Jon Martin Collinson

University of Aberdeen | ABDN · Institute of Medical Sciences

In 1822, John Latham gave the name Rose-fronted Parrot to a single specimen owned by Edward Smith Stanley. This specimen, now at World Museum, Liverpool, has never been given a formal scientific name but had been thought to be an undescribed, possibly extinct species, or an unusual young individual of the genus Psittacula. Based on a short mitochon...

A stonechat Saxicola found at Sila'a in the western region of the United Arab Emirates in November 2020 was suspected, on the basis of field characters, to be an Amur Stonechat S. stejnegeri. This was confirmed by genetic analysis and represents the first record of this taxon in the OSME region. The morphology and identification of the bird is disc...

Avian migratory processes are typically precisely oriented, yet vagrants are frequently recorded outside their normal range. Wind displaced vagrants often show corrective behaviour, and as an appropriate response is likely adaptive. We investigated the physiological response to vagrancy in passerines. Activation of the emergency life-history stage...

Despite the morphological similarity of the American Thalasseus maximus and West African T. albididorsalis "Royal" Terns, the latter has recently been shown to be more closely related to the Lesser Crested Tern T. bengalensis than to T. maximus. Comparative biometric and other studies of differences between T. maximus and T. albididorsalis are few,...

The taxonomic affinity of the near-flightless Zapata Rail Cyanolimnas cerverai, a critically endangered and highly localized species endemic to Cuba, has long been debated. Morphological analyses have suggested that this species, which constitutes a monotypic genus, could be related either to the extinct Tahitian Cave Rails (Nesotrochis sp.) or to...

The specimen in Liverpool known as Forbes' Lemon Dove, collected pre-1844 purportedly in Cayenne (French Guiana), was catalogued by Forbes & Robinson in 1900 as Haplopelia principalis, despite this species having been described from the island of Príncipe in the Gulf of Guinea. As a result of the discrepancy in localities, the Liverpool specimen wa...

The taxonomic affinity of the near-flightless Zapata Rail Cyanolimnas cerverai , a Critically Endangered and highly localized species endemic to Cuba, has long been debated. Morphological analyses have suggested that this species, which constitutes a monotypic genus, could be related either to the extinct Tahitian Cave Rails ( Nesotrochis sp.) or t...

The Red Grouse Lagopus lagopus scotica is a well-known but declining bird endemic to Britain and Ireland. Its taxonomic status was downgraded from species to subspecies in the mid-twentieth century but without any clear rationale. Here, we review the molecular evidence that has accumulated since the mid 1980s and address three issues: (i) the evolu...

Summary.—Yellow wagtails Motacilla sp. observed in Sri Lanka in November 2019 had the ‘rasping’ voice characteristic of Eastern Yellow Wagtail M. tschutschensis. DNA confirmed two individuals as M. t. tschutschensis / plexa, whilst plumage characters suggested one was M. t. plexa and the other M. t. tschutschensis, the first records of the species...

Aniridia, a rare congenital disease, is often characterized by a progressive, pronounced limbal insufficiency and ocular surface pathology termed aniridia-associated keratopathy (AAK). Due to the characteristics of AAK and its bilateral nature, clinical management is challenging and complicated by the multiple coexisting ocular and systemic morbidi...

The Bee Hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae), a Near Threatened Cuban endemic, is iconic for its tiny size, with the male being the smallest bird in the world. In this study, one mitochondrial gene (ND2) and introns of two nuclear genes (encoding adenylate kinase and beta-fibrinogen) were sequenced and aligned to homologous sequences from other hummingb...

In the days preceding 22 June 2020, the weather along the south coast of Ireland featured strong southerly winds with mild temperatures. It was unseasonably wet and heavy rain persisted throughout the morning of 22 June. Arlo Jacques was walking on the beach at Tramore, Waterford, Ireland, at low tide, just after midday, when he noticed a distresse...

We report here the first record of an American Herring Gull Larus smithsonianus in a Mediterranean coastal site (18 February–14 March 2019, Fuengirola, Malaga, S Spain). This gull was an adult bird and its identification was confirmed by a combination of mtDNA molecular analyses and morphological characters. This record furthermore stands as possib...

In the Natural History Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen (NHMD) is a specimen of a Calonectris shearwater labeled as Scopoli's Shearwater C diomedea. It was collected in Faroe Islands, Denmark, on August 9, 1877. Research discussed in this article confirms its identification. The research included DNA analysis, biometrics and a number of plumage feat...

