Schistosoma mansoni: Ultrastructure of early transformation of skin- and shear-pressure-derived schistosomules

Against the background of cercarial fine structure, ultrastructural changes were compared in schistosomules of Schistosoma mansoni 30 min and 1 hr after their production in vivo by skin penetration and in vitro by shear pressure. The same developmental pattern was observed in schistosomules of both derivations. In vitro schistosomules, however, developed more slowly, resembled cercariae more closely, and varied less among organisms than did in vivo schistosomules. The greatest morphological changes were observed in the 1-hr in vivo schistosomules. These were as follows: (1) in tegument, formation of transient microvilli, a hepatalaminate outer membrane and accented surface invaginations, loss of glycocalyx, movement outward of cyton vesicles via bridges, accumulation of multilaminate bodies around bridge openings; (2) in the anterior organ (oral sucker), movement of head gland vesicles via the ducts into tegument followed by collapse of the gland fundus, disappearance of the circumfundal cells and two large support cells, and the appearance in these areas of membranes and parenchymal cells; (3) secretion of the acetabular gland contents, collapse of the glands and replacement by membranes and parenchymal cells; (4) peristaltic activity of the digestive tract as shown by alternate areas of lumen constriction and dilation; (5) loss of bladder and contraction of the small aboral collecting tubules; and (6) conversion of heterochromatic parenchymal cell nuclei to euchromatic. In contrast, the 1-hr in vitro shear schistosomules resembled 30-min in vivo schistosomules, retaining many cercarial features.     

Rate of acclimation of the tropical salt-marsh fish Cyprinodon dearborni to temperature changes

The acclimation rates of temperature changes in Cyprinodon dearborni, collected from Laguna Los Patos, Cumana, Venezuela, were determined by the critical thermal maximum method. At an increase in temperature (from 24 to 31°C) fish started to gain acclimation level after 3 hours and took 3 days to fully get up to a higher level of resistance to heat death; however, at a decrease in temperature (from 3 t to 24°C) fish began to lose its acclimation level after 12 days and required 39 days to reach a lower level of resistance to thermal death.     

Crown size and hypodontia in the permanent dentition of moderl Skolt Lapps

The teeth of modern Skolt Lapps from northern Finland are considerably larger than those of their ancestors of the Eighteenth Century. The increase is probably attributable to improved nutrition. One or more teeth, excluding the third molars, were congenitally missing in 18.8% of the population aged 5 to 20 years. Relative to a standard the anterior teeth are larger than the posterior teeth, particularly the premolars. This accords well with the hypodontia pattern which is dominated by premolar agenesis.     

The hypothalamo-hypophysial system in the ground squirrel,Citellus erythrogenys Brandt

Summary Monthly observations of the Gomori-positive hypothalamo-hypophysial neurosecretory system (HHNS) of the ground squirrel, Citellus erythrogenys Brandt, were carried out light microscopically using several quantitative methods. From the beginning of hibernation, formation of neurosecretory material (NSM) in the neurosecretory cells (NSC) progressively decreases and release of neurohormones from the HHNS is almost fully inhibited. A maximal accumulation of NSM in the perikarya of the NSC and in the posterior pituitary (PP) is found in December. By this time the volume of the cell nuclei and nucleoli is at a minimum. Signs of activation of the HHNS appear and become more conspicuous as the time of arousal from torpor approaches. The amount of NSM in the NSC and the PP decreases simultaneously with the increase in volume of the NSC. Hyperemia and activation of glial elements is visible throughout the HHNS. The morphological signs of activation reach their peak in March. After reproduction is completed (April to beginning of May), the NSC and the PP are almost devoid of NSM. Beginning with June and during the summer and autumn months a progressive accumulation of NSM in the NSC and the PP parallels gradual diminution in the volume of the NSC structures and the glial cells. Mechanisms and effector pathways by which the HHNS influences seasonal adaptation of the organism and reproduction are discussed.     

