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\"Once again, we return to the Old West with a new posse of top authors spin tales of horror, fantasy, and science fiction. We take no prisoners as they explore what really was, and mix in what might have been. Charlaine Harris [The Sookie Stackhouse Series, Midnight, Texas] shows us a glimpse inside her new series as a tormented gunfighter faces a true demon of her past. Mike Resnick [The Buntline Special] reveals what Doc Holiday thought was so funny on his last day. Jeffrey Mariotte [Desperados, Graveslingers] introduces us to a man who specializes in pictures of the dead who won't stay dead. Jane Lindskold [The Firekeeper Saga, The Star Kingdom Series (with David Weber)] teaches us not to underestimate a schoolmarm when her students are in jeopardy. And Shane Hensley [Deadlands] cooks up a stew that threatens to send every famous lawman in history to their graves! Plus, a dozen more stories of how the west was wilder than any history book could contain, such as a new Native American legend by Stephen Graham Jones and a Mormon troubleshooter straddling the line between his faith and the supernatural by D.J. Butler. The west that was rides again with west that could have been in this follow-up to Straight Outta Tombstone! Contributors: Mike Resnick D.J. Butler Jane Lindskold Shane Hensely Jeffrey J. Mariotte Steve Ransic Tem Stephen Graham Jones Derrick Ferguson Frog and Esther Jones Cliff Winnig Jennifer Campbell-Hicks Alex Acks Marsheilla Rockwell Mario Acevedo Betsy Dornbusch Travis Heerman\"-- Provided by publisher.

Phenotypic plasticity enables a single genotype to produce multiple phenotypes in response to environmental variation. Plasticity may play a critical role in the colonization of novel environments, but its role in adaptive evolution is controversial. Here we suggest that rapid parallel regulatory adaptation of Anolis lizards to urban heat islands is due primarily to selection for reduced and/or reversed heat-induced plasticity that is maladaptive in urban thermal conditions. We identify evidence for polygenic selection across genes of the skeletal muscle transcriptome associated with heat tolerance. Forest lizards raised in common garden conditions exhibit heat-induced changes in expression of these genes that largely correlate with decreased heat tolerance, consistent with maladaptive regulatory response to high-temperature environments. In contrast, urban lizards display reduced gene expression plasticity after heat challenge in common garden and a significant increase in gene expression change that is congruent with greater heat tolerance, a putatively adaptive state in warmer urban environments. Genes displaying maladaptive heat-induced plasticity repeatedly show greater genetic divergence between urban and forest habitats than those displaying adaptive plasticity. These results highlight the role of selection against maladaptive regulatory plasticity during rapid adaptive modification of complex systems in the wild. Anthropogenic change, such as urban heat islands, present challenges to biodiversity that can be overcome through phenotypic plasticity. Unlike their ancestral counterparts, urban lizards have fewer maladaptive gene expression responses to higher temperatures in a common garden experiment, suggesting the evolution of adaptive plasticity.

Extreme environmental perturbations offer opportunities to observe the effects of natural selection in wild populations. During the winter of 2013–2014, the southeastern United States endured an extreme cold event. We used thermal performance, transcriptomics, and genome scans to measure responses of lizard populations to storm-induced selection. We found significant increases in cold tolerance at the species’ southern limit. Gene expression in southern survivors shifted toward patterns characteristic of northern populations.Comparing samples before and after the extreme winter, 14 genomic regions were differentiated in the surviving southern population; four also exhibited signatures of local adaptation across the latitudinal gradient and implicate genes involved in nervous system function. Together, our results suggest that extreme winter events can rapidly produce strong selection on natural populations at multiple biological levels that recapitulate geographic patterns of local adaptation.

Only recently have we begun to understand the ecological and evolutionary effects of urbanization on species, with studies revealing drastic impacts on community composition, gene flow, behaviour, morphology and physiology. However, our understanding of how adaptive evolution allows species to persist, and even thrive, in urban landscapes is still nascent. Here, we examine phenotypic, genomic and regulatory impacts of urbanization on a widespread lizard, the Puerto Rican crested anole ( Anolis cristatellus ). We find that urban lizards endure higher environmental temperatures and display greater heat tolerance than their forest counterparts. A single non-synonymous polymorphism within a protein synthesis gene ( RARS ) is associated with heat tolerance plasticity within urban heat islands and displays parallel signatures of selection in cities. Additionally, we identify groups of differentially expressed genes between habitats showing elevated genetic divergence in multiple urban–forest comparisons. These genes display evidence of adaptive regulatory evolution within cities and disproportionately cluster within regulatory modules associated with heat tolerance. This study provides evidence of temperature-mediated selection in urban heat islands with repeatable impacts on physiological evolution at multiple levels of biological hierarchy. Analysing phenotypic and genomic differences between urban and rural lizards, the authors identify a single non-synonymous polymorphism associated with heat tolerance plasticity that may explain how urban lizards can endure higher temperatures compared to those in forests.

