Diurnal changes in phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and pyruvate, orthophosphate dikinase properties in the natural environment: interplay of light and temperature in a C4 thermophile

Activities of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxylase (EC 4.1.1.31) were measured in leaf extracts of field grown Amaranthus paniculatus L. (C₄) during a natural diurnal irradiance and temperature pattern. Enzyme assays were run at both fixed (30°C) and the corresponding leaf temperature at the time of harvest. Light activation of PEP carboxylase (PEPCase) at fixed assay temperatures was expressed as a decrease in S_0–5 (PEP) after a threshold (> 330 μmol m^–2 s^–1) photon fluence rate was surpassed at noon. Earlier in the morning, increase in apparent enzyme affinity for PEP was observed when the assay was run at leaf temperature, indicating a physiologically meaningfull effect of temperature on S^0.5 (PEP). The 3.3-fold increase in PEPCase activity at low PEP and fixed assay temperature between the minimal and maximal irradiance and temperature hours of the day, became 12.8-, 11.5- and 7.4-fold when assays were run at the corresponding leaf temperature during three diurnal cycles with respective temperature differences (max minus min) of 9.0, 8.3 and 7.4°C. The extent of malate inhibition was the same for both day and night forms of PEPCase assayed at 35°C, but increased considerably with night enzyme at 25°C. The results indicate that light increases the apparent affinity of PEPCase for PEP and that at lower temperatures malate becomes more inhibitory. Pyruvate orthophosphate dikinase activity started to increase immediately after sunrise and the 10-fold increase at fixed temperature became 14.8-, 14.2- and 13.1-fold when assays were run at the above leaf temperatures. This indicates that the light effect predominates with pyruvate, orthophosphate dikinase, while with phosphoenolpyravate carboxylase, light and temperature co-operate to increase the day enzyme activities.     

Stress-induced assortative mating and the evolution of stress resistance

We show with a model that variation in environmental stress between generations facilitates the evolution of stress resistance through assortative mating. Stress induces delayed maturation of susceptible phenotypes, segregating their fertile period from resistant phenotypes. Assortment of mates enhances the responsiveness of populations to natural selection by inflating genetic variance. Thus, positive selection and inflated genetic variance in stressful environments can cause a strong evolutionary increase in resistance. By contrast, benign environments do not segregate phenotypes, and the random mating among phenotypes deflates genetic variance, leading to a weaker response to selection against resistance, assuming that resistance is costly. When environments vary randomly from benign to stressful, populations respond asymmetrically to negative and positive selection. This asymmetry (1) accelerates fixation of a resistance allele if resistance is generally favoured (stressful generations more frequent) but delays the loss of the allele if it is generally disfavoured (benign generations more frequent), and (2) it can push a resistance allele to fixation even when long‐term costs modestly exceed benefits. When resistance alleles pleiotropically delay mating, stress‐induced random mating has complementary effects. Serial autocorrelation in the stressor amplifies these effects. These results suggest a novel mechanism for the persistence of resistance polymorphisms.     

Oviposition by autumn gum moth (Mnesampela privata) in relation to Eucalyptus globulus defoliation, larval performance and natural enemies

Abstract 1 Eucalyptus globulus Labill. exhibited consistent intraspecific variation in oviposition choice by Mnesampela privata (Guenée) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) in field surveys of host plants that had been designated, based on the prior season's defoliation levels, as resistant or susceptible to M. privata. At both field sites significantly fewer egg batches were found on resistant compared to susceptible trees. 2 In cage bioassays we demonstrated a significant oviposition preference by M. privata, with over two‐fold greater number of egg batches laid on foliage sprigs from susceptible compared to resistant trees. Despite differences in tree oviposition choice, we found no evidence in the field or the laboratory of adult females adjusting egg batch size in accordance to oviposition preference. 3 Caged larval survival, development times and pupal weight did not vary significantly between resistant and susceptible trees. Similarly, in a laboratory feeding experiment, neonates utilized resistant and susceptible foliage equally. 4 Larval mortality in the field attributed to natural enemies did not vary significantly between resistant and susceptible trees, nor did the percentage of Telenomus sp. parasitism of M. privata eggs within a batch and batches per tree. 5 Failure to associate either larval performance or natural enemy efficacy with the observed intraspecific variation in E. globulus susceptibility to M. privata oviposition indicates that some other unidentified factors drive the evolution of host selection for oviposition.     

