Invertebrate predation of 15N-marked prey in semi-field wheat enclosures

One of the most famous examples of successful, classical biological control in Japan is the introduction of the parasitoids Coccobius fulvus and Aphytis yanonensis against the citrus pest arrowhead scale Unaspis yanonensis. Together, they comprise a host‐parasitoid system that has been demonstrated to be stable. To test the conventional theory that successful biological control of pests occurs through the establishment of a low stable equilibrium, brought about by the density‐dependent responses of natural enemies to the pest species, sampling was carried out at five sites in the field during 2000 and 2001 to examine the relationship between the rate of parasitism by C. fulvus and the density of its host. The data were analysed using three statistical techniques at nine spatial scales. Contrary to conventional theoretical predictions, each method of analysis detected very little density‐dependence at any spatial level in this study. Parasitoid aggregations independent of host density were not sufficient to stabilise host–parasitoid interactions. Our results suggest that neither spatial density‐dependent nor density‐independent parasitism is necessary for successful biological control, or for the stability of the host–parasitoid system. We propose an alternative mechanism: a spatial refuge induced by parasitoid introduction may stabilise a system.     

Total chemical synthesis and NMR characterization of the glycopeptide tx5a, a heavily post-translationally modified conotoxin, reveals that the glycan structure is alpha-D-Gal-(1-->3)-alpha-D-GalNAc.

The 13-amino acid glycopeptide tx5a (Gla-Cys-Cys-Gla-Asp-Gly-Trp*-Cys-Cys-Thr*-Ala-Ala-Hyp-OH, where Trp* = 6-bromotryptophan and Thr* = Gal-GalNAc-threonine), isolated from Conus textile, causes hyperactivity and spasticity when injected intracerebral ventricularly into mice. It contains nine post-translationally modified residues: four cysteine residues, two gamma-carboxyglutamic acid residues, and one residue each of 6-bromotryptophan, 4-trans-hydroxyproline and glycosylated threonine. The chemical nature of each of these has been determined with the exception of the glycan linkage pattern on threonine and the stereochemistry of the 6-bromotryptophan residue. Previous investigations have demonstrated that tx5a contains a disaccharide composed of N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) and galactose (Gal), but the interresidue linkage was not characterized. We hypothesized that tx5a contained the T-antigen, beta-D-Gal-(1-->3)-alpha-D-GalNAc, one of the most common O-linked glycan structures, identified previously in another Conus glycopeptide, contalukin-G. We therefore utilized the peracetylated form of this glycan attached to Fmoc-threonine in an attempted synthesis. While the result-ing synthetic peptide (Gla-Cys-Cys-Gla-Asp-Gly-Trp*-Cys-Cys-Thr*-Ala-Ala-Hyp-OH, where Trp* =6-bromotryptophan and Thr* = beta-D-Gal-(1-->3)-alpha-D-GalNAc-threonine) and the native peptide had almost identical mass spectra, a comparison of their RP-HPLC chromatograms suggested that the two forms were not identical. Two-dimensional 1H homonuclear and 13C-1H heteronuclear NMR spectroscopy of native tx5a isolated from Conus textile was then used to determine that the glycan present on tx5a indeed is not the aforementioned T-antigen, but rather alpha-D-Gal-(1-->3)-alpha-D-GalNAc.     

Leaf beetle grazing does not induce willow trichome defence in the coppicing willow Salix viminalis

Abstract 1 Willows are frequently attacked and defoliated by adult leaf beetles (Phratora vulgatissima L.) early in the season and the plants are then attacked again when new larvae emerge. The native willow Salix cinerea has previously been shown to respond to adult grazing by producing new leaves with an increased trichome density. Subsequent larval feeding was reduced on new leaves. This type of induced plant response may reduce insect damage and could potentially be utilized for plant protection in agricultural systems. 2 Here, we investigated if the willow species most commonly used for biomass production in short rotation coppice, Salix viminalis, also responds to adult beetle grazing by increasing trichome density. Larval performance and feeding behaviour on plants previously exposed to adult beetles was compared with that on undefoliated control plants in a greenhouse. 3 We found an overall decrease in trichome density within all the plants (i.e. trichome density was lower on new leaves compared to that for older basal leaves on S. viminalis). However, leaves of beetle defoliated plants had a higher trichome density compared to control plants. Larval growth and feeding was not affected by this difference between treatments. Larvae appeared to remove trichomes when feeding on S. viminalis, a behaviour that might explain the lack of difference between treatments.     