Objective The purpose of the study was to determine the extent and role of systemic hypoxia in the pathogenesis of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Methods Hypoxia was assayed in vivo in early‐symptomatic (postnatal day 5) SMA‐model mice by pimonidazole and [¹⁸F]‐Fluoroazomycin arabinoside injections, which accumulate in hypoxic cells, followed by i...

A claim of Slender-billed Curlew Numenius tenuirostris from Avoch, in Easter Ross (Highland), on 25th February 1960, was reviewed by BBRC at the time and the identification found to be not proven. A feather from the bird was redis�covered during the digital archiving of BBRC files and a genetic analysis was carried out. This confirms that, as suspe...

The Natural History Museum of Denmark in København (Copenhagen) houses a specimen of Puffinus shearwater labelled Barolo Shearwater P baroli, collected in Skagerrak on 18 September 1912. We re-identified this specimen as Audubon’s Shearwater P lherminieri based upon DNA analysis, measurements and assessment of plumage, and we traced the history of...

The Mediterranean Basin represents a Global Biodiversity Hotspot where many organisms show high inter- and intraspecific differentiation. Extant phylogeographic patterns of terrestrial circum-Mediterranean faunas were mainly shaped through Pleistocene range shifts and range fragmentations due to retreat into different glacial refugia. Thus, several...

Epithelial cell monolayers show remarkable displacement and velocity correlations over distances of ten or more cell sizes that are reminiscent of supercooled liquids and active nematics. We show that many observed features can be described within the framework of dense active matter, and argue that persistent uncoordinated cell motility coupled to...

Mitochondrial genes were sequenced from four specimens of the extinct Canary Islands Oystercatcher Haematopus meadewaldoi and compared to African Oystercatcher H. moquini, Eurasian Oystercatcher H. ostralegus, and an old unidentified extralimital ‘black’ oystercatcher specimen from The Gambia. At these loci, H. meadewaldoi was approximately 99.65%...

Epithelial cell monolayers show remarkable long-range displacement and velocity correlations reminiscent of supercooled liquids and active nematics. Here we show that many of the observed features can be understood within the framework of active matter at high densities. In particular, we argue that uncoordinated but persistent cell motility couple...

The Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita is an abundant, polytypic Palearctic bird.

The Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita is an abundant, polytypic Palearctic bird. Validity of some of its subspecies is controversial and birds from some parts of the species range remain unclassified taxonomically. The relationships among populations from different geographic areas have not been sufficiently explored with molecular data. In...

Phylogenetic relationships of mtDNA CytB haplotypes. Bayesian tree representing relationships among CytB clades of Common Chiffchaffs and other chiffchaff species. GenBank accession numbers and inferred subspecies assignment are listed on the right. Numbers next to branches indicate their posterior probability values. (PDF)

All sampled individuals used in this study with GenBank accession numbers. (XLSX)

Objective: The corneas of heterozygous Pax6+/- mice develop abnormally and deteriorate further after birth but it is not known whether the postnatal deterioration is predetermined by abnormal development. Our objective was to identify whether depletion of Pax6 in adult mice caused any corneal abnormalities, similar to those in Pax6+/- mice, where...

Limbal epithelial stem cells (LESCs) are believed to be responsible for corneal epithelial maintenance and repair after injury, but their activity has never been properly quantified in aging or wounded eyes. In this study, labelling with thymidine analogues, 5-iodo-2′-deoxyuridine (IdU), 5-chloro-2′-deoxyuridine (CldU) and 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine...

Absence of the developing lens results in severe eye defects, including substantial reductions in eye size. How the lens controls eye expansion and the underlying signalling pathways are very poorly defined. We identified RDH10, a gene crucial for retinoic acid synthesis during embryogenesis, as a key factor downregulated in the peripheral retina (...

The use of mice that are mosaic for reporter gene expression underlies many lineage-tracing studies in stem cell biology. For example, using mosaic LacZ reporter mice, it was shown that limbal epithelial stem cells (LESCs) around the periphery of the cornea maintain radial sectors of the corneal epithelium and that radial stripe numbers declined wi...

DNA-based identification of birds has become routine and presents enormous possibilities for expanding our knowledge of identification, migration patterns and breeding ranges. This paper has been written to explain the theoretical background of DNA-based identification, to attempt to demystify the process, and to provide practical information usefu...

Genetic factors underlying the human limb abnormality congenital talipes equinovarus ('clubfoot') remain incompletely understood. The spontaneous autosomal recessive mouse 'peroneal muscular atrophy' mutant (PMA) is a faithful morphological model of human clubfoot. In PMA mice, the dorsal (peroneal) branches of the sciatic nerves are absent. In thi...

