Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science

Abstract Storytelling is an important tool for wildlife conservation. However, some storytelling elements may lead viewers to draw counterproductive conclusions about conservation. We explored how central elements of audio-visual storytelling – emotional endings, plot changes, music, and story topics – are related to the conservation value of comments on YouTube videos of orangutan rescue and rehabilitation organizations. Views increased with plot changes and decreased with faster music, but videos with faster music received more likes. Comment types were also related to certain storytelling elements, including story topics – videos of orangutans being released back to the wild yielded the most positive and conservation-productive comments and the fewest negative comments about orangutans or local people. Our findings illustrate there is no single type of social media post that can achieve every goal of wildlife conservation organizations; content creators should carefully select emotional valence, plot changes, music, and storylines based on intended audience and goals.

The armoured ankylosaurian dinosaurs are best known from Late Cretaceous Northern Hemisphere ecosystems, but their early evolution in the Early-Middle Jurassic is shrouded in mystery due to a poor fossil record1,2. Spicomellus afer was suggested to be the world's oldest ankylosaur and the first from Africa, but was based on only a single partial rib from the Middle Jurassic of Morocco3. Here we describe a new, much more complete specimen that confirms the ankylosaurian affinities of Spicomellus, and demonstrates that it has uniquely elaborate dermal armour unlike that of any other vertebrate, extant or extinct. The presence of 'handle' vertebrae in the tail of Spicomellus indicates that it possessed a tail weapon, overturning current understanding of tail club evolution in ankylosaurs, as these structures were previously thought to have evolved only in the Early Cretaceous4. This ornate armour may have functioned for display as well as defence, and a later reduction to simpler armour with less extravagant osteoderms in Late Cretaceous taxa might indicate a shift towards a primarily defensive function, perhaps in response to increased predation pressures or a switch to combative courtship displays.

Abstract Here we report two new small‐bodied pachycephalosaurines: one from the Dinosaur Park Formation of Alberta and the other from the Hell Creek Formation of Montana, each represented by an isolated squamosal. These two new specimens are approximately the same size as squamosals of Sphaerotholus buchholtzae, and possess several overlapping morphologies with the genus (such as a strongly posteroventrally projecting and laterally tapering parietosquamosal bar). Therefore, these two new specimens are identified as belonging to the genus Sphaerotholus. However, a suite of characters and combinations differentiate these two new specimens from the other three Sphaerotholus species. Most notably, they possess multiple posterior and lateral node rows on the squamosal, and lack a parietosquamosal node (a single row and a parietosquamosal node define these other species in the genus). Specifically, the Alberta specimen possesses two posterior and two lateral node rows, whereas the Montana specimen has three of each. This analysis provides phylogenetic support for the evolutionary hypothesis that a single‐rowed and parietosquamosal node‐less taxon underwent a cladogenetic event that gave rise to a single‐rowed and parietosquamosal node‐bearing lineage and a multi‐rowed, parietosquamosal node‐less lineage (the two taxa described herein). In turn, these two Sphaerotholus lineages possibly underwent anagenetic change throughout the latest Maastrichtian. Additionally, these new taxa suggest that while large‐bodied taxa from well sampled formations are to be found with decreasing frequency, the inverse holds true for small‐bodied taxa and that pachycephalosaurines were more diverse than previously recognized, and continued to diversify up until the very end of the Cretaceous.

After decades of study, much remains unknown about the foraging practices of the earliest inhabitants of Puerto Rico. Here, we present an analysis of the malacological assemblages of two neighboring and (partially) contemporary early sites from the island's southwest, finding intriguing intersite differences in shellfish collection practices. We attribute this diversity to differences in site type, chronology, or changes in local coastal configuration. This work not only provides insights into prehistoric Puerto Rican foraging dynamics but also demonstrates the importance of considering factors including intra-age chronology, site type, and changes in paleoenvironmental conditions when considering ancient foraging practices.

Rosacea is a very common chronic facial dermatosis characterized by a multiphase evolution. Inflammation is an important reaction in rosacea not only due to inflammatory reactions to cutaneous microorganisms, such as Demodex follicolorum, but also to ultraviolet damage that generates reactive oxygen species. This study evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory 18-beta glycyrrhetinic acid cream for the treatment of mild rosacea by means of noninvasive methods. A total of 24 subjects suffering from erythemato-telangiectatic or mild papulo-pustular rosacea were recruited in the trial. Twelve patients applied an anti-inflammatory cream with 18-beta glycyrrhetinic acid twice daily for 20 days and 12 patients, recruited as control, applied the same formulation without 18-beta glycyrrhetinic acid. After 10 days of treatment, a significant reduction of erythema was recorded in the patient sample who applied the 18-beta glycyrrhetinic acid cream, the mean change from baseline showed an increase in hydration level of the skin surface but it was not statistically significant. The use of 18-beta glycyrrhetinic acid cream can be helpful in managing symptoms and condition of rosacea skin, especially in the management of erythema.

