Presence and distribution of the brown bear (Ursus arctos) in Friuli Venezia Giulia, from 2004 to 2011, through the non-invasive genetic monitoring ad conservation implications

After having disappeared at the beginning of 1900, the brown bear has started in a late 1960s a slow process of recolonization of the north-eastern Alps, through an expansion of Dinaric population. At the end of the 1990s the University of Udine began the occasional monitoring of the species and from 2004 non-invasive genetic monitoring became systematic. In the last 8 years 217 hair traps have been activated in the region to monitore: Natisone Valleys, the Julian and Carnic Alps and Prealps. Twenty-six hair traps were monitored in all years, whereas 40 were observed only in 2004, 2007 and 2011. The 26 hair traps constantly monitored from 2004 to 2011 showed 17% of average success of hair’s…

La phylogénie des cercopithecinés encore en costruction.

Les cercopithecines (guenons et autres taxa corrélées) sont un groupe de singes africains qui se composent d'environ 36 réelles espèces avec une évolution et une phylogénie três difficile à reconstruire. L’approche scolaire a la tendance à proposer la clusterisation du groupe en question en deux: strictement arboricoles et terrestres. Avec la présente, nous analysons de façon critique les différentes reconstructions phylogénétiques proposées aujourd’hui tout en conduisant une analyse sur la base des aspects moléculaires, chromosomiques et écologiques des espèces incluses dans le "groupe d'espèces" actuellement reconnu. Cette approche multidisciplinaire inclue la morphologie, l'écologie régi…

Explorative 3D geometric morphometrics on crania and mandibles of Cercopithecini (1024 specimens)

A dataset of crania and mandibles from Old World primates was investigated through the use of 3D Geometric Morphometrics. We focused the attention on the tribe Cercopithecini, sampling 1024 specimens preserved in 9 different museums and related to a total of 31 species. Other 102 specimens belonging to 10 species of the same family Cercopithecidae were added as outgroup. Our sampling campaign was carried on with a 3D-digitizer Microscribe G2X and the data were processed through the softwares Morphologika and MorphoJ. We conducted both PCA and CVA analyses to investigate the power of resolution of the morphometric method and to understand the role of a-priori groups in the discrimination of …

L’ibridazione interspecifica: evidenze e limiti di un fenomeno ancora da comprendere

L’interesse per l’aspetto evoluzionistico dell’ibridazione interspecifica è cresciuto negli ultimi anni, a giudicare dalla mole di articoli e review pubblicati sull’argomento. Fili conduttori di questi lavori sono la considerazione dell’ibridazione avvenuta e la conseguente ricerca delle evidenze che la dimostrano, siano esse morfologiche o genetiche: quasi mai l’evento di ibridazione viene messo in discussione, neppure quando le specie coinvolte sono caratterizzate da sbilanciamenti aneuploidi molto forti. Generalmente, l’ibridazione tra specie riconosciute come distinte è impedita dall’innescarsi di meccanismi d’isolamento pre e postzigotici. Questa incompatibilità ci porta a mettere in d…

Faces and Identities: is it possible measuring the reliability of the 3D craniofacial approximations

The craniofacial approximation (CFA) is largely used in forensic identification of unknown skeletonized bodies. Despite numerous forensic reports have proved successful in identifying a cadaver, it is very hard to assess the reliability of CFA methods. The present work aims to evaluate the accuracy of CFAs through the comparison of a blind facial approximation with a simultaneous faces array test. The blind CFA was made following the Manchester’s protocol. In our test the CFA was compared with a photographic array of ten faces, included the photo of the individual whom belonged the skull. The positive recognition was evaluated by a total of 320 unfamiliar assessors. During the test a survey…

3D Geometric morphometrics to investigate Cercopithecini evolution

3D Geometric Morphometrics has been used on a preliminary dataset of 163 crania and 148 mandibles of primates. We sampled 27 species from Cercopithecidae and Hominidae, collected in 7 different museums. Our sampling campaign was carried on with the use of a 3D-digitizer Microscribe G2X and the data were processed through the software Morphologika. The preliminary PCA analyses on crania highlight the presence of two different groups, which distinguish some Chlorocebus and Unknown Cercopithecus samples from all the others. Regarding on mandibular shape analyses, we found a light cluster of Cercopithecus samples. The “Sex” variable does not affect the reliability of the analysis, probably beca…

Evidence of a chromosomal polymorphism unique to Cercopithecini. A key factor in the Tribe definition ?

The evolution of the Cercopithecini: a (post)modern synthesis.

The Cercopithecini, or African guenon monkeys, are one of the most diverse clades of living primates and comprise the most species-rich clade of Catarrhini. Species identity is announced by flamboyant coloration of the facial and genital regions and, more cryptically, by vigorous chromosomal rearrangements among taxa. Beneath the skin, however, these animals are skeletally conservative and show low levels of genetic sequence divergence consonant with recent divergence between congeneric species. The guenons clearly demonstrate that morphological, cytogenetic, and reproductive differentiation proceed at different rates during speciation. We review diverse kinds of data in an effort to unders…