Showing papers in "Biological Journal of The Linnean Society in 1971"
TL;DR: Observations on the rhythms of the edible oyster Ostrea edulis show it to have both a diurnal rhythm as well as a tidal rhythm of feeding and digestion.
Abstract: Observations on the rhythms of the edible oyster Ostrea edulis show it to have both a diurnal rhythm as well as a tidal rhythm of feeding and digestion. There is also a semi-lunar rhythm which is the resultant of the diurnal and tidal rhythms.
63 citations
TL;DR: An anatomical study of the seed coat and hairs has revealed that this ancient Nubian cotton is similar, in the characters examined, to Gossypium arboreum Var.
Abstract: During an excavation at Afyeh, Egyptian Nubia, in 1962, the Archaeological Survey of India recovered some plant remains. These contained, in addition to charred cereals, a few cotton seeds and dung of small animals. An anatomical study of the seed coat and hairs has revealed that this ancient Nubian cotton is similar, in the characters examined, to Gossypium arboreum var. soudanense and G. herbaceum var. africanum. Some hairs recovered from the dung indicate that the animals were fed with this cotton. The significance of this find is that the Nubians did not know at that time the potentiality of cotton hairs for making textile, but they apparently recognized the nutritive value of cotton seeds for animal feed. The hairs show an early stage of evolution from the wild to the cultivated cotton, having convolutions in the middle and no convolution towards the ends.
51 citations
TL;DR: Pond and laboratory crosses indicate that hybridization occurs readily and produces at least partially fertile hybrids, and hybrid introgression appears to be occurring in the Tilapia populations of Lake Naivasha.
Abstract: Hybridization is documented between two species of African cichlid fishes, Tilapia spilurus nigra and T. leucosticta. First discovered in a rice padi at Tebere in eastern Kenya (ostensibly stocked only with T. s. nigra), similar hybrids were later found in Lake Naivasha, Kenya (stocked inter alia with T. s. nigra and T. leucosticta). Hybrid characters are examined individually and by summation as a hybrid index. Pond and laboratory crosses indicate that hybridization occurs readily and produces at least partially fertile hybrids. Hybrid introgression appears to be occurring in the Tilapia populations of Lake Naivasha. Ecological features of the natural populations of both parental species and of the hybrids are examined with particular reference to habitat preferences and sex ratios.
42 citations
TL;DR: The taxonomic value of characters provided by male Coccoidea is reviewed in relation to traditional classifications based on the female and numerical methods based largely on principal component analysis are applied.
Abstract: The taxonomic value of characters provided by male Coccoidea is reviewed in relation to traditional classifications based on the female. Numerical methods based largely on principal component analysis are applied to the classification of some Diaspididae and the various techniques are compared and evaluated.
33 citations
TL;DR: It is concluded that the V index, which is Kendall's rank correlation coefficient (Kendall, 1955), provides the most meaningful segregation, particularly under principal component analysis.
Abstract: A comparison is made between a number of indices of similarity fer describing the similarities between multiple species samples, namely K, I, (1 - z), (x2/AT)1/2, r and a weighted similarity coefficient under various transformations. After discussing theoretical aspects of the indices, they are tested on two sets of data obtained by mist-netting birds. The resulting matrices are sorted by a simple nearest-neighbour agglomerative technique and later by principal component analysis. It is concluded that the V index, which is Kendall's rank correlation coefficient (Kendall, 1955), provides the most meaningful segregation, particularly under principal component analysis. Problems of subjective interpretation are discussed.
22 citations
TL;DR: A computer program originally designed to test glider performance was adapted and used to study the flight behaviour of Pteranodon, found to have a very low sinking speed, a similar lift/drag ratio to gliding birds, and to be capable of staying aloft at extremely low speeds and a very small turning circle.
Abstract: A computer program originally designed to test glider performance was adapted and used to study the flight behaviour of Pteranodon. A drag polar was determined for the membranous wing, giving a cambered plate profile. Results of the program described the straight flight performance, the turning ability and circling within thermals. Pteranodon was found to have a very low sinking speed, a similar lift/drag ratio to gliding birds, to be capable of staying aloft at extremely low speeds and a very small turning circle. The stress involved while turning was calculated and found to be low. It is suggested that a change from settled light-wind weather to more turbulent conditions could have brought about the extinction of this highly specialized animal.