Effects of phosphate availability on the root system architecture: large-scale analysis of the natural variation between Arabidopsis accessions

Developmental plasticity is one main adaptative response of plants to the availability of nutrients. In the present study, the naturally occurring variation existing in Arabidopsis for the growth responses to phosphate availability was investigated. Initially details of the effects of phosphate starvation for the four currently used accessions Cvi, Col, Ler and Ws were compared. A set of 10 growth parameters, concerning the aerial part and the root system, was measured in both single‐point and time‐course experiments. The length of the primary root and the number of laterals were found to be consistently reduced by phosphate starvation in all four accessions. These two robust parameters were selected to further screen a set of 73 accessions originating from a wide range of habitats. One‐half of the accessions showed also a reduced primary root and less lateral roots when phosphate‐starved, and 25% were not responsive to phosphate availability. For the last quarter of accessions, phosphate starvation was found to affect only one of the two growth parameters, indicating the occurrence of different adaptative strategies. These accessions appear to offer new tools to investigate the molecular basis of the corresponding growth responses to phosphate availability.     

Spatial and temporal pattern of colonization of Nabidae (Heteroptera) in alfalfa (Medicago sativa)

Abstract: Six species of Nabidae (Heteroptera) were collected by standardized sweep net sampling in alfalfa fields in Thuringia, Germany, from 1993 to 1995: Nabis pseudoferus , N. ferus , N. brevis , N. major , Nabicula flavomarginata and Aptus mirmicoides . Colonization of a newly cultivated field was studied over a 3-year period. The density of all the studied nabid species was low (less than five individuals per 100 sweeps) and not related to time since colonization started, or to the distance from the margin of the field. Macropterous species were able to colonize the whole field within one season. The density of one macropterous species, N. pseudoferus , varied between the years of study and was mainly affected by the harvest regime. The brachypterous species reached the margin within one season but for density it took three seasons to reach satiated values also in the centre of the field. The abundance of the brachypterous N. brevis was significantly different both between years and sampling sites. This indicates the importance of the surroundings on the succession of this species. Nabis major , a fully winged species, showed a migration pattern intermediate to macropterous and brachypterous nabids. These results suggest that the total abundance of nabid predators cannot be predicted by time or distance from the expansion source (shelter belts). The abundance of brachypterous nabid individuals can be predicted from time since colonization but is best analysed at the species level.     

Cyclic peptides and depsipeptides from cyanobacteria: A review

An elaborate array of structurally-novel and biologically-active cyclic peptides and depsipeptides are found in blue-green algae (cyanobacteria). Several of these compounds possess structures that are similar to those of natural products from marine invertebrates. Most of these cyclic peptides and depsipeptides, such as the microcystins and the lyngbyatoxins, will probably only be useful as biochemical research tools. A few, however, have the potential for development into useful commercial products. For example, cryptophycin-1, a novel inhibitor of microtubule assembly fromNostoc sp GSV 224, shows impressive activity against a broad spectrum of solid tumors implanted in mice, including multidrug-resistant ones, and majusculamide C, a microfilament-depolymerizing agent fromLyngbya majuscula, shows potent fungicidal activity and may have use in the treatment of resistant fungal-induced diseases of domestic plants and agricultural crops.     