Urbanization is rapidly altering Earth’s environments, demanding investigation of the impacts on resident wildlife. Here, we show that urban populations of coyotes ( Canis latrans ), crested anole lizards ( Anolis cristatellus ), and white-crowned sparrows ( Zonotrichia leucophrys ) acquire gut microbiota constituents found in humans, including gut bacterial lineages associated with urbanization in humans. Comparisons of urban and rural wildlife and human populations revealed significant convergence of gut microbiota among urban populations relative to rural populations. All bacterial lineages overrepresented in urban wildlife relative to rural wildlife and differentially abundant between urban and rural humans were also overrepresented in urban humans relative to rural humans. Remarkably, the bacterial lineage most overrepresented in urban anoles was a Bacteroides sequence variant that was also the most significantly overrepresented in urban human populations. These results indicate parallel effects of urbanization on human and wildlife gut microbiota and suggest spillover of bacteria from humans into wildlife in cities. Vertebrate species, such as reptiles, birds or mammals, harbour distinct communities of microbes in their digestive systems. These miniature ecosystems – also known as microbiomes – are unique to each owner and species, reflecting their diverse lifestyles and evolutionary history. Urbanisation can disrupt these delicate intestinal communities. Humans and other animals living in cities have different gut microbes to their counterparts living in rural areas. And captive species in homes and zoos often acquire human gut bacteria in their digestive systems, which can lead to health problems in these animals. So far, it has been unclear whether such a humanization of gut bacteria also affects wild animals living in and around cities. To investigate this further, Dillard et al. compared the gut microbes of wild reptiles, birds, and mammals living in close contact with humans in North America, such as coyotes, crested anole lizards and white-crowned sparrows. DNA sequencing showed that in urban environments, the composition of gut bacteria living in all three wildlife species resembled the ones in humans. The types of bacteria overrepresented in the guts of urban humans were also overrepresented in urban wildlife. This suggests that urbanization can affect the composition of gut bacteria in wildlife species by disrupting or replacing portions of their microbiome. The reason for this pattern is unclear. It is possible that humans might be sharing their gut microbes directly with city animals, or that a human-like diet is causing the change. Given the role that gut microbes play in health and disease, it is important to find out whether these changes cause the animals any harm.

Opuntia species (prickly pear) were deliberately introduced to many countries around the world for fruit, cochineal dye production, living fencing or as ornamentals. They are now some of the world’s most significant weeds, particularly in regions with warm and or dry climates, as they pose threats to economic and environmental assets. In addition, they can cause considerable health issues for humans and animals. Opuntia spp. have prolific reproduction abilities, being able to reproduce both vegetatively and by seed. They have generalist pollination and dispersal requirements, which promotes their establishment and spread. Opuntia stricta, O. monacantha and O. ficus-indica are the most globally widespread of the Opuntia spp. In many countries, biological control agents, particularly the cactus moth (Cactoblastis cactorum) and various cochineal insects from the Dactylopius genus, have successfully reduced land-scape scale populations. On a smaller scale, controlling these weeds by either injecting or spraying the cladodes with herbicides can provide effective control. Care must be taken during herbicide treatments as any untreated areas will regenerate. While biological control is the most cost and time effective control method for landscape-scale infestations, further research into the combined efficacy of herbicides, fire, grubbing and pre-burial techniques would be beneficial for land managers to control small-scale and establishing populations. It would also be useful to have greater knowledge of the potential seedbank longevity and seed ecology of these species so that integrated management strategies can be developed to not only deal with initial populations but also the subsequent seedling regrowth.

Background Complex organismal traits are often the result of multiple interacting genes and sub-organismal phenotypes, but how these interactions shape the evolutionary trajectories of adaptive traits is poorly understood. We examined how functional interactions between cardiorespiratory traits contribute to adaptive increases in the capacity for aerobic thermogenesis (maximal O 2 consumption, V̇ O 2 max, during acute cold exposure) in high-altitude deer mice ( Peromyscus maniculatus ). We crossed highland and lowland deer mice to produce F 2 inter-population hybrids, which expressed genetically based variation in hemoglobin (Hb) O 2 affinity on a mixed genetic background. We then combined physiological experiments and mathematical modeling of the O 2 transport pathway to examine the links between cardiorespiratory traits and V̇ O 2 max. Results Physiological experiments revealed that increases in Hb-O 2 affinity of red blood cells improved blood oxygenation in hypoxia but were not associated with an enhancement in V̇ O 2 max. Sensitivity analyses performed using mathematical modeling showed that the influence of Hb-O 2 affinity on V̇ O 2 max in hypoxia was contingent on the capacity for O 2 diffusion in active tissues. Conclusions These results suggest that increases in Hb-O 2 affinity would only have adaptive value in hypoxic conditions if concurrent with or preceded by increases in tissue O 2 diffusing capacity. In high-altitude deer mice, the adaptive benefit of increasing Hb-O 2 affinity is contingent on the capacity to extract O 2 from the blood, which helps resolve controversies about the general role of hemoglobin function in hypoxia tolerance.