Sequential morphologic changes in adult Echinococcus granulosus during complement-mediated lysis In vitro

Herd R. P., Ko L., Weisbrode S. E. and Heath D. D. 1984. Sequential morphologic changes in adult Echinococcus granulosus during complement-mediated lysis in vitro. International Journal for Parasltology14:141–149. Sequential changes (5,10, 20, 30,40, 50 min, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, h) were observed by light, scanning and transmission electron microscopy after 38-day-old adult Echinococcus granulosus were exposed to 50% guinea pig serum in vitro. Early changes within 3 h included contraction of worms, fusion of microtriehes, vacuolization and vesiculization of the distal cytoplasm, followed by rupture of vesicles leading to erosion and loss of the distal cytoplasm. This was most marked in the terminal proglottid but ultimately there was complete erosion of the distal cytoplasm of all proglottids and the scolex. After 3 h there was loss of definition of organelles, apparent edema of the perinuclear cytoplasm and, in some instances, rupture of the circular muscle layer with extrusion of parenchyma. Adult tape-worms exposed to heat-inactivated complement showed none of these changes. Lysis and death of the parasite was attributed to osmotic changes subsequent to the formation of trans-membrane channels induced by complement-mediated attack of the tegument after activation of the alternate pathway by factors present in the cestode tegument.     

Age‐related deterioration of motor function in male and female 5xFAD mice from 3 to 16 months of age

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that leads to age‐related cognitive and sensori‐motor dysfunction. There is an increased understanding that motor dysfunction contributes to overall AD severity, and a need to ameliorate these impairments. The 5xFAD mouse develops the neuropathology, cognitive and motor impairments observed in AD, and thus may be a valuable animal model to study motor deficits in AD. Therefore, we assessed age‐related changes in motor ability of male and female 5xFAD mice from 3 to 16 months of age, using a battery of behavioral tests. At 9‐10 months, 5xFAD mice showed reduced body weight, reduced rearing in the open‐field and impaired performance on the rotarod compared to wild‐type controls. At 12‐13 months, 5xFAD mice showed reduced locomotor activity on the open‐field, and impaired balance on the balance beam. At 15‐16 months, impairments were also seen in grip strength. Although sex differences were observed at specific ages, the development of motor dysfunction was similar in male and female mice. Given the 5xFAD mouse is commonly on a C57BL/6 × SJL hybrid background, a subset of mice may be homozygous recessive for the Dysf ^im mutant allele, which leads to muscular weakness in SJL mice and may exacerbate motor dysfunction. We found small effects of Dysf ^im on motor function, suggesting that Dysf ^im contributes little to motor dysfunction in 5xFAD mice. We conclude that the 5xFAD mouse may be a useful model to study mechanisms that produce motor dysfunction in AD, and to assess the efficacy of therapeutics on ameliorating motor impairment.     

Spatial synchrony in the response of a long range migratory species (Salmo salar) to climate change in the North Atlantic Ocean

A major challenge in understanding the response of populations to climate change is to separate the effects of local drivers acting independently on specific populations, from the effects of global drivers that impact multiple populations simultaneously and thereby synchronize their dynamics. We investigated the environmental drivers and the demographic mechanisms of the widespread decline in marine survival rates of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) over the last four decades. We developed a hierarchical Bayesian life cycle model to quantify the spatial synchrony in the marine survival of 13 large groups of populations (called stock units, SU) from two continental stock groups (CSG) in North America (NA) and Southern Europe (SE) over the period 1971–2014. We found strong coherence in the temporal variation in postsmolt marine survival among the 13 SU of NA and SE. A common North Atlantic trend explains 37% of the temporal variability of the survivals for the 13 SU and declines by a factor of 1.8 over the 1971–2014 time series. Synchrony in survival trends is stronger between SU within each CSG. The common trends at the scale of NA and SE capture 60% and 42% of the total variance of temporal variations, respectively. Temporal variations of the postsmolt survival are best explained by the temporal variations of sea surface temperature (SST, negative correlation) and net primary production indices (PP, positive correlation) encountered by salmon in common domains during their marine migration. Specifically, in the Labrador Sea/Grand Banks for populations from NA, 26% and 24% of variance is captured by SST and PP, respectively and in the Norwegian Sea for populations from SE, 21% and 12% of variance is captured by SST and PP, respectively. The findings support the hypothesis of a response of salmon populations to large climate‐induced changes in the North Atlantic simultaneously impacting populations from distant continental habitats.     

