Remote sensing and geographic information systems: charting Sin Nombre virus infections in deer mice.

We tested environmental data from remote sensing and geographic information system maps as indicators of Sin Nombre virus (SNV) infections in deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) populations in the Walker River Basin, Nevada and California. We determined by serologic testing the presence of SNV infections in deer mice from 144 field sites. We used remote sensing and geographic information systems data to characterize the vegetation type and density, elevation, slope, and hydrologic features of each site. The data retroactively predicted infection status of deer mice with up to 80% accuracy. If models of SNV temporal dynamics can be integrated with baseline spatial models, human risk for infection may be assessed with reasonable accuracy.

Binding up a world of wounds.

A World of Wounds: Ecologists and the Human Dilemma by P.R. Ehrlich Ecology Institute, Excellence in Ecology 8, 1997. DM63.00 hbk (xxiv+210 pages) ISBN 0932 2205.

Genetic and molecular ecotoxicology: a research framework.

Participants at the Napa Conference on Genetic and Molecular Ecotoxicology assessed the status of this field in light of heightened concerns about the genetic effects of exposure to hazardous substances and recent advancements in our capabilities to measure those effects. We present here a synthesis of the ideas discussed throughout the conference, including definitions of important concepts in the field and critical research needs and opportunities. While there were many opinions expressed on these topics, there was general agreement that there are substantive new opportunities to improve the impact of genetic and molecular ecotoxicology on prediction of sublethal effects of exposure to hazardous substances. Future studies should emphasize integration of genetic ecotoxicology, ecological genetics, and molecular biology and should be directed toward improving our understanding of the ecological implications of genotoxic responses. Ecological implications may be assessed at either the population or ecosystem level; however, a population-level focus may be most pragmatic. Recent technical advancements in measuring genetic and molecular responses to toxicant exposure will spur rapid progress. These new techniques have considerable promise for increasing our understanding of both mechanisms of toxicity on genes or gene products and the relevance of detrimental effects to individual fitness.

Internal fertilization in an oviparous frog.

Eleutherodactylus coqui, an oviparous frog, undergoes internal fertilization. If this mode of fertilization occurs in other species of anurans, interpretations of anuran reproductive strategies based on the assumption of external fertilization must be reviewed.

European corn borer: pheromone polymorphism or sibling species?

Electrophoretic analyses of the (Z) and (E) pheromone-attracted males of Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner), the European corn borer, in an area of coexistence indicate that these strains are not freely interbreeding. Although the populations are morphologically indistinguishable, studies of allozyme, pheromone, and hybridization suggest that the (Z) and (E) entities are genetically differentiated, perhaps to the status of semi- or sibling species.

Population structure, gene flow and natural selection in populations of Euphydryas phaeton.

An examination of seven proteins, presumably encoded by seven structural gene loci, in three local populations of the supposedly sedentary and colonial butterfly, Euphydryas phaeton revealed that three (43 per cent) were polymorphic with three to five alleles each. In addition to this high level of heterozygosity, no statistically significant differences in allele frequencies were found at two of the three polymorphic loci. Since the effective breeding size in each population was estimated to range from as few as 20 to 200 individuals, it appears that some level of gene flow between populations must be invoked to explain the high levels of genetic variability maintained in local populations of this butterfly, despite its apparently colonial nature.