Effect of riparian land use on contributions of terrestrial invertebrates to streams

Since terrestrial invertebrates are often consumed by stream fishes, land-use practices that influence the input of terrestrial invertebrates to streams are predicted to have consequences for fish production. We studied the effect of riparian land-use regime on terrestrial invertebrate inputs by estimating the biomass, abundance and taxonomic richness of terrestrial invertebrate drift from 15 streams draining catchments with three different riparian land-use regimes and vegetation types: intensive grazing — exotic pasture grasses (4 streams), extensive grazing — native tussock grasses (6 streams), reserve — native forest (5 streams). Terrestrial invertebrate drift was sampled from replicated stream reaches enclosed by two 1 mm mesh drift nets that spanned the entire channel. The mean biomass of terrestrial invertebrates that entered tussock grassland (12 mg ash-free dry mass m^–2 d^–1) and forest streams (6 mg AFDM m^–2 d^–1) was not significantly different (p > 0.05). However, biomass estimated for tussock grassland and forest streams was significantly higher than biomass that entered pasture streams (1 mg AFDM m^–2 d^–1). Mean abundance and richness of drifting terrestrial invertebrates was not significantly different among land-use types. Winged insects contributed more biomass than wingless invertebrates to both pasture and tussock grassland streams. Winged and wingless invertebrates contributed equally to biomass entering forest streams. Land use was a useful variable explaining landscape-level patterns of terrestrial invertebrate input for New Zealand streams. Evidence from this study suggests that riparian land-use regime will have important influences on the availability of terrestrial invertebrates to stream fishes.     

Expression and localization of Lewisx glycolipids and GD1a ganglioside in human glioma cells

We analysed the glycolipid composition of glioma cells (N-370 FG cells), which are derived from a culture of transformed human fetal glial cells. The neutral and acidic glycolipid fractions were isolated by column chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex and analysed by high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC). The neutral glycolipid fraction contained 1.6 µg of lipid-bound glucose/galactose per mg protein and consisted of GlcCer (11.4% of total neutral glycolipids), GalCer (21.5%), LacCer (21.4%), Gb4 (21.1%), and three unknown neutral glycolipids (23%). These unknown glycolipids were characterized as Lewis^x (fucosylneolactonorpentaosyl ceramide; Le^x), difucosylneolactonorhexaosyl ceramide (dimeric Le^x), and neolactonorhexaosyl ceramide (nLc6) by an HPTLC-overlay method for glycolipids using specific mouse anti-glycolipid antibodies against glycolipid and/or liquid-secondary ion (LSI) mass spectrometry. The ganglioside fraction contained 0.6 µg of lipid-bound sialic acid per mg protein with GD1a as the predominant ganglioside species (83% of the total gangliosides) and GM3, GM2, and GM1 as minor components. Trace amounts of sialyl-Le^x and the complex type of sialyl-Le^x derivatives were also present. Immunocytochemical studies revealed that GD1a and GalCer were primarily localized on the surface of cell bodies. Interestingly, Le^x glycolipids and sialyl-Le^x were localized not only on the cell bodies but also on short cell processes. Especially, sialyl-Le^x glycolipid was located on the tip of fine cellular processes. The unique localization of the Le^x glycolipids suggests that they may be involved in cellular differentiation and initiation of cellular growth in this cell line.     

Insights into the molecular basis of thermal stability from the structure determination of Pyrococcus furiosus gluatamate dehydrogenase

Abstract: The structure determination of the glutamate dehydrogenase from the hyperthermophile Pyrococcus furiosus has been completed at 2.2 Å resolution. The structure has been compared with the glutamate dehydrogenases from the mesophiles Clostridium symbiosum, Escherichia coli and Neurospora crassa . This comparison has revealed that the hyperthermophilic enzyme contains a striking series of networks of ion-pairs which are formed by regions of the protein which contain a high density of charged residues. Such regions are not found in the mesophilic enzymes and the number and extent of ion-pair formation is much more limited. The ion-pair networks are clustered at both inter domain and inter subunit interfaces and may well represent a major stabilising feature associated with the adaptation of enzymes to extreme temperatures.     

Altitudinal zonation of montane Quercus forests along two transects in Chirripó National Park,Costa Rica

