that some Pecora ruminant lineages were able to consume a mixture of browse and grass, and that were originally facultative mixed feeders. However, there is a large degree of variation of their dental wear features. Species were not dependent on...

This report described the complete mitochondrial genome of the Saiga antelope, Saiga tatarica, from the Gansu Endangered Animal Research Center (GEARC) in Gansu Province, China. The mitogenome was a circular molecule of 16,376 bps (Genbank accession number: MF497028). It contained 13 protein-coding, 22 tRNA and two rDNA genes. The protein-coding genes had ATA or ATG as the initiation codon, and were terminated by the typical stop codon TAA, except for NAD2 and NAD3. The complete mitogenome sequence would be useful for further understanding origination, evolution and conservation genetics of S. tatarica population in China.

Bovid fossils constitute rare findings in the Cerro de los Batallones fossil sites. However, maxillar and mandibular remains of a juvenile individual of a large-sized bovid were discovered in Batallones-1. In the present work, we describe these fossils and assign them to the Eurpoean genus Austroportax (Sickenberg, 1829). We name these fossils as Austroportax sp. due to the lack of more diagnostic additional material belonging to this form.Los restos de bóvidos son excepcionalmente raros en los yacimientos del Cerro de los Batallones. Sin embargo, en Batallones-1 se han hallado restos mandibulares y maxilares de un individuo juvenil perteneciente a una especie de bóvido de talla grande. En el presente trabajo describimos estos fósiles y los asignamos al género europeo Austroportax (Sickenberg, 1829). Los fósiles quedan nombrados como Austroportax sp. debido a la ausencia de material diagnóstico adicional perteneciente a esta especie.

Although Tragulidae, as the basal family in Ruminantia phylogenetic tree, is the key taxon for understanding the early chromosome evolution of extant ruminants, comparative molecular cytogenetic data on the tragulids are scarce. Here, we present the first genome-wide comparative map of the Java mouse deer (Tragulus javanicus, Tragulidae) revealed by chromosome painting with human and dromedary probes. Together with the published comparative maps of major representative cetartiodactyl species established with the same set of probes, our results allowed us to reconstruct a 2n = 48 Ruminantia ancestral karyotype, which is similar to the cetartiodactyl ancestral karyotype. The karyotype evolution of T. javanicus has involved multiple rearrangements, most of which appear to be apomorphic and have not found in karyotype evolution of pecoran species (i.e., Ruminantia excluding Tragulidae). The rate of chromosome evolution of the mouse deer was rather low-0.4 R/Ma, while the estimated tempo of chromosome changes on the lineages leading from Cetartiodactyla ancestor to Ruminantia and from Ruminantia to Pecora were roughly the same (about 1.2 R/Ma).