Exploring movement patterns and changing distributions of baleen whales in the western North Atlantic using a decade of passive acoustic data

Six baleen whale species are found in the temperate western North Atlantic Ocean, with limited information existing on the distribution and movement patterns for most. There is mounting evidence of distributional shifts in many species, including marine mammals, likely because of climate‐driven changes in ocean temperature and circulation. Previous acoustic studies examined the occurrence of minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) and North Atlantic right whales (NARW; Eubalaena glacialis). This study assesses the acoustic presence of humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae), sei (B. borealis), fin (B. physalus), and blue whales (B. musculus) over a decade, based on daily detections of their vocalizations. Data collected from 2004 to 2014 on 281 bottom‐mounted recorders, totaling 35,033 days, were processed using automated detection software and screened for each species' presence. A published study on NARW acoustics revealed significant changes in occurrence patterns between the periods of 2004–2010 and 2011–2014; therefore, these same time periods were examined here. All four species were present from the Southeast United States to Greenland; humpback whales were also present in the Caribbean. All species occurred throughout all regions in the winter, suggesting that baleen whales are widely distributed during these months. Each of the species showed significant changes in acoustic occurrence after 2010. Similar to NARWs, sei whales had higher acoustic occurrence in mid‐Atlantic regions after 2010. Fin, blue, and sei whales were more frequently detected in the northern latitudes of the study area after 2010. Despite this general northward shift, all four species were detected less on the Scotian Shelf area after 2010, matching documented shifts in prey availability in this region. A decade of acoustic observations have shown important distributional changes over the range of baleen whales, mirroring known climatic shifts and identifying new habitats that will require further protection from anthropogenic threats like fixed fishing gear, shipping, and noise pollution.     

北方农牧交错带多伦县生态系统服务权衡与协同关系研究

科学理解生态系统服务的权衡/协同关系,对于正确指导生态系统可持续管理实践具有重要意义。以位于北方农牧交错带的多伦县为研究区,基于土地利用/覆被、气象、土壤类型、归一化植被指数(NDVI)以及社会经济统计资料等多种数据,分析了2000年、2015年食物供给、碳固持、土壤保持、防风固沙及产水量5种生态系统服务的时空变化,识别了5种服务的供给热点区,并基于相关分析法从县域、乡镇及不同地类3种尺度上对生态系统服务间的权衡/协同关系进行分析。结果表明:(1)2000—2015年,食物供给与土壤保持量增幅较大,产水量与碳固持的供给量增幅较小,防风固沙量大幅下降,5种服务的空间格局基本保持不变;(2)多伦县1类热点区面积明显增加,3类热点区面积明显减少;面积占比超过50%的草地提供5种服务的能力强于耕地;(3)多伦县生态系统服务的权衡关系主要存在于产水量与土壤保持、产水量与碳固持、产水量与食物供给三对服务中;由于研究区生态系统环境的空间异质性较强,各乡镇和两种地类(草地和耕地)上分别只有4对和3对生态系统服务的权衡/协同关系与县域保持一致;(4)不同土地利用类型、海拔、土壤类型等因素的组合使多伦县乡镇之间及乡镇与县域之间的权衡/协同关系存在明显差异。因此,在生态环境更为复杂的整个北方农牧交错带,更需选取合适的空间尺度进行生态系统服务的权衡/协同关系分析,以指导决策者制定合理的生态系统管理措施。