浙江海岛盐生植被研究Ⅱ──天然植被类型及开发利用

天然盐生植被是海岛盐生植被的主体,类型丰富,分布广泛,在海岛植被的研究及开发利用中占据重要地位。目前,天然盐生植被的分类尚无统一标准与系统。本文根据作者1990～1993年在浙江海岛用样方法(Ｈ.ＶｏｎＰｏｓｔ,1851;陈彦卓,1965)测定的样地数据,参照《中国植被》的分类方法,根据群落的外貌与结构、生态地理、动态和种类组成等特征进行分类,其中对群系级单位侧重于种类组成,并采用建群植物的重要值(Ｊ.Ｔ.ＣｕｒｔｉｓａｎｄＲ.Ｐ.ＭｃＩｎｔｏｓｈ,1951)作为分类的定量指标。据此,浙江海岛天然盐生植被可划分为3个植被型、8个群系组、18…     

豆田刺吸类害虫、天敌自然种群消长规律及其群落结构的研究

在豆田群落中,常见的天敌昆虫及有益生物为12科13种,它们对寄主均有很强的选择性．小花蝽是大豆蚜的主要天敌,系优势种,其次是龟纹瓢虫．大青叶蝉的主要天敌是蜘蛛类,三突花蛛和草间小黑蛛为优势种．在长期不施用农药的环境下,天敌自然种群对控制害虫发生危害的作用明显．经数学分析,建立了12个数学模型,进一步揭示了两种刺吸类害虫与其天敌之间的关系;天敌种群消长、害虫种群消长与时间变动的关系．尤其通过对豆田群落生物的多样性、稳定性动态分析,表明豆田群落在8月9日至8月29日多样性指数和稳定性指数最大;同时亦表明豆田群落的多样性指数愈高,群落的稳定性愈强．     

Fitness effects of sex ratio response to host quality and size in the parasitoid wasp Spalangia cameroni

The parasitoid wasp Spalangia cameroni oviposited a greaterproportion of daughters in stable fly pupae than in house flypupae, even when I controlled for stable flies being smallerthan house flies. Sex ratio manipulation in response to hostquality has been modeled as being adaptive through an effectof host quality on the size and hence offspring production ofdaughters. 5. cameronis response to host species may insteadbe adaptive through an effect on larval survivorship, the developmenttime of daughters, and the size of sons. There was greater survivalof daughters than sons on stable flies. Controlling for hostsize, I found that development time of daughters was about 2%less on stable flies than on house flies. The decrease in developmenttime corresponds to a 2% increase in fitness as estimated byr, the intrinsic rate of increase, and is equivalent to abouta 9% increase in offspring production. Sons were about 2% largerfrom house flies than stable flies, which may increase offspringproduction by up to 3%. Host species had no consistent effecton size of daughters or development time of sons. In additionto the response to host species, mothers oviposited a greaterproportion of daughters in larger stable fly hosts. Whetherthis behavior is adaptive is unclear. Although offspring werelarger when they developed on larger stable flies, the rateof increase was less for daughters dian for sons. Effects ofstable fly size on offspring development time were negligible.     

The Influence of Genotype and Environment on the Physiological and Metabolic Diversity ofFusarium compactum

Talbot, N. J., Vincent, P., and Wildman, H. G. 1996. The influence of genotype and environment on the physiological and metabolic diversity ofFusarium compactum. Fungal Genetics and Biology20,254–267. Fungal species produce a large variety of secondary metabolites which are of considerable interest to the pharmaceutical industry. It is clear that the secondary metabolite production of a species varies significantly in strains from different geographic locations and from different habitats. The influence of genotype and environment on metabolite production is, however, poorly understood. In this study we examined the influence of genotypic variability, physiological variability, environmental location, and habitat on metabolite production byFusarium compactum.Isolates of the fungus from two geographic locations and two distinct habitat types were examined for growth on 95 different carbon sources, and genotypic variability was determined using RAPDs and rDNA–RFLP analysis. In a blind test secondary metabolite production was assessed using HPLC profiles of methanolic cell extracts. A number of correlations were observed between genotypic groupings, as determined using parsimony, and specific metabolite production. Similar correlations were also observed with physiological groups although genotypic analysis proved to be a more sensitive predictor of metabolite variability. The data suggest a complex relationship between environment, genotype, and metabolite production but highlight the use of genetic screening as a means of optimizing the chances of identifying a wide range of metabolites from a given species.