Succession of phytoplankton species in indoor reservoir models varying in sediment composition and water inlet site

Using four continuous-flow indoor reservoir models, the combined effects of varying water inlet depth and sediment composition on phytoplankton species composition and its succession pattern were studied. Species which are known to bloom in eutrophicated reservoirs were dominant in the species succession in each tank. At any one time, a step-like pattern was observed in the composition of the dominant species of each tank, wherein all the species which appeared in a tank with a lower phosphorus concentration were included in the species composition of the tank with a higher phosphorus concentration in an additive relationship.     

Respiration Rate of Steinernema feltiae Infective Juveniles at Several Constant Temperatures

Respiration was measured in dauer stages of the insect-parasitic nematode Steinernema feltiae (= Neoaplectana carpocapsae) at 7, 17, and 27 C. Respiration, Q₁₀, and nematode viability were temperature dependent. Mean O₂ consumption for 5 × 10⁵ nematodes the first 24 hours was 0.27 ml at 7 C, 0.83 ml at 17 C, and 2.68 ml at 27 C. The Q₁₀ was 3.10 for 7-17 C and 3.24 for 17-27 C. Some nematodes died during 2, 14, and 21 days at 27, 17, and 7 C, respectively. The respiratory quotient was below 1 at all temperatures tested. A standard asymptotic model is expressed as oxygen consumed = 2.77 * {1 - exponent[-time * exponent(-B + C * temperature)]}; where 2.77 is the maximum response at 27 C. This model estimates nematode O₂ consumption and viability at storage temperatures between 7 and 27 C. The nematodes died when the O₂ concentration reached 0.5 ml/5 × 10⁵ nematodes. This model may be used to predict O₂ requirements of S. feltiae infective juveniles when stored as a waterless concentrate.     

Illegitimate recombination mediated by T4 DNA topoisomerase in vitro

Summary Illegitimate recombination dependent on T4 DNA topoisomerase in a cell-free system has recently been described. In that work, recombinants between two phage DNA molecules were produced by the topoisomerase alone, without an Escherichia coli extract. In this paper, it is shown that recombination between phage and circular plasmid DNA molecules can also be detected in the presence or absence of an E. coli extract but at frequencies two or three orders of magnitude lower than that observed in the phage-phage cross. The frequency is probably lower because multiple recombination is required in the case of the phage-plasmid cross.     

Increased Acetylcholine Synthesis and Release in Brains of Cats with GM1 Gangliosidosis

Cholinergic processes were measured in motor cortex, hippocampus, and striatum of cats in the terminal stages of GM1 gangliosidosis and compared to those of control cats. The greatest difference observed was elevation in the rate of K+-stimulated release of acetylcholine (ACh) from brain slices prepared from affected cats. The K+-stimulated release of endogenous ACh was increased by 31-43% and of newly synthesized ACh by 19-80% in brain slices from different brain regions. All regions that were examined were affected but the greatest effects occurred in cortex. The rate of synthesis of ACh was elevated in cortical and hippocampal slices. Choline acetyltransferase activity in brain regions of cats with GM1 gangliosidosis was not significantly different from that in controls, whereas high-affinity choline transport in cortical synaptosomes was elevated. Muscarinic receptor binding sites were reduced in the cortex, hippocampus, and striatum of GM1 mutant cats, whereas the apparent affinity was not altered. These results indicate that there are major alterations of cholinergic function in the brains of cats with GM1 gangliosidosis.     

Air pollution as a possible cause for the decline of some phanerogamic species in The Netherlands

In The Netherlands the decline of some phanerogamic species cannot be readily explained from obvious factors such as lowering of the groundwater table, eutrophication or land reclamation. For a number of species the hypothesis was tested that the decline is partly due to air pollution. A two-factor model was made in which decline is accounted for by (a) habitat destruction assessed from topographic maps and (b) air pollution measured as the SO₂ 95-percentile over the winter period 1978/1979. Effects of both factors were assumed to follow a sigmoid dose-effect curve. For a number of species decline proved to be significantly correlated with air pollution. These are notably species from the syntaxon Violion caninae. A comparison was made with results obtained for epiphytic lichens. It appears that for some phanerogamic species sensitivity is about the same as for moderately sensitive lichens.Nomenclature follows Heukels & van der Meijden (1983).Thanks are due to the Rijksherbarium, for providing some of their unpublished data; and to Ada Groeneveld, for technical assistance.     

Modelling growth responses of soil nitrifiers to additions of ammonium sulphate and ammonium chloride

Summary Following the addition of 0–75 mole N g^–1 as ammonium chloride or ammonium sulphate to a sandy loam soil the nitrate formed was measured daily for a period of 15–17 days. The nitrate produced as a function of time was described using the Monod equation for microbial growth. An optimisation technique is described for obtaining, from the nitrification time course data, the maximum specific growth rate, the affinity constantant and an index limited by the concentration of ammonium in soil solution. Additions of more than 7.3 moles N g^–1 soil as ammonium chloride were found to inhibit nitrification. The inhibition was interpreted as being caused by osmotic pressure or by chloride ion. A similar effect was not found with ammonium sulphate, because the salt concentration in the soil solution was restricted by the precipitation of calcium sulphate. The model developed was capable of accounting for nitrate production in the soil under non-steady state conditions of substrate concentrations and nitrifier biomass.     

A continuum model to study the internal fluctuations in globular proteins

The salient features of the differential equation model to study protein dynamics are presented with results for 19 proteins.     

Diffusion of inorganic carbon across an unstirred layer: a simplified quantitative approach

Abstract The quantitative approach used here is based on a model comprising a well-stirred medium, an unstirred layer, and a CO₂ absorbing leaf. The unstirred layer is divided up by planes into a number of sub-layers. Within each plane the concentration of each solute is everywhere the same as is the electric potential. These variables constitute the basic data. Thus the planes were characterized by their pH value. An equation is derived which enables the calculation of the basic data of a plane from the known data of another plane. In this way it is possible to calculate the basic data for all planes. From these data the rate of assimilation, the thickness of the unstirred layer and its sub-layers, the fluxes across the sub-layers and the conversions among the carbon components can be estimated. The CO₂ flux decreases, and the HCO^?₃ flux increases towards the leaf. There are negative fluxes of OH^& and CO^2–₃. H⁺ fluxes are of minor importance and can be ignored if the pH of the medium is higher than 8.0, provided no non-inorganic C buffers with appropriate pK_a are present. The significance of the carbon diffusion facilitating effect of an inorganic carbon system is expressed in various ways. The values obtained represent maxima, as the assumption is made that the equilibrium reactions are very fast. It is argued that even better effects are possible if the back-diffusion of CO^2–₃ could be prevented by lowering the pH of the unstirred layer.     

用PFU法研究微型生物群集过程中数据的处理

根据MacArthur-Wilson的岛屿区系平衡模型S_t=S_(eq)(1-e~(GT)),可以从野外生态效应试验和室内毒性试验中,提出3个功能参数(S_(eq)、G、t_(90％))进行比较。本文提出两种计算方法:复合梯形法和最小二乘法,后者已在计算机上实现了BASIC计算程序。从数学理论上论证,最小二乘法误差较小,但如果实验布局合理,两种计算方法能得到十分一致的结果。实验模型是否符合理论模型,可以用统计学上的拟合差异度检验法来检验。