The intricate patterns of cell migration that are found throughout development are generated through a vast array of guidance cues. Responding integratively to distinct, often conflicting, migratory signals is probably crucial for cells to reach their correct destination. Pax6 is a master transcription factor with key roles in neural development th...

The role of the core planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway protein, Vangl2, was investigated in the corneal epithelium of the mammalian eye, a paradigm anatomical model of planar cell migration. The gene was conditionally knocked out in vivo and knocked down by siRNA, followed by immunohistochemical, behavioural and morphological analysis of corneal e...

The Liberian Greenbul Phyllastrephus leucolepis is known only from the Cavalla Forest, Liberia, where it was seen between 1981 and 1984 but has not been found since the collection of the type, and only, specimen. It is similar to the common and widespread Icterine Greenbul P. icterinus, from which it differs primarily in having white subterminal sp...

The functional roles of bioelectrical signals (ES) created by the flow of specific ions at the mammalian lens equator are poorly understood. We detected that mature, denucleated lens fibers expressed high levels of the α1 and β1 subunits of Na(+) /K(+) -ATPase (ATP1A1 and ATP1B1 of the sodium pump) and had a hyperpolarized membrane potential differ...

In order to elucidate genetic structure within the royal tern Thalasseus maximus, genetic analyses and phylogenetic reconstructions were performed on royal terns Thalasseus maximus albididorsalis from the West African breeding population and compared with sequences from American populations Thalasseus maximus maximus. The analysis shows that royal...

Golden Nightjar Caprimulgus eximius is an apparently sedentary sub-Saharan species with a breeding range extending from Senegal and Mauritania to Sudan. Although genetic studies of nightjars and related Caprimulgiformes have been published previously, none has included Golden Nightjar. In this study, mitochondrial and nuclear DNA of a Golden Nightj...

This study shows that the core planar cell polarity (PCP) genes direct the aligned cell migration in the adult corneal epithelium, a stratified squamous epithelium on the outer surface of the vertebrate eye. Expression of multiple core PCP genes was demonstrated in the adult corneal epithelium. PCP components were manipulated genetically and pharma...

We used sequences from one mitochondrial gene and six nuclear loci to confirm genetically the presumed identity of four large terns with an orange bill seen in Western Europe over the past decades. This multilocus genotyping (multilocus barcoding) approach confirmed that one bird was a Lesser Crested Tern Sterna bengalensis, as suspected based on i...

Purpose Patients with a heterozygous mutation in the gene encoding the transcription factor, PAX6, have a degenerative corneal opacity associated with failure of normal radial epithelial cell migration across the corneal surface and a reported wound healing defect. This study investigated the guidance mechanisms that drive the directed migration of...

Recommendations in this report fall into four categories: (1) changes in generic allocation (Porzana parva, P. pusilla, Charadrius asiaticus, C. veredus, C. leschenaultii, C. mongolus, C. pecuarius, C. alexandrinus, Egretta intermedia, Dendrocopos medius, D. minor), (2) changes in the taxonomic sequence of species (Charadrius, Dendrocopos, Sylvia,...

This study shows that the core planar cell polarity (PCP) genes direct the aligned cell migration in the adult corneal epithelium, a stratified squamous epithelium on the outer surface of the vertebrate eye. Expression of multiple core PCP genes was demonstrated in the adult corneal epithelium. PCP components were manipulated genetically and pharma...

This study shows that the core planar cell polarity (PCP) genes direct the aligned cell migration in the adult corneal epithelium, a stratified squamous epithelium on the outer surface of the vertebrate eye. Expression of multiple core PCP genes was demonstrated in the adult corneal epithelium. PCP components were manipulated genetically and pharma...

We are writing to register our support for the proposed suppression of the work ‘The White-cheeked Geese. . .’ by Harold C. Hanson. Suppression of entire taxonomic works for nomenclatural purposes should be considered only in exceptional cases. We believe this is such a case. The aforementioned work introduces an extreme number of species-group nam...

The limbal epithelial stem cell (LESC) hypothesis proposes that LESCs in the corneal limbus maintain the corneal epithelium both during normal homeostasis and wound repair. The alternative corneal epithelial stem cell (CESC) hypothesis proposes that LESCs are only involved in wound repair and CESCs in the corneal epithelium itself maintain the corn...

β-gal staining of corneas and conjunctivas with possible leaky ROSA26R-LacZ reporter expression.(A–H) Comparison of β-gal staining in corneas and conjunctivas of five eyes with most extensive radial stripes (49R, 39L, 39R, 161L and 161R) and two eyes with more typical labelling patterns (49L and 40R). (A, B) Eyes 49L and 49R from the same mouse aft...

