Chromosomal polymorphism plays a major role in speciation processes in mammals with high rates of karyotypic evolution, as observed in the family Cervidae. One remarkable example is the genus Mazama that comprises wide inter- and intra-specific chromosomal variability. To evaluate the impact of chromosomal polymorphisms as reproductive barriers within the genus Mazama, inter-specific hybrids between Mazama gouazoubira and Mazama nemorivaga (MGO × MNE) and intra-specific hybrids between cytotypes of Mazama americana (MAM) differing by a tandem (TF) or centric fusion (Robertsonian translocations—RT) were evaluated. MGO × MNE hybrid fertility was evaluated by the seminal quality and testicular histology. MAM hybrids estimation of the meiotic segregation products was performed by sperm-FISH analysis. MGO × MNE hybrids analyses showed different degrees of fertility reduction, from severe subfertility to complete sterility. Regarding MAM, RT, and TF carriers showed a mean value for alternate segregation rate of 97.74%, and 67.23%, and adjacent segregation rate of 1.80%, and 29.07%, respectively. Our results suggested an efficient post-zygotic barrier represented by severe fertility reduction for MGO × MNE and MAM with heterozygous TF. Nevertheless, RT did not show a severe effect on the reproductive fitness in MAM. Our data support the validity of MGO and MNE as different species and reveals cryptic species within MAM.

Cervids are characterized by their greatest karyotypic diversity among mammals. A great diversity of chromosome numbers in notably similar morphological groups leads to the existence of several complexes of cryptic species and taxonomic uncertainties. Some deer lineages, such as those of Neotropical deer, stand out for a rapid chromosomal reorganization and intraspecific chromosome polymorphisms, which have not been properly explored yet. For that reason, we contribute to the study of deer karyotype diversity and taxonomy by producing and characterizing new molecular cytogenetic markers for the gray brocket deer (<i>Subulo gouazoubira</i>), a deer species that retained the hypothetical ancestral karyotype of Cervidae. We used bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones derived from the cattle genome (<i>Bos taurus</i>) as markers, which were hybridized on <i>S. gouazoubira</i> metaphase chromosomes. In total, we mapped 108 markers, encompassing all gray brocket deer chromosomes, except the Y chromosome. The detailed analysis of fluorescent in situ hybridization results showed 6 fissions and 1 fusion as interchromosomal rearrangements that have separated cattle and gray brocket deer karyotypes. Each group of BAC probes derived from bovine chromosome pairs 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, and 9 showed hybridization signals on 2 different chromosomes, while pairs 28 and 26 are fused in tandem in a single acrocentric chromosome in <i>S. gouazoubira</i>. Furthermore, the BAC markers detected the occurrence of intrachromosomal rearrangements in the <i>S. gouazoubira</i> chromosomes homologous to pair 1 and the X chromosome of cattle. We present a karyotypic map of the 108 new markers, which will be of great importance for future karyotypic evolution studies in cervids and, consequently, help in their conservation and taxonomy resolution.

In this study, we examined cultural life scripts in two countries, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The cultural life script is semantic knowledge about culturally shared expectations regarding the order and timing of important life events during an idealized life course. For many decades, Slovakia and the Czech Republic were one country: Czechoslovakia. After a regime change in 1989 and the separation of the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993, their two cultures have been evolving and changing independently from one another, making these countries interesting for examining life scripts. We found that the cultural life scripts provided by Slovak and Czech participants shared 25 event categories, representing 89.3% of event categories in the Czech sample and 80.6% of event categories in the Slovak sample (including the category Other). However, participants also reported unique event categories to each culture (11.2% of unique event categories in the Czech sample and 20% in the Slovak sample), reflecting the specific cultural characteristics of these two separate countries.Reported events were listed in the same order they are expected to happen during the life span, were mostly positive, and showed a lifespan distribution consistent with the reminiscence bump. Participants showed higher agreement in the age estimates of positive events, compared to neutral and negative ones. Events were mostly social, in contrast to biological events. All these findings are consistent with the life script literature.