Preface to the Princeton Landmarks in Biology Edition vii Preface xi Symbols Used xiii 1. The Importance of Islands 3 2. Area and Number of Speicies 8 3. Further Explanations of the Area-Diversity Pattern 19 4. The Strategy of Colonization 68 5. Invasibility and the Variable Niche 94 6. Stepping Stones and Biotic Exchange 123 7. Evolutionary Changes Following Colonization 145 8. Prospect 181 Glossary 185 References 193 Index 201

The Theory of Island Biogeography

Statistical method for testing the neutral mutation hypothesis by DNA polymorphism.

Both the magnitude and the urgency of the task of assessing global biodiversity require that we make the most of what we know through the use of estimation and extrapolation. Likewise, future biodiversity inventories need to be designed around the use of effective sampling and estimation procedures, especially for 'hyperdiverse' groups of terrestrial organisms, such as arthropods, nematodes, fungi, and microorganisms. The challenge of estimating patterns of species richness from samples can be separated into (i) the problem of estimating local species richness, and (ii) the problem of estimating the distinctness, or complementarity, of species assemblages. These concepts apply on a wide range of spatial, temporal, and functional scales. Local richness can be estimated by extrapolating species accumulation curves, fitting parametric distributions of relative abundance, or using non-parametric techniques based on the distribution of individuals among species or of species among samples. We present several of these methods and examine their effectiveness for an example data set. We present a simple measure of complementarity, with some biogeographic examples, and outline the difficult problem of estimating complementarity from samples. Finally, we discuss the importance of using 'reference' sites (or sub-sites) to assess the true richness and composition of species assemblages, to measure ecologically significant ratios between unrelated taxa, to measure taxon/sub-taxon (hierarchical) ratios, and to 'calibrate' standardized sampling methods. This information can then be applied to the rapid, approximate assessment of species richness and faunal or floral composition at 'comparative' sites.

Estimating Terrestrial Biodiversity through Extrapolation

Gut microbial composition depends on different dietary habits just as health depends on microbial metabolism, but the association of microbiota with different diets in human populations has not yet been shown. In this work, we compared the fecal microbiota of European children (EU) and that of children from a rural African village of Burkina Faso (BF), where the diet, high in fiber content, is similar to that of early human settlements at the time of the birth of agriculture. By using high-throughput 16S rDNA sequencing and biochemical analyses, we found significant differences in gut microbiota between the two groups. BF children showed a significant enrichment in Bacteroidetes and depletion in Firmicutes (P < 0.001), with a unique abundance of bacteria from the genus Prevotella and Xylanibacter, known to contain a set of bacterial genes for cellulose and xylan hydrolysis, completely lacking in the EU children. In addition, we found significantly more short-chain fatty acids (P < 0.001) in BF than in EU children. Also, Enterobacteriaceae (Shigella and Escherichia) were significantly underrepresented in BF than in EU children (P < 0.05). We hypothesize that gut microbiota coevolved with the polysaccharide-rich diet of BF individuals, allowing them to maximize energy intake from fibers while also protecting them from inflammations and noninfectious colonic diseases. This study investigates and compares human intestinal microbiota from children characterized by a modern western diet and a rural diet, indicating the importance of preserving this treasure of microbial diversity from ancient rural communities worldwide.

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Impact of diet in shaping gut microbiota revealed by a comparative study in children from Europe and rural Africa

We have applied “whole-genome shotgun sequencing” to microbial populations collected en masse on tangential flow and impact filters from seawater samples collected from the Sargasso Sea near Bermuda. A total of 1.045 billion base pairs of nonredundant sequence was generated, annotated, and analyzed to elucidate the gene content, diversity, and relative abundance of the organisms within these environmental samples. These data are estimated to derive from at least 1800 genomic species based on sequence relatedness, including 148 previously unknown bacterial phylotypes. We have identified over 1.2 million previously unknown genes represented in these samples, including more than 782 new rhodopsin-like photoreceptors. Variation in species present and stoichiometry suggests substantial oceanic microbial diversity. Microorganisms are responsible for most of the biogeochemical cycles that shape the environment of Earth and its oceans. Yet, these organisms are the least well understood on Earth, as the ability to study and understand the metabolic potential of microorganisms has been hampered by the inability to generate pure cultures. Recent studies have begun to explore environ

/pdf/environmental-genome-shotgun-sequencing-of-the-sargasso-sea-43wxijxylr.pdf

Environmental Genome Shotgun Sequencing of the Sargasso Sea

Information theory broadens the spectrum of molecular ecology and evolution: (Trends in Ecology and Evolution 32:12, p:948-963, 2017).

Successful childbirth after extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in previous pregnancy: two case reports.

Epidemiology: The Applications of Capture‐Recapture Models to Epidemiological Data

Acute Cardiovascular Collapse after Pericardial Drainage in a Patient with Aortic Dissection

A 16-year-old male patient was referred to our institution due to occasional chest tightness for one month. Electrocardiogram showed some atrioventricular junctional beats. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed a hyperechoic mass about 1.4 × 0.5 cm in size in the right atrium. He was then scheduled for operation under the impression of possible right atrial myxoma. After general anesthesia, a transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) examination revealed a serpentine, highly mobile echocardiographic structure with focal thickening within the right atrium (Fig. 1). The curvilinear right atrial echoes originated from coronary sinus and were attached to the right atrial wall (Fig. 2). The hyperechoic target did not obstruct right ventricular inflow. There was only mild tricuspid regurgitation. A prominent Chiari network was then diagnosed. The operation was cancelled. Subsequently, the patient was regularly followed in outpatient clinics. The valve of the sinus venosus at an early stage of embryonic development nearly divides the right atrium into two chambers and it normally disappears early in fetal life. When there is extensive resorption of the right sinus venosus valve,

/pdf/misdiagnosed-right-atrial-tumor-identified-by-intraoperative-2c3qi8dbnb.pdf

Anne Chao

Papers

Information theory broadens the spectrum of molecular ecology and evolution: (Trends in Ecology and Evolution 32:12, p:948-963, 2017).

Successful childbirth after extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in previous pregnancy: two case reports.

Epidemiology: The Applications of Capture‐Recapture Models to Epidemiological Data

Acute Cardiovascular Collapse after Pericardial Drainage in a Patient with Aortic Dissection

Misdiagnosed right atrial tumor identified by intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography.