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Aim Comparison of Epipedobates bassleri (Myers, 1987), which occurs on highaltitude mountain ridges ('sky peninsulas') in the Andean transition zone and demonstrates high levels of divergence in colouration among populations, and Epipedobates hahneli (Schulte, 1999), which occurs throughout the lowland regions of the Amazon basin and is morphologically conserved, using phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial sequence data and comparison of colour pattern.Location Central cordilleras of Peru (near Tarapoto, San Martin).Methods DNA was extracted from individuals of E. bassleri from the central cordilleras of Peru, and from individuals of E. hahneli from across Peru. The cytochrome b mitochondrial gene region was amplified and sequenced for individuals of each species, and phylogenetic analysis was carried out using Bayesian inference. Genetic distances among populations and geographic distances of each species were examined and compared using Mantel tests. Parametric bootstrapping was used to test the monophyly of E. bassleri. ResultsEpipedobates bassleri formed a well-supported monophyletic group and showed higher levels of genetic divergence among populations than was shown among populations of E. hahneli from the same region. Distinct clades representing different geographic regions were recovered for E. hahneli. Levels of divergence among more geographically distant populations of E. hahneli were higher than levels of divergence among E. bassleri populations. We found a significant correlation between genetic divergence and geographic distance as measured along a 1000-m contour line, but not as measured by direct routes (crossing putative biogeographical barriers).Main conclusions Levels of genetic divergence were higher among populations of morphologically conservative E. hahneli than among populations of morphologically variable E. bassleri, suggesting rapid divergence in colouration among populations of E. bassleri. These patterns support previous arguments concerning the role of the montane transition zone between the high mountains and lowlands in divergence and speciation. High levels of both genetic and phenotypic divergence among populations of E. bassleri indicate that ecological or behavioural factors may be responsible for the high levels of colour variation seen among E. bassleri, but not among E. hahnleli, populations.

To progress to a high level in classical ballet, en pointe is a requirement. The aim of this literature review was to evaluate the available evidence relating to readiness for dancing en pointe, including injury rates in the adolescent dancer population, screening tools, and pre-pointe training methods. It has been emphasized that young dancers are a demographic at increased risk of injury, especially as they progress through the growth spurt and increase their training hours. Dancers are commonly screened at the pre-pointe level, but unfortunately the majority of evidence resulting from this process, as reported in the literature, is subjective in nature. Hence, there is large variance regarding an appropriate time or level to commence en pointe training, and it remains unclear what dance teachers should be looking for in making this decision. A further paucity of evidence is demonstrated with regard to pre-pointe training protocols or instruction; in this review, no published literature was found on the topic. As such, there is a clear need for further study of pre-pointe screening and en pointe training protocols.

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Strategic, data driven conservation approaches are increasing in popularity as conservation communities gain access to better science, more computing power, and more data. High resolution geospatial data, indicating ecosystem functions and economic activity, can be very useful for any conservation expert or funding agency. A framework was developed for a data driven conservation prioritization tool and a data visualization tool. The developed tools were then implemented and tested for the U.S. Gulf of Mexico coastal region defined by the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council. As a part of this tool development, priority attributes and data measures were developed for the region through 13 stakeholder charrettes with local, state, federal, and other non-profit organizations involved in land conservation. This paper presents the measures that were developed to reflect stakeholder priorities. These measures were derived from openly available geospatial and non-geospatial data sources. This database contained 19 measures, aggregated into a one km2 hexagonal grid and grouped by the overarching goals of habitat, water quality and quantity, living coastal and marine resources, community resilience, and economy. The developed measures provided useful data for a conservation planning framework in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico coastal region.