Abiotic and vegetation data were collected along two altitudinal transects through mature montane Quercus forests on the Pacific and Atlantic slopes of Costa Rica's Chirripó Massif. Between 2000 and 3200 m asl twenty-four 0.05 ha forest plots were selected at altitudinal intervals of 100 m, and eight soil profiles were described at intervals of 200 m. A TWINSPAN classification aided in the determination of eight zonal forest communities on the basis of their floristic composition. They are grouped in two sets of four: (i) the palm-rich lauraceous-fagaceous Lower Montane Mollinedia-Quercus Forests (2000–2600 m asl) and (ii) the bamboo-rich myrsinaceous-fagaceous Upper Montane Schefflera-Quercus Forests (2500–3200 m asl), respectively. Vegetation changes seem correlated with two major climatic gradients: (i) a temperature gradient (altitude), and (ii) a moisture gradient (wet Atlantic vs. moist Pacific slope). Most soils are Andepts, and residual, colluvial or derived from volcanic material. Humus layers are thicker on the wetter Atlantic slope. A total of 431 vascular plant species consisted of 86 pteridophytes, 1 gymnosperm, 296 dicots and 48 monocots. Species richness, canopy height and stem diameter decrease with increasing altitude, while the canopy surface becomes more flattend. A comparison with other studies shows that Chirripó's montane Quercus forests fit within the environmental ranges known from altitudinal zonations elsewhere in the Tropics.Abbreviations asl above sea level - dbh diameter at breast height - LM Lower Montane - Mt. Mountain - TWINSPAN two way indicator species analysis - UM Upper Montane - VU code referring to soil profiles as presented in Van Uffelen (1991) This paper is dedicated to the memory of Alwyn H. Gentry, an outstanding and inspiring tropical botanist who tragically died in a plane crash in the mountains of Ecuador on August 3 1993, when surveying possible boundaries for a new tropical cloud forest reserve.     

The management of European estuaries: A comparison of the features,controls and management framework of the Tagus (Portugal) and Humber (England)

The paper describes the local, national, European and wider-area framework, statutes, and formal and voluntary mechanisms for managing European estuaries. These aspects are discussed in relation to two large and representative estuarine systems, the Tagus, Portugal, and the Humber, on the English North Sea coast As estuaries are sites of many activities and uses, most of which are encouraged or at least condoned, management has the role of preventing and resolving conflicts between those uses and users. Accepted uses of estuaries include the discharge and dumping of waste materials, fin and shell-fisheries, conservation, land reclamation, natural usage, abstraction by industry, and recreation. Estuarine management is now being carried out within the constraints of local and regional government planning, planning and activities of water pollution control bodies, fisheries control bodies, and navigation and port authorities The Tagus and Humber estuaries support all of the above activities and uses, and have controls within a European legislative framework but have differing histories of management and planning in order to resolve conflicts. In addition the Humber is subject to controls placed on North Sea areas. The paper discusses the relevant national and European legislation (Directives) and accepted practices for management. Furthermore, the paper discusses the formulation and practice of estuarine management plans as used by various bodies (nature conservation, water quality and regional authority). It is of particular note that the lessons from these two estuaries are relevant to many other European estuaries.     

Search for rhythmicity during hibernation in the European hamster

Temporal patterns of hibernation were studied by continuous monitoring of body temperature by radiotelemetry over 6 months in European hamsters, Cricetus cricetus, at constant temperature and photoperiod. Entrances into hibernation occurred mostly at the end of the night (0000–0800 hours), while arousals were randomly distributed between day and night. This is at variance with a control of bout duration by a clock with a period of 24 h. Consequently, the timing of entrances implies a phase-resetting of the circadian clock on each arousal. Persistence of circadian rhythmicity with a period different from 24 h during deep hibernation was investigated examining whether the durations of torpor bouts were integer multiples of a constant period. A non-parametric version of the classical contingency test of periodicity was developed for this purpose. Periods ranging from 21 to 29 h were tested. Nine animals out of ten showed at least one significant period in this range (P<0.01), either below 24 h (21.8±0.5 h, n=4) or above (27.3±0.5 h, n=7). However, we have found a theoretical model of bout durations for which the contingency test of periodicity sometimes gives false significant results. This indicates that the power of the test is weak. With this reservation our results suggest that a circadian oscillator controls the duration of a bout of hibernation, which would occur after an integer, but variable and possibly temperature-dependent number of cycles.Abbreviations _b a contingency test (see Appendix) - SCN suprachiasmatic nuclei - period - T _b body temperature     

Thermodynamics elucidation of the structural stability of a thermophilic protein

The structural stability of the protein, phycocyanin isolated from two strains of cyanophyta, Synechococcus lividus (thermophile) and Phormidium luridum (mesophile), are investigated by comparative thermal and denaturant unfolding, using differential scanning calorimetry, visible absorption spectrophotometry, and circular dichroism. The thermophilic protein exhibits a much higher temperature and enthalpy of unfolding from the native to the denatured state. The concentration of urea at half-completion of thermal unfolding is essentially the same between the thermophilic and mesophilic proteins; in contrast, the corresponding temperature and the enthalpy of thermal unfolding are much higher for the thermophilic protein. In addition, the concentration of urea at which the non-thermal (denaturant) unfolding of protein is half-completed, as detected by either circular dichroism or absorption spectroscopy, is significantly higher in the thermophilic protein, while the apparent free energy of unfolding only shows a moderate difference between the two proteins. The distinct differences in the enthalpy of thermal unfolding and the free energy of denaturant unfolding are interpreted in terms of a significant entropy change associated with the unfolding of these proteins. This entropy contribution is much higher in the thermophilic protein, and may be derived from its more rigid overall structure that possesses higher internal hydrophobicity and stronger internal packing.     

