Neurophysiological and Behavioral Changes in Non-Target Wildlife Exposed to Organophosphate and Carbamate Pesticides: Thermoregulation, Food Consumption, and Reproduction

Originally utilized or developed as human poisons, anticholinesterasecompounds are among the most widely used pesticides in the worldand non-target wildlife are frequently exposed. Because thesecompounds primarily act by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase atsynapses within the central and peripheral nervous systems,the potential for altering physiological and behavioral responsesessential for survival and reproduction in exposed animals isgreat. We review the effects of acute but sublethal exposureto organophosphates and carbamates on thermoregulation (hypothermia),food consumption (anorexia and altered foraging behavior), andreproduction (altered hormone levels, reductions in clutch andlitter size, and alterations in reproductive behavior), andthe mechanisms believed to cause them. We believe these arethe direct toxic effects most likely to reduce populations offree-living birds and mammals within treated areas. Data fromstudies of captive birds and laboratory mammals and free-livingindividuals given controlled dosages are included with an emphasison information published within the last 5 years. The limitationsof existing data for determining the biological and regulatorysignificance of these effects are discussed.     

Pigmented Human Skin Equivalent: New Method of Reconstitution by Grafting an Epithelial Sheet Onto a Non-Contractile Dermal Equivalent

We have established a new protocol for reconstituting a pigmented human skin equivalent (PSE) and have evaluated its functional responses to environmental stimulus, UVB. The PSE is reconstituted by grafting an epithelial sheet consisting of keratinocytes and melanocytes onto a porous non-contractile dermal equivalent populated with mitotically and metabolically active fibroblasts. i) The PSE has a multilayered, well-differentiated epidermis with cuboidal basal cells and highly organised dermis with newly synthesised extracellular matrix components. ii) Ki67-positive proliferating keratinocytes (18.1 ± 7.4%) were detected on the basal layer of the epidermis. iii) Melanocytes located exclusively within the basal layer were detected by monoclonal antibody against tyrosinase-related protein (TRP-1). iv) After exposure to UVB (100 mJ/cm² per day) for 7 consecutive days, the intensity of TRP-1 staining was increased in the PSE, showing their functional state, whereas the number of melanocytes was not changed. This non-contractile and functioning new PSE is potentially useful as a model for studying the role of melanocyte-keratinocyte-fibroblast interactions in photoprotection of the skin in more complex cutaneous microenvironment than monolayer culture, and for developing in vitro disease models and therapeutic protocols with genetically altered cells both in epidermis and dermis.     

Monoterpenes emitted by the large pine weevil, Hylobius abietis (L.) feeding on Scots pine, Pinus sylvestris L.

Abstract. Attraction of the large pine weevil, Hylobius abietis (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) to pine logs was enhanced by the presence of weevils already on the logs. We investigated the volatiles emitted by insects feeding on host trees to determine the mechanism of the attraction. Chemical analyses of the collected volatiles showed large amounts of monoterpenes. There were no qualitative differences in the collections, between Scots pine alone and pine plus feeding weevils, nor between males and females, mated or virgin. Strong quantitative differences in monoterpenes existed that were correlated to the surface of cut bark. Electroantennograms (EAGs) were recorded on male and female antennae stimulated by increasing doses of collected volatiles. EAGs for pine alone and pine plus weevils at the same stimulus loading in (a + P)-pinene gave superimposable curves. EAGs of male and female volatiles were also identical. These results suggest an attraction mediated by host plant allelochemicals rather than by an aggregation pheromone.     

