β-Carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E content of the marine microalga Dunaliella tertiolecta cultured with different nitrogen sources

Variations in the β-carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E content of D. tertiolecta have been shown to result from the nitrogen source used in the culture medium. Differences of 101%, 38% and 69% have been found in β-carotene, ascorbic acid and tocopherol content in mg/g of dry matter, respectively, and differences of 147%, 63% and 37% occurred in β-carotene, vitamin C and E concentrations in mg/litre of culture, respectively. Considering the β-carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E content in mg/g of chlorophyll a, maximum variations occurred in β-carotene content, with differences of 145% among the different nitrogen sources. Maximum β-carotene and vitamin C values were found in urea cultures, whereas urea cultures showed the minimum values for vitamin E.     

Heteronarce rierai,a new narkid ray from Mozambique,western Indian ocean

Heteronarce rierai sp. nov. is described on the basis of six specimens, one male and five females, caught in the waters off Mozambique (western Indian Ocean). Total lengths range from 257 to 296 mm. The new species is distinguished from the three other species of the genusHeteronarce by its narrower disc width (29.6% of TL in male, and 33.0 to 39.2% of TL in females), shorter disc length (32.7% of TL in male, and 34.4 to 40.6% of TL in females), and its longer interdorsal distance (10.1 to 11.7% of TL).     

Fine-root biomass and soil properties in a semideciduous and a lower montane rain forest in Panama

The distribution of root biomass and physical and chemical properties of the soils were studied in a semideciduous and in a lower montane rain forest in Panama. Roots and soil samples were taken by means of soil cores (25 cm deep) and divided into five, 5-cm deep sections. Soils were wet-sieved to retrieve the roots that were classified in four diameter classes: very fine roots (<1 mm), fine roots (1–2 mm), medium roots (2–5 mm) and coarse roots (5–50 mm). Soil samples were analyzed for organic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, exchangeable bases, cation exchange capacity, pH, aluminium and exchangeable acidity. Total root biomass measured with the soil corer (roots <50 mm in diameter) was not different between the forests (9.45 t ha^-1), while biomass of very fine roots was larger in the mountains (2.00 t ha^-1) than in the lowlands (1.44 t ha^-1). The soils in the semideciduous forest were low in available phosphorus, while in the mountains, soils had low pH, high exchangeable aluminium and exchangeable acidity, and low concentration of exchangeable bases. Phosphorus was in high concentration only in the first 5 cm of the soil. In both forests, there was an exponential reduction of root biomass with increasing depth, and most of the variation in the vertical distribution of roots less than 2 mm in diameter was explained by the concentration of nitrogen in the soils. The results of this study support the hypothesis that a large root biomass in montane forests is related to nutrients in low concentration and diluted in organic soils with high CEC and low bulk density, and that fine root biomass in tropical forests in inversely related to calcium availability but not a phosphorus as has been suggested for other forests.     

Dark inhibition of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase in legumes: A biosystematic study

2-carboxyarabinitol 1-phosphate (CA 1-P) is a naturally occurring inhibitor of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco). Members of the Fabaceae exhibit a particularly wide range in the extent of CA 1-P accumulation during darkness and include Phaseolus vulgaris, whose dark/light regulation of Rubisco activity is principally achieved by synthesis/degradation of CA 1-P. An extensive survey of the degree of dark inhibition of Rubisco was undertaken for the subfamily Papilionoideae to elucidate evolutionary patterns in the occurrence of this regulatory mechanism. Seventy-five species from 21 tribes were examined. Dark inhibition of Rubisco was found in ancestral tribes such as the Sophoreae, but was substantially reduced or absent in representative species of three more recently evolved tribes, Cicereae, Hedysareae and Vicieae. We conclude that regulation of Rubisco by CA 1-P is neither of recent origin nor of restricted distribution among the Papilionoideae. On the contrary, it becomes lost or less pronounced only in a minority of the more evolutionarily advanced species in this important subfamily.     