CLINES FOR HYBRID DYSFUNCTION IN A GRASSHOPPER HYBRID ZONE

Two subspecies of the grasshopper Chorthippus parallelus meet in the Pyrenees forming a hybrid zone several kilometers wide. Crosses between the two pure taxa result in sterile male offspring and normal females (i.e., Haldane's rule applies). However, no such dysfunction has been detected in hybrid males collected through the center of the hybrid zone. By assessing the level of dysfunction in the offspring of reciprocal crosses, it was possible to map clines for the genes responsible for dysfunction through the zone. This analysis shows that there is no abrupt transition between incompatible genomes in the field. Crosses were also made between females collected from a transect spanning the hybrid zone and pure males of both subspecies. This reveals noncoincident clines for dysfunction near the center of the hybrid zone such that the dysfunction expressed in the offspring of these crosses is less than expected from simple models. More complex models involving interaction among genes must be invoked. Also, the possibility exists that since the postglacial contact of these two grasshopper taxa, hybrid dysfunction has become ameliorated by the evolution of modifiers. This hybrid zone is thought to be a tension zone, maintained by a balance between selection against hybrid genotypes and dispersal into the zone center. The lessening of hybrid disadvantage over time through the breakdown of epistatic interactions by recombination or through modification could account for the general lack of dysfunction in field collected hybrids today.     

ASSORTATIVE MATING AND NATURAL SELECTION IN AN IRIS HYBRID ZONE

The phenology of different genotypes and the distribution of genetic variation among flowering plants and their progeny were examined to assess the levels of assortative mating and selection in a hybrid population of Iris. This study and a previous survey of RAPD nuclear markers and chloroplast markers indicate that the population consists of parental genotypes and recombinant hybrid genotypes that are similar to the parental species (I. fulva and I. brevicaulis), although lacking intermediate genotypes. Early in the season only I. fulva genotypes produced flowers, but as flowering in these plants decreased, the hybrid genotypes and I. brevicaulis genotypes began flowering, resulting in a 24-d period of coincidental flowering. The genotypic distribution of seeds produced during the period of flowering overlap contained a high frequency of intermediate genotypes that were not present in the adult generation. The degree of effective assortative mating was examined by comparing the observed progeny genotypic distributions with expected distributions from a mixed-mating model. The model included selfing and random outcrossing to the nearest plants that had pollen-bearing flowers on the day the recipient flower was receptive. The observed genotypic distribution of progeny from plants with I. brevicaulis chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) was not significantly different from the expected distribution. For I. fulva genotypes, however, there were higher than expected frequencies in the extreme genotypic classes, although intermediate genotypes were absent, indicating that these plants were preferentially mating with similar genotypes. Compared with the extreme genotypes, a larger proportion of the intermediate seed progeny produced were aborted, indicating that intermediate genotypes have lower viability. On the basis of the observed progeny genotypes and genetic disequilibria estimates for the adults and the progeny, there appears to be a pattern of effective asymmetrical mating in this population. This asymmetry is most likely due to pollen-style interactions that reduce the fertilization ability of genetically dissimilar pollen, or preferential abortion of genetically intermediate zygotes by I. fulva-like genotypes. The lack of any apparent discrimination by I. brevicaulis-like genotypes creates a directional exchange of nuclear genetic elements that will have implications for introgression and the evolution of hybrid genotypes.     

Effect of vertebrate predation on the spatio-temporal distribution of cladocerans in a temperature eutrophic lake

We analysed the spatio-temporal distribution of zooplankton along a profile of 10 stations from the shore to the pelagic zone from April to September 1988, the period when the larvae and juveniles Rutilus rutilus, the most abundant species in the Lake, are in the littoral zone. The digestive tracts of the young roach were analysed. They fed essentially on rotifers and on cladocerans. For comparison, zooplankton was also analysed at one littoral area without fish fry. There was an increase of cladoceran density from the vegetated nearshore zone to the offshore zone. Considering the density of Bosmina longirostris, Daphnia longispina, Chydorus sphaericus and Ceriodaphnia quadrangula, we observed a different distribution pattern in the course of the year. In the nearshore zone, the relative abundance of small species, Bosmina and Chydorus, was much higher than that of the larger Daphnia. From April to September, predation pressure mainly affected the smallest species: in contrast to the inshore station without fish fry, the density of Bosmina decreased in May in the littoral with fish. Chydorus was concentrated in the littoral between February and April, then grew into the pelagic zone, where predation pressure obviously was low during the warm season. The number of Daphnia, which was eaten by the fish fry at any time, remained low in the nearshore zone, which suggests that the presence of fish may cause Daphnia to avoid this zone. Ceriodaphnia which was not affected by this predation, was scarce in the nearshore zone during mid-summer. The low density of the cladocerans in the nearshore zone is likely associated with vertebrate predation by roach fry and juveniles, the result of such a process being either a depletion in density of the prey, or an avoidance behaviour.