Garden Warbler Sylvia borin migration in sub-Saharan West Africa: phenology and body mass changes

The Garden Warbler is a classic subject for the study of Palaearctic–African bird migration strategies. Most studies have considered the situation close to the breeding areas, while the African and especially the sub‐Saharan part of the species’ migration have received comparatively little attention. Here we use autumn and spring ringing data from Nigeria and The Gambia to study the movements and energetics of the species in West Africa during the non‐breeding season. The first Garden Warblers arrive south of the desert around the beginning of September, roughly at the same time as the median date for their passage through the Baltic Sea region and c. 3 weeks before their median passage date through southern Italy. In the Nigerian Sahel savannahs, where, owing to the rainy season and its associated increase in food availability, many more Garden Warblers stop over in autumn than in the dry spring, the median date of passage is 1 October. The body mass on arrival south of the desert is normally only a few grams more than the lean body mass (LBM; 15 g) – with a mean of 16.6 g (sd = ±1.8 g) in The Gambia and 17.4 g (sd = ±1.8 g) in the Nigerian Sahel. After resting and refuelling in the Sahel, Sudan and Guinea‐type savannahs the Garden Warblers depart during November–December for wintering areas further south. Before leaving, they again increase their body mass, with an average fuel load of c. 20%, and often more than 50% relative to LBM. Some of the birds passing through Nigeria probably spend midwinter around the Congo Basin. During spring they return northwards to the Guinea savannah zone in April and fuel‐up there for the trans‐Sahara passage. At this time they normally increase their body reserves to around 50% of the LBM, but c. 10% of the birds gain 100%, thus doubling their mass. The passage there peaks around 20 April and continues well into May. That the main take‐off northwards is directly from the Guinea savannahs is indicated by the very low numbers trapped in the Sahel during spring.     

Three-Dimensional Reconstruction of Rabbit-Derived Pneumocystis carinii from Serial-Thin Sections II: Intermediate Precyst

Three-dimensional reconstruction of a binucleate intermediate precyst of Pneumocystis carinii was performed from serial-thin sections using the CATIA (Conception Assistée Tridimensionnelle Inter Active) Dassault system program. The presence of a mitochondrion, complex well-developed endoplasmic structures, and numerous Golgi vesicles was established. A better understanding of the ultrastructure of rabbit-derived P. carinii stages made it possible to formulate hypotheses on the evolution and physiology of the endomembrane system. Thus, the presence of the well-developed endoplasmic saccular structure and more than 230 Golgi vesicles in its vicinity might be implicated in the differentiation of the parasite surface structures and might also be related to nuclear division and individualization of intracystic bodies.     

Planktonic bloom-forming Cyanobacteria and the eutrophication of lakes and rivers

SUMMARY. 1. Eutrophication of water bodies involves the enrichment of plant nutrients, often followed by significant shifts in the phytoplankton towards Cyanobacteria. When comparing different aquatic systems, even with similar nutrient contents and in the same climatic region, inverse deductions are not valid; i.e. (a) the presence of Cyanobacteria does not necessarily indicate eutrophic conditions, or (b) eutrophic or even poly-trophic conditions do not necessarily support cyanobacterial development.
2. Above a threshold of 10 μg 1⁻¹ total phosphorus, the development of Cyanobacteria can be described by physical factors, such as water column stability. By characterizing different forms of turbulence, the presence or absence of Cyanobacteria in lakes and rivers can be predicted.
3.When the turbulence of the water column is rather low, as it is in sheltered or meromictic lakes, Cyanobacteria can build up dense populations. In nutrient poor systems, species of Oscillatoria and (seldom) Aphanizomenon are dominating.
4.If the turbulence of the water column is high (mixing depth much greater than euphotic depth) or the mixing pattern is irregular, as in slowly flowing or regulated rivers, Cyanobacteria are outcompeted.
5. In the presence of frequent or permanent turbulence, but with mixing depths lower or not much greater than the euphotic zone (as it is the case in shallow, unstratified lakes, mostly eutrophic or even hypertrophic), Cyanobacteria can outgrow normally dominant r -strategists under conditions of low N:P ratios, high water temperatures, pH >9.0 or low light availabilities.
6. If turbulence is comparatively great (10 to $15 m) and stable for a longer period of time, some cyanobacteria are able to adapt.
7. Our statements are discussed on the basis of physiological characteristics.     

