Influence of weather factors on population dynamics of two lagomorph species based on hunting bag records

Weather conditions can have a significant influence on short-term fluctuations of animal populations. In our study, which is based on time series of hunting bag records of up to 28?years from 26 counties of The Netherlands and Germany, we investigated the impact of different weather variables on annual counts of European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and European hares (Lepus europaeus). Overall, the long-term dynamics of both species could be described by higher-order polynomials. On a smaller time scale, the number of European hares shot was lower in years with higher amounts of precipitation during late summer/autumn, and the number of European rabbits shot was lower in years with high precipitation in spring of the respective year. We suggest that rainy weather conditions might have lowered the survival of young rabbits in spring and might have generally facilitated the outbreak or spread of diseases in rabbits as well as in hares, specifically in autumn. In addition, the results showed a time-delayed, interactive effect between precipitation in spring and winter weather on European rabbit dynamics: rabbit numbers were limited by low temperatures of the prior winter season, but only when precipitation was high during spring of the previous year. The latter result might be explained by the lowering effects of rainy spring weather on the body condition of the animals, leading to higher sensitivity to harsh winter conditions. In conclusion, our study provides evidence for the impact of weather conditions on the population dynamics of both study species and particularly highlights complex interactions between the prevailing weather conditions during different seasons in the European rabbit.     

Differentiation of animals from different age classes by means of pellet size: Assessment of a field method in European rabbits

Estimating population age structures by faecal pellets sizes is a commonly used field method in some mammal species. We examined the validity of this method in European rabbits based on 1113 pellets from 226 animals with known age, by measuring the intra-individual variation in pellet size and studying the explained variance of calibration curves describing the relation between pellet size and individual age. In addition, we applied a simulation model in order to estimate the accuracy of this method. Pellet size showed a high intra-individual variation and was only moderately correlated with the animals’ age. Modelling revealed that the population age structure assessed by this method deviated considerably from the given structure, indicating a systematic estimation error. We conclude that this method can lead to strongly biased results, restricting its validity. We provide estimation errors, which might be considered if estimates of age structure in wild rabbits populations based on faecal diameters are conducted.     

A genome-wide scan of Ashkenazi Jewish Crohn's disease suggests novel susceptibility loci

Crohn''s disease (CD) is a complex disorder resulting from the interaction of intestinal microbiota with the host immune system in genetically susceptible individuals. The largest meta-analysis of genome-wide association to date identified 71 CD–susceptibility loci in individuals of European ancestry. An important epidemiological feature of CD is that it is 2–4 times more prevalent among individuals of Ashkenazi Jewish (AJ) descent compared to non-Jewish Europeans (NJ). To explore genetic variation associated with CD in AJs, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) by combining raw genotype data across 10 AJ cohorts consisting of 907 cases and 2,345 controls in the discovery stage, followed up by a replication study in 971 cases and 2,124 controls. We confirmed genome-wide significant associations of 9 known CD loci in AJs and replicated 3 additional loci with strong signal (p<5×10⁻⁶). Novel signals detected among AJs were mapped to chromosomes 5q21.1 (rs7705924, combined p = 2×10⁻⁸; combined odds ratio OR = 1.48), 2p15 (rs6545946, p = 7×10⁻⁹; OR = 1.16), 8q21.11 (rs12677663, p = 2×10⁻⁸; OR = 1.15), 10q26.3 (rs10734105, p = 3×10⁻⁸; OR = 1.27), and 11q12.1 (rs11229030, p = 8×10⁻⁹; OR = 1.15), implicating biologically plausible candidate genes, including RPL7, CPAMD8, PRG2, and PRG3. In all, the 16 replicated and newly discovered loci, in addition to the three coding NOD2 variants, accounted for 11.2% of the total genetic variance for CD risk in the AJ population. This study demonstrates the complementary value of genetic studies in the Ashkenazim.     

Psoriasis patients are enriched for genetic variants that protect against HIV-1 disease

An important paradigm in evolutionary genetics is that of a delicate balance between genetic variants that favorably boost host control of infection but which may unfavorably increase susceptibility to autoimmune disease. Here, we investigated whether patients with psoriasis, a common immune-mediated disease of the skin, are enriched for genetic variants that limit the ability of HIV-1 virus to replicate after infection. We analyzed the HLA class I and class II alleles of 1,727 Caucasian psoriasis cases and 3,581 controls and found that psoriasis patients are significantly more likely than controls to have gene variants that are protective against HIV-1 disease. This includes several HLA class I alleles associated with HIV-1 control; amino acid residues at HLA-B positions 67, 70, and 97 that mediate HIV-1 peptide binding; and the deletion polymorphism rs67384697 associated with high surface expression of HLA-C. We also found that the compound genotype KIR3DS1 plus HLA-B Bw4-80I, which respectively encode a natural killer cell activating receptor and its putative ligand, significantly increased psoriasis susceptibility. This compound genotype has also been associated with delay of progression to AIDS. Together, our results suggest that genetic variants that contribute to anti-viral immunity may predispose to the development of psoriasis.     