19 citations
TL;DR: The botanic garden and the herbarium, with their associated libraries, have become complementary repositories of botanical information invaluable to the taxonomist, the plant geographer, the economic botanist and the student of evolution.
Abstract: Botany is the study of living plants in the garden and the wild and of dead plants in the herbarium and laboratory. The value of a botanic garden for teaching purposes became evident in the 16th century with the founding between 1543 and 1600 of botanic gardens at Pisa, Padua, Florence, Bologna, Leyden, Leipzig, Paris, Montpellier and Heidelberg: indeed most of the major European botanic gardens were founded during this and the next two centuries. Associated with the study of living plants in botanic gardens was the invention of the herbarium by Luca Ghini (1490-1556) and the subsequent making of many private herbaria, out of which have developed the large institutional herbaria, mostly in the 18th and 19th centuries. The continuous enrichment of European gardens by the introduction of new plants resulting from European exploration and colonization created many problems of classification and naming, and so led to the development of taxonomic methods and the adoption of consistent binomial nomenclature for species, following Linnaeus, during the 18th century. The fashion for collecting in the 17th and 18th centuries resulted in the amassing of big private collections which later became the basis of institutional collections. The increase of such public collections by making available material for study from all over the world has, in turn, increased the publications relating to this. Thus the botanic garden and the herbarium, with their associated libraries, have become complementary repositories of botanical information invaluable to the taxonomist, the plant geographer, the economic botanist and the student of evolution. Some useful publications relating to botanic gardens, herbaria and botanical and horticultural collectors are listed.
17 citations
TL;DR: The variation of the index of diversity is examined in time and between habitats and it is concluded that the index provides a measure of habitat diversity in relation to a fauna but may be affected by lack of species preadapted to newly available or expanded habitats.
Abstract: The examination of samples containing many species presents difficulties of description and comparison when the samples are treated as entities. Five different methods of sample description are discussed with special reference to mist-net samples of Malayan birds and it is concluded that the log-series is the most satisfactory with these data. The variation of the index of diversity is examined in time and between habitats and it is concluded that the index provides a measure of habitat diversity in relation to a fauna but may be affected by lack of species preadapted to newly available or expanded habitats. Theoretical and practical features of the various models are also examined.
14 citations
13 citations
TL;DR: The Biological Records Centre collects data on the occurrence of species at a particular time in a particular place for the preparation of distribution maps, for lists of species from localities, and lists of localities for species.
Abstract: The Biological Records Centre collects data on the occurrence of species at a particular time in a particular place. These data are used for the preparation of distribution maps, for lists of species from localities, and lists of localities for species.
The unit of recording at the national level is the 10 km square: from each square a list as complete as possible is collected. For common species presence alone is sufficient, but for rare or critical species more detailed data on locality and source are required.
Mapping data are stored on magnetic tape from which 80-column cards are generated by computer. These cards prepare distribution maps on an electric typewriter through a card reader. Details of locality, habitat, etc. are stored on two sets of 80-column individual record cards, one stored by species and the other by localities.
The Centre is encouraging the collection of data in counties, where the 2times2 km square is used, and for Europe where the 50 times 50 km square is proposed. It is important to establish not only biological records centres but a complete biological recording network.
8 citations
TL;DR: Besides bringing deeper insights into taxonomy as a whole, numerical taxonomy is entering a new and heuristic phase, which includes potential applications to the study of evolution.
Abstract: Some recent criticisms and critiques of numerical taxonomy are reviewed, together with some of its present shortcomings. It is pointed out that most of the problems are equally severe for orthodox taxonomy, and many of them can only be investigated by numerical techniques. The reasons for the general success of numerical methods in bacterial classification are discussed. Besides bringing deeper insights into taxonomy as a whole, numerical taxonomy is entering a new and heuristic phase, which includes potential applications to the study of evolution.
TL;DR: Systematics has a very wide scope and provides a framework within which meaningful biological work can be done and only a computer can keep systematic information up-to-date and easily retrievable.