The reef crests of the Jardines de la Reina National Park (JRNP) are largely formed by Acropora palmata, but colonies of A. cervicornis and the hybrid A. prolifera are also present. This study shows spatial distribution of colonies, thickets and live fragments of these species in the fore reefs. Snorkeling was used to perform the direct observations. The maximum diameter of 4,399 colonies of A. palmata was measured and the health of 3,546 colonies was evaluated. The same was done to 168 colonies of A. cervicornis and 104 colonies of A. prolifera. The influence of the location and marine currents on a number of living colonies of A. palmata was analyzed. For such purpose, reef crests were divided into segments of 500 m. The marine park was divided into two sectors: East and West. The Caballones Channel was used as the reference dividing line. The park was also divided into five reserve zones. We counted 7,276 live colonies of Acropora spp. 1.4% was A. prolifera, 3.5% A. cervicornis and 95.1% A. palmata. There were 104 thickets of A. palmata, ranging from eight to 12 colonies, and 3,495 fragments; 0.6% was A. cervicornis and the rest A. palmata (99.4%). In the East sector, 263 colonies (3.8% of the total), six thickets (5.8%) and 32 fragments (1%) of A. palmate were recorded. In the same sector, there were 11 fragments (50%) of A.cervicornis and two (2%) colonies of A. prolifera. Health of A. palmata was evaluated as good and not so good in the study area. Health of A. cervicornis was critical and health of A. prolifera was good in all five reserve zones. There was a significant increase in the number of colonies from east to west (Χ2 = 11.5, gl = 3.0, p = 0.009). This corroborates the existence of an important abundance differences between the eastern and the western region of the JRNP. A negative relationship was observed between the number of colonies and the distance from the channel (Χ2 = 65.0, df = 3.0, p < 0.001). The influence of the channel, for the live colonies of A. palmata is greater within the first 2,000 m. It then decreases until approximately 6,000 m, and no significant increase beyond. The orientation of the reef crests significantly influenced the abundance of the colonies (Χ2 = 15.5, df = 2.9, p = 0.001). The results presented here provide a baseline for future research on the status of the populations of Acropora spp., considering that there has been a certain recovery of the species A. palmata during the last 10–16 years. Given the current status of the populations of Acropora spp., conservation actions focusing A. cervicornis should be prioritized.

The reef crests of the Jardines de la Reina National Park are largely formed by Acropora palmata, but colonies of Acropora cervicornis and the hybrid Acropora prolifera are also present. This study shows spatial distribution of colonies, thickets and live fragments of these species in the fore reefs. Snorkeling was used to perform the direct observations. The maximum diameter of 4,399 colonies of A. palmata was measured and the health of 3,546 colonies was evaluated. The same was done to 168 colonies of A. cervicornis and 104 colonies of A. prolifera. The influence of the location and marine currents on a number of living colonies of A. palmata was analyzed. For such purpose, reef crests were divided into segments of 500 m. The marine park was divided into two sectors: East and West. The Caballones Channel was used as the reference dividing line. The park was also divided into five reserve zones. We counted 7,276 live colonies of Acropora spp. 1.4% was A. prolifera, 3.5% A. cervicornis and 95.1% A. palmata. There were 104 thickets of A. palmata, ranging from 8 to 12 colonies, and 3,495 fragments; 0.6% was A. cervicornis and the rest A. palmata (99.4%). In the East sector, 263 colonies (3.8 % of the total), 6 thickets (5.8 %) and 32 fragments (1 %) of A. palmate were recorded. In the same sector, there were 11 fragments (50 %) of A.cervicornis and 2 (2 %) colonies of A. prolifera. Health of A. palmata was evaluated as good and not so good in the study area. Health of A. cervicornis was critical and health of A. prolifera was good in all five reserve zones. There was a significant increase in the number of colonies from east to west (Χ2 = 11.5, gl = 3.0, p = 0.009). This corroborates the existence of a important abundance differences between the eastern and the western region of the JRNP. A negative relationship was observed between the number of colonies and the distance from the channel (Χ2 = 65.0, df = 3.0, p &lt;0.001). The influence of the channel, for the live colonies of A. palmata is greater within the first 2000 m. It then decreases until approximately 6000 m, and no significant increase beyond. The orientation of the reef crests significantly influenced the abundance of the colonies (Χ2 = 15.5, df = 2.9, p = 0.001). The results presented here provide a baseline for future research on the status of the populations of Acropora spp., considering that there has been a certain recovery of the species A. palmata during the last 10 to 16 years. Given the current status of the populations of Acropora spp., conservation actions focusing A. cervicornis should be prioritized.

RESUMEN: Durante un periodo de un año en el campus de la Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina se evaluó la incidencia y severidad del ataque de 16 insectos picadores-chupadores, masticadores y un ácaro en 24 especies forestales cultivadas en la ciudad de Lima, usando el método de Agrios (2002) modificada por Manta (2013), siendo Aleurodicus juleikae la especie con mayor número de hospederos. Estos agentes han sido clasificados en 3 grupos: 7 plagas clave, 9 plagas potenciales y 4 plagas esporádicas. Quince de estos agentes fueron reportados por primera vez para el hospedero forestal en el Museo de Historia Natural de la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos y en el Servicio Nacional de Sanidad Agraria- Perú, siendo Glycaspis brimblecombei en Eucalyptus spp. el primer registro para Lima y Neophyllaphis araucariae, Platycorypha nigrivirga y Singhiella simplex en Araucaria excelsa, Tipuana tipu y Ficus benjamina respectivamente los primeros registros para Perú.