Variation in offspring sex ratios is a central topic in animal demography and population dynamics.Most studies have focused on bird species with marked sexual dimorphism and multiple-nestling broods,where the offsprin...Variation in offspring sex ratios is a central topic in animal demography and population dynamics.Most studies have focused on bird species with marked sexual dimorphism and multiple-nestling broods,where the offspring sex ratio is often biased due to different individual or environmental variables.However,biases in offspring sex ratios have been far less investigated in monomorphic and single-egg laying species,and few studies have evaluated long-term and large-scale variations in the sex ratio of nestling vultures.Here,we explore individual and environmental factors potentially affecting the secondary sex ratio of the monomorphic griffon vulture Gyps fulvus.We used information collected at three breeding nuclei from central Spain over a 30-year period(1990–2020)to analyse the effects of nestling age,parental age,breeding phenology,conspecific density,population reproductive parameters,and spatial and temporal variability on nestling sex.Sex ratio did not differ from parity either at the population or the nuclei level.No significant between-year differences were detected,even under highly changing conditions of food availability associated with the mad-cow crisis.We found that tree nesting breeders tend to have more sons than daughters,but as this nesting behavior is rare and we consequently have a small sample size,this issue would require additional examination.Whereas further research is needed to assess the potential effect of breeder identity on nestling sex ratio,this study contributes to understanding the basic ecology and population dynamics of Griffon Vultures,a long-lived species with deferred maturity and low fecundity,whose minor deviations in the offspring sex ratio might imply major changes at the population level.展开更多
60-year prion and scrapie research has led to a dilemma in understanding the unknown aetiology of the infectious neurodegenerative disorders with intriguing features. Current progress and dilemma in prion research are...60-year prion and scrapie research has led to a dilemma in understanding the unknown aetiology of the infectious neurodegenerative disorders with intriguing features. Current progress and dilemma in prion research are briefly but critically reviewed. Instead of providing a comprehensive coverage of the research history, attentions in this view are drawn toward both the major breakthrough in the advancement of protein-only hypothesis, and the puzzle why this hypothesis has not been fully accepted. In order to resolve the prion enigma in neuroscience, it is suggested that both technical and concept barriers remain to be crossed. Since prion research is a multi-interdisciplinary subject, this view is intended to both facilitate a bette r understanding of prion phenomenon by more scientists in natural science, and invite scientists outside the fields of molecular genetics and protein science for collaboration.展开更多
基金The study was carried out with the permission of the regional government of Castilla y Leon,Direccion General del Medio Natural,Servicio de Espacios Naturales.Research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy,Industry,and Competitiveness through projects CGL2007-61395,CGL2010-15726,CGL2013-42451-PPID2019-109685GB-I00 of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation+1 种基金G.G.L.was supported by a FPU fellowship of the Spanish Ministry of Science,Innovation and Universities(FPU19/06511)A.S.A.was supported by a Ramon y Cajal fellowship of the Spanish Ministry of Science(RYC-2017-22796).
文摘Variation in offspring sex ratios is a central topic in animal demography and population dynamics.Most studies have focused on bird species with marked sexual dimorphism and multiple-nestling broods,where the offspring sex ratio is often biased due to different individual or environmental variables.However,biases in offspring sex ratios have been far less investigated in monomorphic and single-egg laying species,and few studies have evaluated long-term and large-scale variations in the sex ratio of nestling vultures.Here,we explore individual and environmental factors potentially affecting the secondary sex ratio of the monomorphic griffon vulture Gyps fulvus.We used information collected at three breeding nuclei from central Spain over a 30-year period(1990–2020)to analyse the effects of nestling age,parental age,breeding phenology,conspecific density,population reproductive parameters,and spatial and temporal variability on nestling sex.Sex ratio did not differ from parity either at the population or the nuclei level.No significant between-year differences were detected,even under highly changing conditions of food availability associated with the mad-cow crisis.We found that tree nesting breeders tend to have more sons than daughters,but as this nesting behavior is rare and we consequently have a small sample size,this issue would require additional examination.Whereas further research is needed to assess the potential effect of breeder identity on nestling sex ratio,this study contributes to understanding the basic ecology and population dynamics of Griffon Vultures,a long-lived species with deferred maturity and low fecundity,whose minor deviations in the offspring sex ratio might imply major changes at the population level.
文摘60-year prion and scrapie research has led to a dilemma in understanding the unknown aetiology of the infectious neurodegenerative disorders with intriguing features. Current progress and dilemma in prion research are briefly but critically reviewed. Instead of providing a comprehensive coverage of the research history, attentions in this view are drawn toward both the major breakthrough in the advancement of protein-only hypothesis, and the puzzle why this hypothesis has not been fully accepted. In order to resolve the prion enigma in neuroscience, it is suggested that both technical and concept barriers remain to be crossed. Since prion research is a multi-interdisciplinary subject, this view is intended to both facilitate a bette r understanding of prion phenomenon by more scientists in natural science, and invite scientists outside the fields of molecular genetics and protein science for collaboration.