Impact of 21st century climate change on the Baltic Sea fish community and fisheries

The Baltic Sea is a large brackish semienclosed sea whose species-poor fish community supports important commercial and recreational fisheries. Both the fish species and the fisheries are strongly affected by climate variations. These climatic effects and the underlying mechanisms are briefly reviewed. We then use recent regional – scale climate – ocean modelling results to consider how climate change during this century will affect the fish community of the Baltic and fisheries management. Expected climate changes in northern Europe will likely affect both the temperature and salinity of the Baltic, causing it to become warmer and fresher. As an estuarine ecosystem with large horizontal and vertical salinity gradients, biodiversity will be particularly sensitive to changes in salinity which can be expected as a consequence of altered precipitation patterns. Marine-tolerant species will be disadvantaged and their distributions will partially contract from the Baltic Sea; habitats of freshwater species will likely expand. Although some new species can be expected to immigrate because of an expected increase in sea temperature, only a few of these species will be able to successfully colonize the Baltic because of its low salinity. Fishing fleets which presently target marine species (e.g. cod, herring, sprat, plaice, sole) in the Baltic will likely have to relocate to more marine areas or switch to other species which tolerate decreasing salinities. Fishery management thresholds that trigger reductions in fishing quotas or fishery closures to conserve local populations (e.g. cod, salmon) will have to be reassessed as the ecological basis on which existing thresholds have been established changes, and new thresholds will have to be developed for immigrant species. The Baltic situation illustrates some of the uncertainties and complexities associated with forecasting how fish populations, communities and industries dependent on an estuarine ecosystem might respond to future climate change.     

Lucky rugose corals on crinoid stems: unusual examples of subepidermal epizoans from the Devonian of Morocco

Berkowski, B & Klug, C. 2011: Lucky rugose corals on crinoid stems: unusual examples of subepidermal epizoans from the Devonian of Morocco. Lethaia, Vol. 45, pp. 24–33. In the fossil record, evidence for true epizoans, i.e. living animals inhabiting other living host‐animals, is rather rare. A host reaction is usually needed to proof the syn vivo‐settling of the epizoan. Herein, we provide a first report of such an epizoan biocoenosis from various strata of the Early Devonian of Hamar Laghdad, the world‐renowned Moroccan mud‐mound locality. In this case, solitary rugose corals settled as larvae on crinoid stems, perhaps at a spot where the epidermis was missing for some reason (injury, disease). Both the crinoid and the coral began to grow around each other. By doing so, the affected crinoid columnals formed a swelling, where ultimately only an opening slightly larger than the coral orifice remained. We discuss both macroecological and small‐scale synecological aspects of this biocoenosis. The coral profited from its elevated home because it reached into more rapid currents providing the polyp with more food than at the densely populated seafloor, which was probably covered by a coral‐meadow around the mounds and hydrothermal vents. □Corals, crinoids, Early Devonian, epizoans, Morocco, Rugosa.     

New deep-sea Nematoda (Enoplida,Thoracostomopsidae, Oncholaimidae,Enchelidiidae) from a manganese nodule area of the eastern South Pacific*

Five new nematode species are described from a mangancsc nodule area of the abyssal eastern South Pacific: Enoploides tyrannis sp. n., Paramesacanthion abyssorum sp. n., P. forcepssp. n. (all three Thoracostomopsidae), Phylloncholaimus immanis gen. et sp. n. (Oncholaimidac), and Eurystomina absoluta sp. n. (Enchelidiidae). They are characterized by large size (body length 5000–23000 μm), short tails (c = 17–33), and strongly cuticularizcd, barrel-shaped buccal cavities with large teeth. With the exception of one male of E. tyrannis from the surface of a manganese nodule, all other specimens were found in the sediment. The new species are sporadic in distribution and represented by few individuals.