Purinergic modulation of the immune response to infections

Purinergic Signalling - Infectious diseases are caused by the invasion of pathogenic microorganisms such as fungi, bacteria, viruses, and parasites. After infection, disease progression relies on...     

Longitudinal trends in concentration and composition of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) in a largely unregulated river system

Dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) can comprise up to 80% of the dissolved N pool in riverine ecosystems, but concentration and compositional responses to catchment conditions has received limited attention. We examined the suite of nitrogenous nutrients along the length of the Ovens River, Victoria, Australia, a river with identifiable regions of native vegetation, agricultural activity and floodplain forest connection, carrying out longitudinal surveys in winter during a period of high flow and in summer during a period of stable base flow. We examined: the concentrations of DON, the proportion of DON that occurs as dissolved combined amino acids (DCAAs), whether concentration and DCAA composition varied between flow and whether land-use and tributaries have an impact upon nutrient concentration and DON composition. DON concentrations were greater than dissolved inorganic nitrogen under both base flow and high flow conditions. Under base flow DON exhibited a continuous increase in concentration downstream (ranging from 50 to 300 μg/L), compared to a much larger increase under high flow (150–600 μg/L) coupled with a major discrete increase of ~?350 μg/L at a tributary input (King River). Concentrations of NO_x (oxides of nitrogen) species were much higher under high flow conditions (range 50–250 μg/L) compared to 0–50 µg/L at base flow, and showed a significant increase in concentration with distance downstream. A discrete change in NO_x concentrations was also observed at the King River confluence under high flow, although in this case causing a decrease in concentration of ~100 µg/L. DCAA concentrations varied little along the length of the river at base flow but increased with distance downstream at high flow. The DCAA concentrations were of the same order of magnitude as ammonium at both base and high flows and nitrate concentrations at base flow. The proportion of DON that was in the form of DCAA was reasonably uniform during high flow (3–6%), but highly variable at base flow (5–44%). The amino acid (AA) composition of the DCAA varied along the river and differed between flow regimes (except below the confluence with the King River where AA composition under the two flow conditions converged) suggesting a strong influence of land use. We show that DON is potentially a large component (4–81%) of the total N budget and given that 5–23% is in the form of peptide/protein, represents an important source of N. DON and more specifically DCAAs should therefore be considered both when constructing N budgets and monitoring levels of in-stream nitrogen.     

OSCILLATION OF BLOOD MONOCYTE COUNTS IN HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS

Daily examinations of monocyte blood counts in healthy individuals indicated the presence of a monocyte cycle. The cycle length was between 3 and 6 days. The predominant period was 5 days. A similar oscillation frequency resulted from a computer simulation of a feedback loop which linked the blood monocyte compartment (controlled variable) to the stem cell differentiation rate (controlling variable).     

Foraging behaviour alters with social environment in a juvenile songbird

Early independence from parents is a critical period where social information acquired vertically may become outdated, or conflict with new information. However, across natural populations, it is unclear if newly independent young persist in using information from parents, or if group-level effects of conformity override previous behaviours. Here, we test if wild juvenile hihi (Notiomystis cincta, a New Zealand passerine) retain a foraging behaviour from parents, or if they change in response to the behaviour of peers. We provided feeding stations to parents during chick-rearing to seed alternative access routes, and then tracked their offspring''s behaviour. Once independent, juveniles formed mixed-treatment social groups, where they did not retain preferences from their time with parents. Instead, juvenile groups converged over time to use one access route­ per group, and juveniles that moved between groups switched to copy the locally favoured option. Juvenile hihi did not copy specific individuals, even if they were more familiar with the preceding bird. Our study shows that early social experiences with parents affect initial foraging decisions, but social environments encountered later on can update transmission of arbitrary behaviours. This suggests that conformity may be widespread in animal groups, with potential cultural, ecological and evolutionary consequences.     

STATUS OF THE PACIFIC WALRUS POPULATION, 1950–19891

The Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) population is an important ecological and economic resource of the Bering Sea region. We describe population change, beginning with a low in 1950, through a high in about 1980, and ending in 1989. Estimates of abundance for the years after 1989 were not attempted due to the lack of harvest data and other population parameters. Selective hunting practices resulted in biased data regarding population composition and reproductive performance. Rates of reproduction had to be estimated from ovarian data, which indicated a dramatic drop in the 1980s. High harvests in the 1980s likely contributed to a decline in the population, but uncertainties as to accuracy of population estimates and other data raise reasonable doubts, especially with respect to the number of males, for which the most recent (1985) population estimate suggests a sharp decline. Past population estimates were revised upwards to compensate for walruses underwater and not seen in aerial surveys. The weaknesses in the available data make it clear that effective management of the population will require many improvements in collection of data regarding harvests, population structure, reproduction, and population trend.