A physiological analogy of the niche for projecting the potential distribution of plants

Aim  To develop a physiologically based model of the plant niche for use in species distribution modelling. Location  Europe. Methods  We link the Thornley transport resistance (TTR) model with functions which describe how the TTR’s model parameters are influenced by abiotic environmental factors. The TTR model considers how carbon and nutrient uptake, and the allocation of these assimilates, influence growth. We use indirect statistical methods to estimate the model parameters from a high resolution data set on tree distribution for 22 European tree species. Results  We infer, from distribution data and abiotic forcing data, the physiological niche dimensions of 22 European tree species. We found that the model fits were reasonable (AUC: 0.79–0.964). The projected distributions were characterized by a false positive rate of 0.19 and a false negative rate 0.12. The fitted models are used to generate projections of the environmental factors that limit the range boundaries of the study species. Main conclusions  We show that physiological models can be used to derive physiological niche dimensions from species distribution data. Future work should focus on including prior information on physiological rates into the parameter estimation process. Application of the TTR model to species distribution modelling suggests new avenues for establishing explicit links between distribution and physiology, and for generating hypotheses about how ecophysiological processes influence the distribution of plants.     

Novel α-L-Fucosidases from a Soil Metagenome for Production of Fucosylated Human Milk Oligosaccharides

This paper describes the discovery of novel α-L-fucosidases and evaluation of their potential to catalyse the transglycosylation reaction leading to production of fucosylated human milk oligosaccharides. Seven novel α-L-fucosidase-encoding genes were identified by functional screening of a soil-derived metagenome library and expressed in E. coli as recombinant 6xHis-tagged proteins. All seven fucosidases belong to glycosyl hydrolase family 29 (GH 29). Six of the seven α-L-fucosidases were substrate-inhibited, moderately thermostable and most hydrolytically active in the pH range 6–7, when tested with para-nitrophenyl-α-L-fucopyranoside (pNP-Fuc) as the substrate. In contrast, one fucosidase (Mfuc6) exhibited a high pH optimum and an unusual sigmoidal kinetics towards pNP-Fuc substrate. When tested for trans-fucosylation activity using pNP-Fuc as donor, most of the enzymes were able to transfer fucose to pNP-Fuc (self-condensation) or to lactose. With the α-L-fucosidase from Thermotoga maritima and the metagenome-derived Mfuc5, different fucosyllactose variants including the principal fucosylated HMO 2’-fucosyllactose were synthesised in yields of up to ~6.4%. Mfuc5 was able to release fucose from xyloglucan and could also use it as a fucosyl-donor for synthesis of fucosyllactose. This is the first study describing the use of glycosyl hydrolases for the synthesis of genuine fucosylated human milk oligosaccharides.     

Cytokeratin provides a specific marker for human arachnoid cells grown in vitro

Cells from cranial and spinal arachnoid membranes of humans were grown in culture. Their growth characteristics, morphology and details of their cytoskeletal composition are described. Arachnoid membranes, obtained at autopsy, were finely minced and incubated in tissue culture medium. Monolayers of cells of homogeneous morphology grew from these tissue fragments. The cells were flat and polygonal. They divided slowly to form non-overlapping monolayers of low cell density. Electron microscopic examination of cultured arachnoid cells revealed numerous desmosome-like tight junctions and abundant intermediate filaments (tonofilaments). Both morphological features are characteristic of arachnoid cells in situ, but not of cells in the fibroblast-rich dura mater. Immunofluorescence microscopy with monoclonal antibodies demonstrated cytokeratin in the cytoplasm of primary cultures of arachnoid cells. Thus we demonstrated that these cultured cells retained certain of the specific differentiated properties of arachnoid cells in situ and that they are not fibroblasts (which lack tight junctions and cytokeratins). To our knowledge, there have been no previous reports of in vitro growth of arachnoid cells. This in vitro model should be useful in studying the response of arachnoid cells to a variety of substances thought to be involved in the chronic inflammatory condition of the meninges known as arachnoiditis.     

Diabetes Alters the Expression and Translocation of the Insulin-Sensitive Glucose Transporters 4 and 8 in the Atria