Abstract: Progress in systematic zoology is dependent upon a means of communication that transcends the boundaries of immediate space and time. Systematics has a very wide scope and provides a framework within which meaningful biological work can be done. Its development can be traced from Aristotle; the advent of printing in 1450 encouraged progress in systematics, with the works of Conrad Gesner (1516-65) and Ulissis Aldrovandi (c. 1522-1605) deserving special mention. Then came Carl Linnaeus (1707-78) and the writing of the Systerna Naturae, along with the fashion of natural history cabinets and private museums. In 1768 Captain Cook made his first voyage round the world, inspiring organized collecting by amateur and professional naturalists attached to expeditions. This was followed by a period of enlargement and elaboration, with the founding of the great national collections, which were soon to become recognized places for systematic work. They also published detailed catalogues of their collections. With this increase in knowledge came an increase in the amount of zoological literature, much of which now disappears into scientific limbo. The average, although conscientious, worker at one of the large institutions may feel fortunate if he retrieves about 80% of the existing information on the particular subject he is working upon at the present time. In identifying material, the systematist has a constant need to retrieve information -a long laborious task for numerous reasons-and a quick retrieval system is required for both specimens and literature. Index Biological Abstracts, Zoological Record, Sherborn's Index Animalium (1902-) and Neave's Nomenclator Zoologicus (1939-) are attempts to facilitate this retrieval with regard to literature. As far as the specimens are concerned, preservation is an important factor; dried specimens conceal much of their information, storage in alcohol and formalin produces problems and some of the new preserving liquids and techniques, e.g. freeze-drying, have yet to stand the test of time. Only a computer can keep systematic information up-to-date and easily retrievable. Before us lies the era of the non-printed word.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors make a comment on the state of information science in biology and the environmental sciences that scientists with information problems should, in general, turn not to the professionals, to the curators, the librarians and the information scientists, but to scientists who have dabbled with computers.
Abstract: SUMMARY
I have one final question to ask–who is to lead this revolution. It is a sad comment on the state of information science in biology (and the environmental sciences) that scientists with information problems should, in general, turn not to the professionals, to the curators, the librarians and the information scientists, but to scientists who have dabbled with computers. We almost have the situation where curators preserve specimens, librarians preserve books and nobody preserves information. There is a real danger that the challenge will be taken up by the computer specialists who will build up information empires quite separately from the libraries and museums. The pressure for such computer archives is coming from the research activities of systematic geologists and biologists like myself. Some of us are busy forging strong links with the computer specialists but it would be a disaster if the computer side grows up separately. What we need is not fragmentation but integration–integration of specimens, photographs, documents–printed, manuscript and computer–in fact integration of all communication media into a single system to serve the needs of scientists. It is time that the professionals came to grips with the obvious. Their product should be information not books, specimens or other arbitrary package. Any new technology which produces a better information service must be taken into the system.
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TL;DR: The scope and recent history of the service are outlined, and possible developments include the introduction of a computer-assisted system.
Abstract: The scope and recent history of the service are outlined. Possible developments include the introduction of a computer-assisted system. The benefits of this are outlined.
TL;DR: The purpose and function of a specialized information centre is outlined and the importance of the relation of such a centre to current research users' needs is highlighted.
Abstract: The purpose and function of a specialized information centre is outlined and also the importance of the relation of such a centre to current research users' needs. There is wide literature scatter in this field. The means of information retrieval and the particular method of information storage is mentioned. The Biodeterioration Centre's publications and services are listed.
TL;DR: Sometime during the early spring of 1970 I was asked to write an account of the authors' old minute books and was given a large box containing many books and sundry papers, except the first–1811 to 1815, which afterwards it turned up.
Abstract: Sometime during the early spring of 1970 I was asked to write an account of our old minute books and was given a large box containing many books and sundry papers. All the old books were there and in good condition, except the first–1811 to 1815. So I wrote a report lamenting the absence of this book, but afterwards it turned up. It had never been lost, but being rather different from all the others it was not recognized. I now think this was rather fortunate, for the first book which is the most interesting, deserves ampler treatment. My report is kept strictly on the books, and only very occasionally have I drawn on information from the Society's records, or from the introduction to the list of the Club compiled by H. W. Monckton in 1922, using the Society's records.