Variation in β-gal positive stripe numbers per cornea after labelling at 12 weeks.Results were analysed separately with and without data from eyes 39L, 39R and 49R, illustrated in Supplementary Fig. S1, as it was uncertain whether they had any stripes that arose by leaky expression. In each case, data from mouse 161 were excluded, as some stripes w...

Numbers and widths of β-gal positive stripes induced at different ages.(A, B) The number of stripes per cornea was positively correlated between left and right eyes for mice treated with tamoxifen at 4 weeks (A) but not for the smaller sample treated at 24 weeks (B). (For mice treated at 24 weeks, only 13/22 eyes displayed stripes; Fig. 7K.) Pearso...

Effects of chase time on β-gal positive stripes induced at 12 weeks, excluding eyes 49R, 39L and 39R.(A-G) Results of the type of analyses shown in Fig. 4 but excluding eyes 49R, 39L and 39R (as well as 161L and 161R), shown in Supplementary Fig. S1. (A) Comparisons of the distance between the limbus and the central end of β-gal stripes by Kruskal–...

Estimation of number of stem cells per cornea from β-gal positive stripes induced at 12 weeks.(A, B) The distribution of LC stripes widths (measured at the cornea–limbal boundary) in eyes of mice injected with tamoxifen at 12 weeks and chased for 6–20 weeks (including eyes 49R, 39L and 39R but excluding eyes 161L and 161R, shown in Supplementary Fi...

Supplementary material: legends for Supplementary Figs. S1-S5.

A Siberian Stonechat Saxicola maurus was discovered at Portland, Dorset, at dusk on 24th October 2012. In better conditions the following day it was suspected to be of the eastern form S. m. stejnegeri and this was later confirmed by DNA analysis, after the bird had been trapped and ringed. Photographs confirmed that this same individual had been p...

A Grasshopper Warbler Locustella naevia was trapped, ringed and released on Fair Isle on 20th September 2012. The wing length was below the range of the nominate race but matched that for 'Eastern Grasshopper Warbler' L n. straminealmongolica. DNA analysis confirmed a close match with two birds collected on the breeding grounds in Tyva in southern...

In this review we evaluate evidence for three different hypotheses that explain how the corneal epithelium is maintained. The limbal epithelial stem cell (LESC) hypothesis is most widely accepted. This proposes that stem cells in the basal layer of the limbal epithelium, at the periphery of the cornea, maintain themselves and also produce transient...

An adult male Sylvia cantillans sensu lato was ringed at Falsterbo Bird Observatory on 19 May 2013. Plumage, biometry and calls suggested an Eastern Subalpine Warbler S. cantillans, recently given species status by the Swedish taxonomy committee. There are seventy accepted Subalpine Warbler records in Sweden but none has been assigned to any of the...

This paper is the tenth report of the Taxonomic Sub-Committee of the BOU Records Committee. Species-level decisions are based on criteria outlined by Helbig et al. (2002). The ninth report of the Sub-Committee was published by Sangster et al. (2013). Recommendations in this report fall into five categories: (i) recognition of higher taxa not recogn...

Based on a distinctive call, differences in plumage and a preliminary genetic analysis, the ‘Caucasian Water Pipit’ Anthus spinoletta coutellii may represent a separate species within the Rock A. petrosus/Water Pipit A. spinoletta complex. The differences between the taxa currently treated as three races of a single species, the Water Pipit A. spin...

Eye phenotypes were investigated in Le-CreTg/-; Pax6fl/+ mice, which were expected to show tissue-specific reduction of Pax6 in surface ectoderm derivatives. To provide a better comparison with our previous studies of Pax6+/- eye phenotypes, hemizygous Le-CreTg/- and heterozygous Pax6fl/+mice were crossed onto the CBA/Ca genetic background. After t...

Mental and neurological illnesses affect one in four people. Whilst genetic linkage analyses have shown an association of Nuclear Distribution Factor E (NDE1, or NudE) and its ohnolog NDE-like 1 (NDEL1, or Nudel) with mental disorders, the cellular mechanisms remain unclear. In the present study, we have demonstrated that Nde1 and Ndel1 are differe...

Capsule Atlantic Island Wrens are very closely related to mainland European populations. Aims The first genetic screen of the North-east Atlantic island subspecies of (Winter) Wren Troglodytes troglodytes was performed to resolve their relationship to mainland Eurasian and Nearctic populations. Methods The ND2 gene was sequenced from 15 wrens from...