Pimelea is one of the highly toxic plants in Australia, particularly affecting cattle. It contains simplexin, a potent toxin that can cause Pimelea poisoning (St. George Disease) in livestock. A survey was conducted to assess the current impact of Pimelea on livestock production, pasture systems, and financial losses among agricultural producers. In addition, information was also sought about the environmental conditions that facilitate its growth and the effectiveness of existing management strategies. The survey responses were obtained from producers affected by Pimelea across nine different Local Government Areas, through three States, viz., Queensland, New South Wales, and South Australia. Pimelea was reported to significantly affect animal production, with 97% of producers surveyed acknowledging its detrimental effects. Among livestock, cattle were the most severely affected (94%), when compared to sheep (13%), goats (3%), and horses (3%). The presence of Pimelea was mostly observed in spring (65%) and winter (48%), although 29% of respondents indicated that it could be present all year-round under favorable rainfall conditions. Germination was associated with light to moderate rainfall (52%), while only 24% linked it to heavy rainfall. Pimelea simplex F. Muell. was the most frequently encountered species (71%), followed by Pimelea trichostachya Lindl. (26%). Infestations were reported to occur annually by 47% of producers, with 41% noting occurrences every 2 to 5 years. Financially, producers estimated average annual losses of AUD 67,000, with 50% reporting an average of 26 cattle deaths per year, reaching up to 105 deaths in severe years. Some producers were spending up to AUD 2100 per annum to manage Pimelea. While chemical and physical controls were commonly employed, integrating competitive pastures and alternative livestock, such as sheep and goats, was considered as a potential management strategy. This study reiterates the need for further research on sustainable pasture management practices to reduce Pimelea-related risks to livestock and agricultural production systems.

Ziziphus mauritiana Lam. (Rhamnaceae) (Chinee Apple, Indian Jujube, or Ber) is a significant woody weed in the drier tropics of northern Queensland, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory. Throughout these regions, its densely formed thickets influence the structure, function, and composition of rangeland ecosystems by outcompeting native pasture species. Despite this, the recent literature is heavily focused on the horticultural value of domesticated Ziziphus species in South Asia (China, India, and Pakistan), particularly its potential for poverty alleviation in arid or semi-arid areas. In fact, there has been comparatively little research undertaken on its invasiveness or associated ecological factors in pastoral contexts. Currently, the management of Z. mauritiana is limited to the application of synthetic herbicides or mechanical clearing operations. There is also considerable interest in the exploitation of host-specific, natural enemies (biological control agents, herbivorous insects, fungi, bacteria, or viruses) for limiting the vigour, competitiveness, or reproductive capacity of Z. mauritiana in northern Australia. The development of a “bioherbicide” in lieu of synthetic counterparts may foster a more resilient coexistence between agricultural systems and the natural environment owing to its reduced environmental persistence and increased target specificity. This review summarises the current literature on the weediness, ecological impacts, and current management of this problematic weed, thereby identifying (i) opportunities for further research and (ii) recommendations for improved management within its invasive range.

Mimosa bush (Vachellia farnesiana) is an invasive woody weed widely distributed in Australia. While it can be controlled using several mechanical and chemical techniques, this study evaluated a novel herbicide delivery mechanism that minimizes the risk of spray drift and potential non-target damage. This method, developed by Bioherbicides Australia, involves the implantation of encapsulated granular herbicides into the stem of intact plants or into the stump after cutting off plants close to ground level (cut stumps). Trials were implemented near Moree (New South Wales, Australia) on intact (two experimental runs) plants and cut stumped (two experimental runs) plants. For each trial, an untreated control plus the conventional basal bark application of a liquid formulation of triclopyr + picloram mixed with diesel was included for comparison. Encapsulated glyphosate, aminopyralid + metsulfuron-methyl, hexazinone and clopyralid were also tested in all trials. In addition, encapsulated triclopyr + picloram, and metsulfuron-methyl were included in one of the intact plant trials. Aminopyralid + metsulfuron-methyl was consistently most effective on cut stump and intact plants, whilst clopyralid provided highest mortality when applied to cut stumps and single-stemmed intact plants. Particularly for multi-stemmed intact plants, clopyralid should be applied to each stem. Overall, the highest efficacy was achieved on single stemmed plants, but with further refinement of the technique, it should be possible to achieve similar results for multi-stemmed individuals. This method resulted in a reduction in the use of herbicide and environmental contamination while significantly improving speed of treatment.