A new member of a secretory protein gene family in the dipteranChironomus tentans has a variant repeat structure

Summary We describe the structure of a gene expressed in the salivary gland cells of the dipteranChironomus tentans and show that it encodes 1 of the approximately 15 secretory proteins exported by the gland cells. This sp115,140 gene consists of approximately 65 copies of a 42-bp sequence in a central uninterrupted core block, surrounded by short nonrepetitive regions. The repeats within the gene are highly similar to each other, but divergent repeats are present in a pattern which suggests that the repeat structure has been remodeled during evolution. The 42-bp repeat in the gene is a simple variant of the more complex repeat unit present in the Balbiani ring genes, encoding four of the other secretory proteins. The structure of the sp115,140 gene suggests that related repeat structures have evolved from a common origin and resulted in the set of genes whose secretory proteins interact in the assembly of the secreted protein fibers.     

In Vivo Substitution of Choline for Sodium Evokes a Selective Osmoinsensitive Increase of Extracellular Taurine in the Rat Hippocampus

Recent investigations have demonstrated that taurine and phosphoethanolamine (PEA) are the amino acids most sensitive to microdialysis-perfusion with reduced concentrations of NaCl. The aim of the present work was to assess the importance of Na+ deficiency in evoking this response. Further, the previously described selectivity of replacement of Cl- with acetate with respect to amino acid release was reinvestigated. The hippocampus of urethane-anesthetized rats was dialyzed with Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate buffer, and amino acid concentrations of the perfusate were determined. Choline chloride was then stepwise substituted for NaCl, and, in some cases, mannitol (122 mM) was included in low sodium-containing media. In other experiments, NaCl was replaced with sodium acetate. The dialysate levels of taurine increased selectively in response to Na+ substitution. The elevation of taurine was linearly related to the increase in choline chloride, and maximal levels amounted to 335% of basal levels. The increase in extracellular taurine was not inhibited by perfusion with medium made hyperosmotic with mannitol. Replacement of Cl- with acetate stimulated the release of taurine to 652% of resting levels. In addition, PEA levels increased to 250% of control concentration. Other amino acids were unaffected by Cl- substitution. The results show that taurine transport is considerably more sensitive to Na+ depletion than glutamate transport, which also is known to be Na+ dependent. The taurine increase evoked by low Na+ is not caused by cellular swelling as it was unaffected by hyperosmolar medium. Finally, substitution of acetate for Cl- causes a specific elevation of extracellular taurine and PEA, possibly as a result of cytotoxic edema.     

Relationship between radiation induced adaptive response in human fibroblasts and changes in chromatin conformation

Chromatin conformation changes in the normal human fibroblasts VH-10 were studied by the method of anomalous viscosity time dependence (AVTD). Gamma-irradiation of cells in a dose range of 0.1–3 Gy caused an increase in maximal viscosity of cell lysates. Conversely, irradiation of cells with low doses of 0.5 or 2 cGy resulted in a decrease in the AVTD peaks with a maximum effect approximately 40 min after irradiation. The same exposure conditions were used to study a possible adaptive effect of low doses, measured by changes in cell survival. A primary dose of 2 cGy caused significant modification of cell response to a challenge dose. Approximately 20% protection to challenge doses of 0.5 Gy (p < 0.003), 2 Gy (p < 0.02) and 2.5 Gy (p < 0.002) was observed. However, the direction of this effect (adaptation or synergism) was found to be dependent on a challenge dose. The combined effect of 2 cGy and 1 Gy was significantly synergistic, while no modification was observed for 1.5 Gy and 3 Gy. A partial correlation was found between the AVTD changes and cell survival when the combined effect of a primary dose of 2 cGy and challenge dose was examined. The dose of 2 cGy alone increased survival by 16% (p < 0.0003). These results suggest that the low-dose induced effects on survival may be related to chromatin reorganization.     

Significant increase in natural disturbance impacts on European forests since 1950

Over the last decades, the natural disturbance is increasingly putting pressure on European forests. Shifts in disturbance regimes may compromise forest functioning and the continuous provisioning of ecosystem services to society, including their climate change mitigation potential. Although forests are central to many European policies, we lack the long-term empirical data needed for thoroughly understanding disturbance dynamics, modeling them, and developing adaptive management strategies. Here, we present a unique database of >170,000 records of ground-based natural disturbance observations in European forests from 1950 to 2019. Reported data confirm a significant increase in forest disturbance in 34 European countries, causing on an average of 43.8 million m³ of disturbed timber volume per year over the 70-year study period. This value is likely a conservative estimate due to under-reporting, especially of small-scale disturbances. We used machine learning techniques for assessing the magnitude of unreported disturbances, which are estimated to be between 8.6 and 18.3 million m³/year. In the last 20 years, disturbances on average accounted for 16% of the mean annual harvest in Europe. Wind was the most important disturbance agent over the study period (46% of total damage), followed by fire (24%) and bark beetles (17%). Bark beetle disturbance doubled its share of the total damage in the last 20 years. Forest disturbances can profoundly impact ecosystem services (e.g., climate change mitigation), affect regional forest resource provisioning and consequently disrupt long-term management planning objectives and timber markets. We conclude that adaptation to changing disturbance regimes must be placed at the core of the European forest management and policy debate. Furthermore, a coherent and homogeneous monitoring system of natural disturbances is urgently needed in Europe, to better observe and respond to the ongoing changes in forest disturbance regimes.     