Conditions for selective degradation of lignin by the fungus Ganoderma australis

Summary The white-rot fungus Ganoderma australis selectively degrades lignin in the ecosystem palo podrido. Using conditions that simulate those of palo podrido in the laboratory, it was found that low nitrogen content and low O₂ tension stimulate the productio of manganese peroxidase and lignin degradation, and depress cellulose degradation and cellulase production. The inverse is found at high nitrogen concentration and high O₂ tension. This agrees with previous results indicating that low O₂ tension and low nitrogen stimulate selective lignin degradation by this fungus. Correspondence to: J. Eyzaguirre     

The chronostratigraphic position of the Camping Francas section(Neogene of Tarragona,Spain)

The presence of Cirsotrema (s.s.) pumiceum (BROCCHI) and Chlamys (Manupecten) pesfelis (LINNE) in the section of Camping Francás (Province of Tarragona, Spain) suggests that the age of the deposits be changed from the upper Miocene (Tortonian) to the Pliocene. The change is of particular significance as the site is one of the classic localities of Pectinidae of the Neogene in North East Spain, and is type locality of Pecten (Flabellipecten) constisulcatus ALMERA & BOFILL.     

ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC ABNORMALITIES OF THE MITRAL VALVE ASSOCIATED WITH A LARGE PERICARDIAL EFFUSION

Features of mitral stenosis and systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve were observed on the echocardiogram of a patient with a large posterior pericardial effusion. The abnormal findings disappeared with resolution of the fluid. Because pericardial effusion may result in the echocardiographic alteration of cardiac structures, repeat study is necessary after the effusion has cleared.     

Parameter identification of the calvin photosynthesis cycle

Summary This article is concerned with the determination of kinetic parameters of the Calvin photosynthesis cycle which is described by seventeen nonlinear ordinary differential equations. It is shown that the task requires dynamic data for several sets of initial conditions. The numerical technique is based upon an algorithm for non-linear optimization and Gear's numerical integration scheme for stiff systems of differential equations. The sensitivity of the parameters to noise in the data is tested with a method adapted from Rosenbrook and Storey. A preliminary set of parameters has been obtained from a preliminary set of experimental data. The numerical methods are then tested with synthetic data derived from these parameters. The mathematical model and the results obtained in the simulation are used as an aid in designing new experiments.     

Drought‐stress and plant resistance affect herbivore performance and proteome: the case of the green peach aphid Myzus persicae (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

Little is known about the simultaneous effects of drought stress and plant resistance on herbivorous insects. By subjecting the green peach aphid Myzus persicae Sulzer to well‐watered and drought‐stressed plants of both susceptible and resistant peach (Prunus persica), the effects of both stressors on aphid performance and proteomics are tested. Overall, the influence of the water treatment on aphid performance is less pronounced than the effect of host plant genetic resistance. On the susceptible cultivar, aphid survival, host acceptance and ability to colonize the plant do not depend on water treatment. On the resistant cultivar, aphid survival and ability to colonize are higher on drought‐stressed than on well‐watered plants. A study examining the pattern of protein expression aiming to explain the variation in aphid performance finds higher protein expression in aphids on the drought‐stressed susceptible cultivars compared with the well‐watered ones. In the susceptible cultivar, the regulated proteins are related to energy metabolism and exoskeleton functionality, whereas, in the resistant cultivar, the proteins are involved with the cytoskeleton. Comparison of the protein expression ratios for resistant versus susceptible plants reveals that four proteins are down‐regulated in well‐watered plants and 15 proteins are down‐regulated in drought‐stressed plants. Drought stress applied to the susceptible cultivar induces the regulation of proteins in M. persicae that enable physiological adaptation to maintain an almost unaltered aphid performance. By contrast, for aphids on the resistant cultivar subjected to drought stress, the down‐regulation of proteins responds to an induced host susceptibility effect.