The Effect of Attendance Patterns on the Lek Mating System in the Omei Treefrog(Rhacophorus omeimontis)

Attendance patterns are a key factor affecting sexual selection and mating systems in lekbreeding species.However,there are few systematic studies on attendance patterns in lek-breeding anurans.In this study,we monitored a population of Omei treefrogs(Rhacophorus omeimontis) for four consecutive years to reveal in detail the effects of attendance patterns on mating systems.We found that(1) female nightly attendance was affected by male nightly attendance,and operational sex ratios(determined by male and female nightly attendance) ultimately determined the extent of female polyandry;(2) males surviving more than one breeding season maintained high chorus attendance and mating success,suggesting that male chorus attendance is a good predictor of male genetic quality;(3) the distributions of male mating success were not significantly different from a Poisson distribution,indicating a random mating pattern;and male mating success was not related to body size(size-assortative mating was not evident) but was significantly correlated with chorus attendance.Since the chorus attendance is a predictor of male genetic quality,females performing random mating were more likely to mate with more frequently present males and could therefore gain indirect benefits from mating with higher-than-average quality males,thereby producing good offspring without incurring the significant costs involved in prolonged searching for,and assessing males.Our systematic survey on the relationship between attendance patterns and the lek mating system in R.omeimontis could help us better understand in-depth anuran lek mating systems.

A practical community-based response strategy to interrupt Ebola transmission in sierra Leone, 2014–2015

Background:The Ebola virus disease spread rapidly in West Africa in 2014,leading to the loss of thousands of lives.Community engagement was one of the key strategies to interrupt Ebola transmission,and practical community level measures needed to be explored in the field and tailored to the specific context of communities.Methods:First,community-level education on Ebola virus disease(EVD)prevention was launched for the community’s social mobilizers in six districts in Sierra Leone beginning in November 2014.Then,from January to May of 2015,in three pilot communities,local trained community members were organized to engage in implementation of EVD prevention and transmission interruption measures,by involving them in alert case report,contact tracing,and social mobilization.The epidemiological indicators of transmission interruption in three study communities were evaluated.Results:A total of 6016 community social mobilizers from 185 wards were trained by holding 279 workshops in the six districts,and EVD message reached an estimated 631680 residents.In three pilot communities,72 EVD alert cases were reported,with 70.8%of them detected by trained local community members,and 14 EVD cases were finally identified.Contact tracing detected 64.3%of EVD cases.The median duration of community infectivity for the cases was 1 day.The secondary attack rate was 4.2%,and no third generation of infection was triggered.No health worker was infected,and no unsafe burial and noncompliance to EVD control measures were recorded.The community-based measures were modeled to reduce 77 EVD cases,and the EVD-free goal was achieved four months earlier in study communities than whole country of Sierra Leone.Conclusions: The community-based strategy of social mobilization and community engagement was effective in casedetection and reducing the extent of Ebola transmission in a country with weak health system. The successfullypractical experience to reduce the risk of Ebola transmission in the community with poor resources would potentiallybe helpful for the global community to fight against the EVD and the other diseases in the future.