This paper is the Ninth Report of the Taxonomic Sub-Committee of the BOU Records Committee (BOURC-TSC). Previously, the remit of the BOURC-TSC has been restricted to taxonomic issues affecting those species admitted to the Brit-ish List (for which, see BOU 2013). To facilitate collaboration with other national taxonomic com-mittees and with the obj...

(free to view at www.bou.org.uk), ensuring the widestpossible audience from within the ornithological andbirding communities. The British List The British List is the list of birds recorded in Britainand is maintained by the British Ornithologists’Union through its Records Committee (BOURC).The Republic of Ireland List, the Northern IrelandList and...

The criteria for robust identification of migrant Siberian Chiffchaffs Phylloscopus collybita tristis in western Europe continue to prove controversial. Whereas many 'classic' birds are identifiable on the basis of plumage and vocalisations, many others are less straightforward. This article describes a preliminary genetic analysis of three birds,...

Idiopathic congenital talipes equinovarus (CTEV) is the commonest form of clubfoot. Its exact cause is unknown, although it is related to limb development. The aim of this study was to quantify the anatomy of the muscle, subcutaneous fat, tibia, fibula and arteries in the lower legs of teenagers and young adults with CTEV using 3D magnetic resonanc...

Posterior coronal 3D MRA reconstructions of arteries in legs of CTEV and control young adults. The popliteral artery ‘Po’ (yellow), anterior tibia artery ‘AT’ (red), posterior tibia artery ‘PT’ (pink), and fibula artery ‘F’ (green) are overlaid onto 3D surface reconstructions of lower leg (transparent white) and tibia and fibula (white) from T1-wei...

Clinical treatment history of CTEV participants. (DOCX)

Reproducibility study of volumetric segmentation protocol. The volumes (VFat, VMusc, VTibia and VFibula) were determined form control (C3) and bilateral CTEV (B1) lower leg datasets by 3 trained operators. The fractional error of mean (FEM) is shown. (DOCX)

An eastern subspecies of Yellow Wagtail, Motadlla flava simillima, was added to the British List on the basis of two specimens collected on Fair Isle in 1909 and 1912. No further records have been accepted, in spite of the regular occurrence of 'grey-and-white' first-winter Yellow Wagtails in Britain in autumn, which have been suspected to be of ea...

The migration of neural stem cells (NSCs) is a key component of their therapeutic potential. NSCs are among the potential tools for cell-based therapies directed at CNS repair, and a better understanding of their capacity to respond to directional cues can contribute to their improved targeting to injured regions. These responses are also essential...

Maintenance of the corneal epithelium is essential for vision and is a dynamic process incorporating constant cell production, movement and loss. Although cell-based therapies involving the transplantation of putative stem cells are well advanced for the treatment of human corneal defects, the scientific understanding of these interventions is poor...

Merkel cells are mechanoreceptors widely distributed in the vertebrate skin. In rodents, Merkel cells within the whisker pads are innervated by free sensory nerve endings derived from the maxillary branch of the trigeminal nerve. This study identified expression of the transcription factor Pax6 in Merkel cells and investigated its role. Immunohisto...

A first-winter female Siberian Stonechat Saxicola maurus shot on the Isle of May in October 1913 was the first British record of this species, and one of the few British records that has been assigned to the nominate subspecies. DNA from the mounted specimen was analysed; it matched known specimens of nominate maurus, and was clearly genetically di...

Leadenhall Market, in London, was perhaps the most famous of the poulterer's markets that could be found across Britain during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The scale of commercial trade in birds, chiefly wildfowl and gamebirds but including many others, at such markets was remarkable. Rare and scarce birds turned up with some regul...

There is a tendency to see examples of fraud in ornithology as rare aberrations. This paper outlines some known and suspected historical examples of fraud, and argues that fraud of one kind or another has occurred more or less consistently, if uncommonly, in ornithology. Although most of the examples discussed are from Britain, it is likely that si...

To investigate the roles of intracellular signaling elicited by Hedgehog (Hh) ligands in corneal maintenance and wound healing. The expression of Hedgehog pathway components in the cornea was assayed by immunohistochemistry, western blot and reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), in wild-type mice and mice that were heterozygous...

Multiple comparisons of PAX77Tg/− and PAX77−/− corrected stripe number per mm circumference. (See Fig. 6C.) (PDF)

Multiple comparisons of PAX77Tg/− and PAX77−/− eyes mass. (See Fig. 6A.) (PDF)