The usual positive inter-specific relationship between range size and abundance of local populations can have notable exceptions in Afrotropical montane areas, where range-restricted bird species are unusually abundant. We tested how the area occupied locally by passerines and their geographic range size relate to local abundances along a tropical elevational gradient of Mt Cameroon, West-Central Africa. Data on bird assemblages were collected at six forested elevations (350, 650, 1100, 1500, 1850 m, 2200 m a.s.l.) using a standardised point count at 16 locations per elevation. Elevational ranges of birds were compiled from published sources and their geographic range sizes were determined as the occupancy of 1° x 1° grid cells. The observed relationship between local abundance and geographic range size within the entire passerine assemblage on Mt Cameroon disagrees with the most frequently reported positive pattern. However, the patterns differ among elevations, with positive trends of the abundance-range size relationship in lowland changing to negative trends towards higher elevations. Interestingly, the total assemblage abundances do not differ much among elevations and population size estimates of species occupying different parts of the gradient remain relatively constant. These patterns are caused by relatively high abundances of montane species, which might be a result of long-term ecological specialization and/or competitive release in species-poor montane locations and possibly facilitated by an extinction filter. Our data suggest that montane species' abilities to maintain dense populations might compensate for less area available near mountain tops and help these populations to circumvent extinction.

• MeSH
• Biodiversity * MeSH
• Extinction, Biological MeSH
• Population Density MeSH
• Forests MeSH
• Altitude MeSH
• Passeriformes physiology   MeSH
• Animal Distribution * MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Geographicals
• Cameroon MeSH

Investigations were performed on fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) preparations to examine whether factor analysis of medical image sequences (FAMIS) can be used to isolate fluorescent probes by means of their spectral and/or extinction dynamic emission properties. FISH is used to track down chromosomes of interest in cell nuclei and mitoses. Cytogenetic techniques producing flat preparations of whole cells were assumed to preserve the probes' access to their targets. To isolate the result of hybridization in the human nuclear interphase, we used a confocal microscope. Labelling of the targets by the probes (sequences labelled by FITC and TRITC) in the nuclei stained by propidium iodide was used as a biological model. We used two methods to isolate the component parts of the model: multispectral analysis and dynamic studies. In the case of multispectral analysis, the investigation was performed on 2D and 3D sequences of 28 images obtained on a single photomultiplier (PM) detector of the confocal microscope by selection of emission through 10-nm interference filters in the range of 500-780 nm and by z-displacement in each filter setting. In the case of dynamic studies, the investigation was performed on sequences of 30-70 images obtained on the same detector by single or average integrated acquisition of 10-30 scans. Confocal scanning yields images with constant excitation time. These images were investigated by FAMIS and the results revealed that the spectra and kinetics as factors, and factor images corresponded to FITC and TRITC stained targets, as well as to propidium iodide stained interphase. In conclusion, we would verify that targets were isolated through the spectrum of the fluorescent probes and could be distinguished from the propidium iodide used to stain the nuclei. It was also possible to distinguish them from the propidium iodide by taking into account differences in photobleaching of the different fluorochromes. The study leads us to process displacements by registration methods prior to factor analysis to improve the results.

• MeSH
• Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate MeSH
• Fluorescent Dyes MeSH
• In Situ Hybridization MeSH
• Microscopy, Confocal * methods   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Lymphocytes * ultrastructure   MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Publication type
• Letter MeSH