Morphological differentiation in Carduelis finches: Adaptive vs. constraint models

In this study we show that morphological diversification in the avian genus Carduelis (Carduelinae) has to a large extent been conservative. Using multivariate methods, we found only minor deviations from the common (ancestral) body-plan. In particular, variation in bill morphology was found to be more conservative than variation in other parts of the body. We argue that constraint models of population differentiation can successfully account for the variation in bill morphology in this genus, but are less successful in accounting for variation in other traits. This can be interpreted as a result of long-term overall stabilizing selection for a certain bill morphology which is related to the way the birds open seeds. A trait combination that is adaptive on the evolutionary time scale may thus act as a constraint on changes in bill morphology on the microevolutionary scale. We conclude that the most parsimonious explanation for low divergence in bill morphology in this genus is that all species have retained the ancestral bill morphology. This may mean that each species chooses its environment rather than being moulded by it. This argument seems to apply to bill morphology, but other traits studied in this genus appear to have evolved in a less constrained fashion. A new index of morphometric integration is introduced to describe covariance structures.     

A trait-based approach to assess niche overlap and functional distinctiveness between non-indigenous and native species

Our understanding of the community assembly processes acting on non-indigenous species (NIS), as well as the relationship with native species is limited, especially in marine ecosystems. To overcome this knowledge gap we here develop a trait-based approach based on the functional distinctiveness metric to assess niche overlap between NIS and native species, using high-resolution data on benthic invertebrate communities in the Baltic Sea. Our results show that NIS retain a certain degree of similarity with native species, but display one or a few singular unique traits (e.g., bioturbation ability). Furthermore, we demonstrate that community assembly processes, including both environmental filtering and limiting similarity affect NIS establishment, but that their effects may be highly context dependent, as illustrated by pronounced spatial patterns in distinctiveness. Finally, our trait-based approach provides a generic framework applicable to other areas and organisms, to better understand and address biological invasions.     

Factors controlling the population dynamics of the clonal helophyte Ranunculus lingua

Abstract. Two marginal and two central populations of the pseudo-annual aquatic plant Ranunculus lingua were studied over four years. The main purpose was to quantify potentially influential abiotic and biotic factors and to derive predictions about life-history differences between the populations. Variation in abundance and height of R. lingua ramets at different depths were related to water-level fluctuations, to abundance of other helophyes (emergent macrophytes), and to the occurrence of invertebrate grazing and fungal pathogens. Clear differences between marginal and central populations were shown in the depth distribution of ramet numbers and ramet heights, as well as in the dynamic patterns, where marginal populations had a higher flux of ramets. These patterns and regression analyses indicated that abiotic factors have a greater influence in marginal populations, whereas biotic factors are more important in central populations. It is suggested that marginal habitats for R. lingua would favour life-histories with a high reproductive capacity, whereas a large size of ramet would be the most important life-history feature in central habitats. This was supported by the fact that ramets in marginal populations, in spite of their smaller size, produced higher number of rhizomes than ramets in central populations. Variation in regional abundance was finally related to differences in demographic processes and dispersal potential between the populations.     

A new species of Croton (Euphorbiaceae) from Somalia

Croton crispatus , sp. nov., from Acacia-Commiphora bushland on sand in central Somalia, is described and illustrated.     

Acacia ochracea (Leguminosae-Mimosoideae), a new species from Somalia

Acacia ochracea , a new species in the A. Senegal complex, is described and illustrated. It is a common and conspicuous tree over large areas in the western Bay Region and in the Gedo Region in SW Somalia.     

New or noteworthy species of Leguminosae in NE tropical Africa

The following new species are described: Chamaecrista dunensis (Somalia), Acacia densispina (Somalia), A. flagellaris (Somalia), Tephrosia karkarensis (Somalia), T. scopulata (Somalia), Indigofera ancistrocarpa (Kenya), I. curvirostrata (Ethiopia), I. hiranensis (Somalia), I. karinensis (Somalia), I. kucharii (Somalia), I. nugalensis (Somalia), I. pellucida (Kenya, Somalia), I. sabulosa (Ethiopia, Somalia), I. sessilis (Somalia), I. ienuirostris (Somalia), Rhynchosia megalocalyx (Somalia), Crotalaria allophylla (Somalia), C. intricata (Somalia), C. warfae (Somalia), and Coronilla somalensis (Somalia). 2n = 22 is reported in Tephrosia karkarensis. Cassia somalensis, Acacia puccioniana, Sophora somalensis , and Crotalaria sennii are reduced to synonyms of respectively Senna hookeriana, Dichrostachys kirkii, Millettia usaramensis and Crotalaria boranica subsp. trichocarpa . Thirty-seven taxa are reported from Somalia for the first time, including Ptycholobium biflorum , known previously only from Southern Africa. Crotalaria pieropoda , known previously only from Socotra, is reported from Somalia and Oman. Neptunia oleracea and Vatovaea pseudolablab are new generic records for respectively Ethiopia and Oman. The fruits of Indigofera boranica are described. Vigna somaliensis and an allied species are discussed. Rhynchosia gansole is lectotypified and its flowers and fruits are described.