Donald B. Miles

Bio: Donald B. Miles is an academic researcher from Ohio University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Population & Ectotherm. The author has an hindex of 32, co-authored 87 publications receiving 5034 citations. Previous affiliations of Donald B. Miles include Centre national de la recherche scientifique & University of Toulouse.

Erosion of lizard diversity by climate change and altered thermal niches.

Abstract: It is predicted that climate change will cause species extinctions and distributional shifts in coming decades, but data to validate these predictions are relatively scarce Here, we compare recent and historical surveys for 48 Mexican lizard species at 200 sites Since 1975, 12% of local populations have gone extinct We verified physiological models of extinction risk with observed local extinctions and extended projections worldwide Since 1975, we estimate that 4% of local populations have gone extinct worldwide, but by 2080 local extinctions are projected to reach 39% worldwide, and species extinctions may reach 20% Global extinction projections were validated with local extinctions observed from 1975 to 2009 for regional biotas on four other continents, suggesting that lizards have already crossed a threshold for extinctions caused by climate change

Patterns of Covariation in Life History Traits of Squamate Reptiles: The Effects of Size and Phylogeny Reconsidered

Abstract: Stearns' (1984) major conclusion was that patterns of covariation in life history traits within squamate reptiles are strongly influenced by classwide correlations with female body length. This res...

The Correlation Between Ecology and Morphology in Deciduous Forest Passerine Birds

Abstract: We investigated the correspondence between feeding behavior and morphology among 19 species of passerine birds in the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire, using data in Holmes et al. (1979). Fourteen categories of foraging behavior were ordinated by reciprocal aver- aging. The first and second derived axes accounted for 61% of the total variance, and distinguished foraging substrate and maneuver. A morphological space was defined by eight external measurements. The correspondence between the positions of species in spaces defined by reciprocal averaging and morphology was determined by canonical correlation analysis. This analysis revealed two strong correlations: the first (R2 = 0.94) related substrate utilization to the lengths of the tarsus and midtoe, and the second (R2 = 0.70) related foraging maneuver to midtoe length. The canonical correlation analysis accounted for 83 and 74% of the variation on reciprocal averaging axes I and II; of the morphological variables, only tarsus (76%) and midtoe (64%) contributed strongly to the correlations. Therefore, although morphology predicts foraging behavior in this data set, considerable morphological variation is not related to the foraging variables that characterize the species' ecological relationships.

The race goes to the swift: fitness consequences of variation in sprint performance in juvenile lizards

Abstract: Locomotor performance is a fundamental link between an animal and its environment. Considerable evidence has accumulated about the biomechanical, physiological and morphological causes of variation in sprint speed and endurance in animals. Yet little information is available about the ecological role of locomotion and its relationship to fitness. This is largely due to the difficulty of acquiring survivorship data in known demographic populations. To address the selective significance of locomotor performance, I estimated the covariation between sprint speed and survivorship of juveniles in a population of the lizard, Urosaurus ornatus. Selection analyses based on mark–recapture data revealed significant directional selection for burst velocity and stride length. Faster lizards with longer stride lengths realized a survival advantage over slower lizards regardless of size. Significant non-linear selection was detected on initial velocity and mean velocity. The selection surface for initial velocity was concave up, hence juveniles with intermediate values for initial velocity had lower fitness. Conversely, the selection surface for mean velocity was concave down, thus juveniles with intermediate values for mean velocity had higher survivorship. I hypothesize that the differences in sprint performance influence prey capture and predator escape. Faster lizards may also select warmer microhabitats during favourable conditions, which may enhance growth rates but entail higher risks of predation.

疟原虫var基因转换速率变化导致抗原变异[英]／Paul H, Robert P, Christodoulou Z, et al//Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

Abstract: 抗原变异可使得多种致病微生物易于逃避宿主免疫应答。表达在感染红细胞表面的恶性疟原虫红细胞表面蛋白1（PfPMP1）与感染红细胞、内皮细胞、树突状细胞以及胎盘的单个或多个受体作用，在黏附及免疫逃避中起关键的作用。每个单倍体基因组var基因家族编码约60种成员，通过启动转录不同的var基因变异体为抗原变异提供了分子基础。

The Theory of Island Biogeography

Abstract: 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 Design and Analysis of Experiments

Abstract: THE DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF EXPERIMENTS. By Oscar Kempthorne. New York, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1952. 631 pp. $8.50. This book by a teacher of statistics (as well as a consultant for \"experimenters\") is a comprehensive study of the philosophical background for the statistical design of experiment. It is necessary to have some facility with algebraic notation and manipulation to be able to use the volume intelligently. The problems are presented from the theoretical point of view, without such practical examples as would be helpful for those not acquainted with mathematics. The mathematical justification for the techniques is given. As a somewhat advanced treatment of the design and analysis of experiments, this volume will be interesting and helpful for many who approach statistics theoretically as well as practically. With emphasis on the \"why,\" and with description given broadly, the author relates the subject matter to the general theory of statistics and to the general problem of experimental inference. MARGARET J. ROBERTSON

Influence of Diet On the Distribtion of Nitrogen Isotopes in Animals

Abstract: The influence of diet on the distribution of nitrogen isotopes in animals was investigated by analyzing animals grown in the laboratory on diets of constant nitrogen isotopic composition. The isotopic composition of the nitrogen in an animal reflects the nitrogen isotopic composition of its diet. The δ^(15)N values of the whole bodies of animals are usually more positive than those of their diets. Different individuals of a species raised on the same diet can have significantly different δ^(15)N values. The variability of the relationship between the δ^(15)N values of animals and their diets is greater for different species raised on the same diet than for the same species raised on different diets. Different tissues of mice are also enriched in ^(15)N relative to the diet, with the difference between the δ^(15)N values of a tissue and the diet depending on both the kind of tissue and the diet involved. The δ^(15)N values of collagen and chitin, biochemical components that are often preserved in fossil animal remains, are also related to the δ^(15)N value of the diet. The dependence of the δ^(15)N values of whole animals and their tissues and biochemical components on the δ^(15)N value of diet indicates that the isotopic composition of animal nitrogen can be used to obtain information about an animal's diet if its potential food sources had different δ^(15)N values. The nitrogen isotopic method of dietary analysis probably can be used to estimate the relative use of legumes vs non-legumes or of aquatic vs terrestrial organisms as food sources for extant and fossil animals. However, the method probably will not be applicable in those modern ecosystems in which the use of chemical fertilizers has influenced the distribution of nitrogen isotopes in food sources. The isotopic method of dietary analysis was used to reconstruct changes in the diet of the human population that occupied the Tehuacan Valley of Mexico over a 7000 yr span. Variations in the δ^(15)C and δ^(15)N values of bone collagen suggest that C_4 and/or CAM plants (presumably mostly corn) and legumes (presumably mostly beans) were introduced into the diet much earlier than suggested by conventional archaeological analysis.

Rapid Range Shifts of Species Associated with High Levels of Climate Warming

Abstract: The distributions of many terrestrial organisms are currently shifting in latitude or elevation in response to changing climate Using a meta-analysis, we estimated that the distributions of species have recently shifted to higher elevations at a median rate of 110 meters per decade, and to higher latitudes at a median rate of 169 kilometers per decade These rates are approximately two and three times faster than previously reported The distances moved by species are greatest in studies showing the highest levels of warming, with average latitudinal shifts being generally sufficient to track temperature changes However, individual species vary greatly in their rates of change, suggesting that the range shift of each species depends on multiple internal species traits and external drivers of change Rapid average shifts derive from a wide diversity of responses by individual species