East African precipitation is characterized by a dry annual mean climatology compared to other deep tropical land areas and a bimodal annual cycle with the major rainy season during March–May (MAM; often called the ‘‘long rains’’) and the second during October–December (OND; often called the ‘‘short rains’’). To explore these distinctive features, ERA-Interim data are used to analyze the associ...

In vertebrates, reproductive output often increases with age. Unlike older birds, first-year photoperiodic birds lack experience with the reproductively stimulatory effects of long day lengths (photostimulation). We examined whether age-related differences in annual reproductive development could be partially attributed to previous experience with photostimulation in the photoperiodic house fin...

BACKGROUND Medicinal leeches (Hirudo spp.) are simultaneous hermaphrodites. Mating occurs after a stereotyped twisting and oral exploration that result in the alignment of the male and/or female gonopores of one leech with the complementary gonopores of a partner. The neural basis of this behavior is presently unknown and currently impossible to study directly because electrophysiological recor...

Mammalian testis undergoes deep changes in their architecture and function during photoregression conditions in seasonal breeders. Particularly, the testicular mechanisms that regulate the transition between the active (functional) and inactive (regression) stage vary between species. The aim of the present study was to analyze the incidence of proliferation, apoptosis and autophagy in the test...

Light pollution is known to affect important biological functions of wild animals, including daily and annual cycles. However, knowledge about long-term effects of chronic exposure to artificial light at night is still very limited. Here we present data on reproductive physiology, molt and locomotor activity during two-year cycles of European blackbirds (Turdus merula) exposed to either dark ni...

Identifying environmental parameters that influence probability of nest predation is important for developing and implementing effective management strategies for species of conservation concern. We estimated daily nest survival for a migratory population of burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia) breeding in black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colonies in Wyoming, USA. We compared esti...

Aerosol formation over the Boreal forest in Hyytiälä, Finland: monthly frequency and annual cycles – the roles of air mass characteristics and synoptic scale meteorology E. D. Nilsson and M. Kulmala Stockholm University, Department of Applied Environmental Science, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden University of Helsinki, Department of Physical Sciences, P.O. Box 64, 00014 Helsinki, Finland Received: 29 ...

Quantitative long-term measurements of VOC concentrations by PTR-MS: annual cycle at a boreal forest site T. M. Ruuskanen, R. Taipale, J. Rinne, M. K. Kajos, H. Hakola, and M. Kulmala University of Helsinki, Department of Physics, P.O. Box 68, 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland Finnish Meteorological Institute, P.O. Box 503, 00101 Helsinki, Finland Received: 19 September 2008 – Accepted: 20 ...