Synthesis and antifungal activity of diverse C-2 pyridinyl and pyridinylvinyl substituted quinolines

Diverse 2-pyridinyl quinolines 6–12 and 2-pyridinilvinyl quinolines 13–17 were prepared using a straightforward synthesis based on the BiCl₃-catalyzed multicomponent imino Diels–Alder (imino DA) reaction or a novel tandem imino DA/catalytic tetrahydroquinoline ring oxidation/Perkin condensation sequential process. All members of the series showed activities against dermatophytes and some of them possessed a broad spectrum of action. 2-(Pyridin-4-yl)quinoline 9 and 2-(2-pyridin-4-yl)vinyl)quinoline 16 showed the best MIC₈₀ and MIC₅₀ against the clinically important fungi Candida albicans and non-albicans Candida species. In turn, 6-ethyl-2-(pyridin-2-yl)quinoline 6 showed the best properties against standardized as well as clinical strains of Cryptococcus neoformans.     

Magnitude and regulation of bacterioplankton respiratory quotient across freshwater environmental gradients

Bacterioplankton respiration (BR) may represent the largest single sink of organic carbon in the biosphere and constitutes an important driver of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from freshwaters. Complete understanding of BR is precluded by the fact that most studies need to assume a respiratory quotient (RQ; mole of CO₂ produced per mole of O₂ consumed) to calculate rates of BR. Many studies have, without clear support, assumed a fixed RQ around 1. Here we present 72 direct measurements of bacterioplankton RQ that we carried out in epilimnetic samples of 52 freshwater sites in Québec (Canada), using O₂ and CO₂ optic sensors. The RQs tended to converge around 1.2, but showed large variability (s.d.=0.45) and significant correlations with major gradients of ecosystem-level, substrate-level and bacterial community-level characteristics. Experiments with natural bacterioplankton using different single substrates suggested that RQ is intimately linked to the elemental composition of the respired compounds. RQs were on average low in net autotrophic systems, where bacteria likely were utilizing mainly reduced substrates, whereas we found evidence that the dominance of highly oxidized substrates, for example, organic acids formed by photo-chemical processes, led to high RQ in the more heterotrophic systems. Further, we suggest that BR contributes to a substantially larger share of freshwater CO₂ emissions than presently believed based on the assumption that RQ is ∼1. Our study demonstrates that bacterioplankton RQ is not only a practical aspect of BR determination, but also a major ecosystem state variable that provides unique information about aquatic ecosystem functioning.     

Crystal structure of the GluR0 ligand-binding core from Nostoc punctiforme in complex with L-glutamate: structural dissection of the ligand interaction and subunit interface

GluR0 from Nostoc punctiforme (NpGluR0) is a bacterial homologue of the ionotropic glutamate receptor (iGluR). We have solved the crystal structure of the ligand-binding core of NpGluR0 in complex with l-glutamate at a resolution of 2.1 Å. The structure exhibits a noncanonical ligand interaction and two distinct subunit interfaces. The side-chain guanidium group of Arg80 forms a salt bridge with the γ-carboxyl group of bound l-glutamate: in GluR0 from Synechocystis (SGluR0) and other iGluRs, the equivalent residues are Asn or Thr, which cannot form a similar interaction. We suggest that the local positively charged environment and the steric constraint created by Arg80 mediate the selectivity of l-glutamate binding by preventing the binding of positively charged and hydrophobic amino acids. In addition, the NpGluR0 ligand-binding core forms a new subunit interface in which the two protomers are arranged differently than the known iGluR and SGluR0 dimer interfaces. The significance of there being two different dimer interfaces was investigated using analytical ultracentrifugation analysis.     

The surf zone: a semi-permeable barrier to onshore recruitment of invertebrate larvae?

The supply of larvae to the shore is important for population replenishment and intertidal community dynamics but its variability at most scales is not well understood. We tested the relationship between nearshore mussel larval abundance and intertidal settlement rates over several years at multiple spatiotemporal scales in Oregon and New Zealand. Abundance of competent larvae nearshore and intertidal recruitment rates were simultaneously quantified using collectors mounted at different depths on moorings 50-1100 m from shore, and at adjacent rocky intertidal sites. Total mussel larval abundance and oceanographic conditions were also measured in some locations. At all scales, abundance of nearshore mussel larvae was unrelated to intertidal recruitment rates. In the intertidal, patterns of mussel recruitment were persistent in space, with sites of consistently high or low recruitment. In contrast, nearshore competent larval abundance showed generally similar abundances among sites except for a high, and spatially-inconsistent, variability in Oregon during 1998 only. On moorings, recruitment tended to be greater on midwater collectors than shallower or deeper. Finally, on moorings larval abundance in traps and recruitment on collectors was unrelated. These results suggest that (1) among sites, the size of the nearshore larval pool is relatively uniform while onshore recruitment varies and is unrelated to larval abundance, (2) temporal variability in nearshore larval availability is not strongly expressed onshore, (3) vertical stratification of competent larvae nearshore is strong and may influence transport and recruitment, and (4) within-coast variability in onshore recruitment is strongly driven by processes occurring locally within the surf zone that need to be studied to understand coastal recruitment dynamics.