Although diabetes has been identified as a major risk factor for atrial fibrillation, little is known about glucose metabolism in the healthy and diabetic atria. Glucose transport into the cell, the rate-limiting step of glucose utilization, is regulated by the Glucose Transporters (GLUTs). Although GLUT4 is the major isoform in the heart, GLUT8 has recently emerged as a novel cardiac isoform. We hypothesized that GLUT-4 and -8 translocation to the atrial cell surface will be regulated by insulin and impaired during insulin-dependent diabetes. GLUT protein content was measured by Western blotting in healthy cardiac myocytes and type 1 (streptozotocin-induced, T1Dx) diabetic rodents. Active cell surface GLUT content was measured using a biotinylated photolabeled assay in the perfused heart. In the healthy atria, insulin stimulation increased both GLUT-4 and -8 translocation to the cell surface (by 100% and 240%, respectively, P<0.05). Upon insulin stimulation, we reported an increase in Akt (Th308 and s473 sites) and AS160 phosphorylation, which was positively (P<0.05) correlated with GLUT4 protein content in the healthy atria. During diabetes, active cell surface GLUT-4 and -8 content was downregulated in the atria (by 70% and 90%, respectively, P<0.05). Akt and AS160 phosphorylation was not impaired in the diabetic atria, suggesting the presence of an intact insulin signaling pathway. This was confirmed by the rescued translocation of GLUT-4 and -8 to the atrial cell surface upon insulin stimulation in the atria of type 1 diabetic subjects. In conclusion, our data suggest that: 1) both GLUT-4 and -8 are insulin-sensitive in the healthy atria through an Akt/AS160 dependent pathway; 2) GLUT-4 and -8 trafficking is impaired in the diabetic atria and rescued by insulin treatment. Alterations in atrial glucose transport may induce perturbations in energy production, which may provide a metabolic substrate for atrial fibrillation during diabetes.     

Disentangling the link between leaf photosynthesis and turgor in fruit growth

Despite the importance of understanding plant growth, the mechanisms underlying how plant and fruit growth declines during drought remain poorly understood. Specifically, it remains unresolved whether carbon or water factors are responsible for limiting growth as drought progresses. We examine questions regarding the relative importance of water and carbon to fruit growth depending on the water deficit level and the fruit growth stage by measuring fruit diameter, leaf photosynthesis, and a proxy of cell turgor in olive (Olea europaea). Flow cytometry was also applied to determine the fruit cell division stage. We found that photosynthesis and turgor were related to fruit growth; specifically, the relative importance of photosynthesis was higher during periods of more intense cell division, while turgor had higher relative importance in periods where cell division comes close to ceasing and fruit growth is dependent mainly on cell expansion. This pattern was found regardless of the water deficit level, although turgor and growth ceased at more similar values of leaf water potential than photosynthesis. Cell division occurred even when fruit growth seemed to stop under water deficit conditions, which likely helped fruits to grow disproportionately when trees were hydrated again, compensating for periods with low turgor. As a result, the final fruit size was not severely penalized. We conclude that carbon and water processes are able to explain fruit growth, with importance placed on the combination of cell division and expansion. However, the major limitation to growth is turgor, which adds evidence to the sink limitation hypothesis.     

Values Determine the (In)Effectiveness of Informational Interventions in Promoting Pro-Environmental Behavior

Informational interventions (e.g., awareness campaigns, carbon footprint calculators) are built on the assumption that informing the public about the environmental consequences of their actions should result in increased pro-environmental intentions and behavior. However, empirical support for this reasoning is mixed. In this paper, we argue that informational interventions may succeed in improving people’s knowledge about the negative environmental consequences of one’s actions, but this knowledge will not gain motivational force if people do not consider protecting the environment an important personal value. In an experiment, we measured individual differences in value priorities, and either presented participants a movie clip that portrayed the negative environmental consequences of using bottled water, or a control movie. As predicted, we found that the environmental movie improved recipients’ knowledge of the negative environmental impact of bottled water, but this knowledge only resulted in concomitant changes in intentions and acceptability of related policies among participants who strongly endorsed biospheric (i.e. environmental) values, while having no effect on those who care less about the environment. Interestingly, the results suggest that although informational interventions are perhaps not always successful in directly affecting less environmentally-conscious recipients, they could still have beneficial effects, because they make those who strongly care about the environment more inclined to act on their values.     

Colonization and extinction of land planarians (Platyhelminthes,Tricladida) in a Brazilian Atlantic Forest regrowth remnant

Long-term assessments of species assemblages are valuable tools for detecting species ecological preferences and their dispersal tracks, as well as for assessing the possible effects of alien species on native communities. Here we report a 50-year-long study on population dynamics of the four species of land flatworms (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Terricola) that have colonized or become extinct in a 70-year-old Atlantic Forest regrowth remnant through the period 1955–2006. On the one hand, the two initially most abundant species, which are native to the study site, Notogynaphallia ernesti and Geoplana multicolor have declined over decades and at present do not exist in the forest remnant. The extinction of these species is most likely related with their preference for open vegetation areas, which presently do not exist in the forest remnant. On the other hand, the neotropical Geoplaninae 1 and the exotic Endeavouria septemlineata were detected in the forest only very recently. The long-term study allowed us to conclude that Geoplaninae 1 was introduced into the study area, although it is only known from the study site. Endeavouria septemlineata, an active predator of the exotic giant African snail, is originally known from Hawaii. This land flatworm species was observed repeatedly in Brazilian anthropogenic areas, and this is the first report of the species in relatively well preserved native forest, which may be evidence of an ongoing adaptive process. Monitoring of its geographic spread and its ecological role would be a good practice for preventing potential damaging effects, since it also feeds on native mollusk fauna, as we observed in lab conditions. Júlio Pedroni: Granted by CNPQ–Brazil.