Mapping of resistance to the potato cyst nematode Globodera rostochiensis from the wild potato species Solanum vernei

A population of diploid potato (Solanum tuberosum) was used for the genetic analysis and mapping of a locus for resistance to the potato cyst nematode Globodera rostochiensis, introgressed from the wild potato species Solanum vernei. Resistance tests of 108 genotypes of a F₁ population revealed the presence of a single locus with a dominant allele for resistance to G. rostochiensis pathotype Ro1. This locus, designated GroV1, was located on chromosome 5 with RFLP markers. Fine-mapping was performed with RAPD and SCAR markers. The GroV1 locus was found in the same region of the potato genome as the S. tuberosum ssp. andigena H1 nematode resistance locus. Both resistance loci could not excluded to be allelic. The identification of markers flanking the GroV1 locus offers a valuable strategy for marker-assisted selection for introgression of this nematode resistance.Abbreviations BSA bulked segregant analysis - RAPD random-amplified polymorphic DNA - RFLP restriction fragment length polymorphism - SCAR sequence-characterized amplified region     

Do Fleas,and/or Old Nest Material,Influence Nest-site preference in Hole-nesting Passerines?

This study examined nest-site choice in a migratory population of pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) and sympatric populations of three resident tit species (Parus major, P. caeruleus and P. palustris) in central Sweden. All four species are secondary-cavity nesters which naturally breed in pre-formed tree cavities but readily use artificial nest boxes. We asked whether flycatchers and tits discriminate between nest boxes that: 1. Are ‘empty’; 2. Contain old nests without ectoparasites (fleas Ceratophyllus sp.); or 3. Contain old nests with ectoparasites. We found that pied flycatchers preferred nest boxes containing old nests, regardless of whether these nests held parasites. In contrast, tits did not discriminate between the three types of boxes. Tits may pay a cost for their lack of choosiness: after the breeding season, tit nests contained more fleas than flycatcher nests. Nevertheless, parasites did not affect the choice of a nest site in any of the species studied. We suggest that the migratory flycatchers are in a hurry to start breeding upon arrival and use the presence of an old nest as a shortcut cue to assess nest-site quality. Also, they may save valuable time by copying the choice of previous breeders. Non-migratory tits may have more time to inspect nest sites, but do not seem to use the same cues in nest-site selection as the pied flycatcher.     

Demonstration of retinal afferents in the RCS rat,with reference to the retinohypothalamic projection and suprachiasmatic nucleus

In the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rat, characterized by inherited retinal dystrophy, retinal projections to the brain were studied using anterograde neuronal transport of cholera toxin B subunit upon injection into one eye. The respective immunoreactivity was found predominantly contralateral to the injection site in the lateral geniculate nucleus, superior colliculus, nucleus of the optic tract, medial terminal nucleus of the accessory optic tract, and bilateral hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nuclei. Although terminal density was somewhat reduced in dystrophic rats, the projection patterns in these animals appeared similar to those seen in their congenic controls and were comparable to the visual pathways described for the rat previously. In dystrophic rats, the number of cell bodies exhibiting immunoreactivity to vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, viz. a population of suprachiasmatic neurons receiving major retinohypothalamic input, was reduced by one-third, and some differences were observed in the termination pattern of the geniculohypothalamic tract, as revealed by immunoreactivity to neuropeptide Y in the suprachiasmatic nucleus.This study was supported by grants from the DFG (Re 644/2-1) and the NMFZ, Mainz (to S.R.).     

Resolution and determination of enantiomeric purity of the enantiomers of felodipine using chiral-AGP® as stationary phase

A direct chiral chromatographic reversed phase method for the determination of the enantiomers of felodipine is described. The influence of charged and uncharged modifiers as well as the effect of the mobile phase pH on the enantiomeric resolution is discussed. A high mobile phase pH and the addition of 2-propanol as organic modifier gave the highest separation factor (α = 1.3). The high mobile phase pH (pH = 7.6) is outside the recommended pH limit of silica based columns but was necessary to achieve baseline resolution of (R)- and (S)-felodipine. Improvement of column efficiency by increasing column temperature was utilized for optimization of the enantiomeric resolution (Rs = 1.7). The enantiomers of felodipine and three related compounds were separated within 15 min. The enantiomeric purity of (R)- and (S)-felodipine in injections and (R)-felodipine in bulk substance was higher than 99.5% and no racemization was observed after storage at accelerated conditions. A poor Chiral-AGP® column used for a long period was restored using a simple wash step together with repacking the top of the chromatographic column. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Normal levels of zinc and sulfhydryls in morphologically abnormal populations of spermatozoa from moderately zinc-deficient rats

Zinc is required for spermatogenesis in mammals and is concentrated in the dense outer fibers of the sperm tail, where it is associated with cysteine-rich protein. To investigate the effects of marginal zinc deficiency upon dense fiber formation and upon sperm quality in general, weanling Sprague-Dawley rats were administered a commercial low-zinc diet, supplemented with phytate, for approximately 60 days, and were compared with controls fed the same diet plus 50 ppm zinc in their drinking water. The following characteristics of the zinc-deficient rats were significantly lower than in the controls: body weight, testis weight, epididymis weight, seminal vesicle weight, sperm content of the cauda epididy-midis, sperm motility, testis zinc, and hair zinc. By contrast, the levels of sperm zinc and sperm sulfhydryls were the same in the zinc-deficient and control rats. The zinc-deficient rats displayed a highly variable spectrum of sperm defects, which included decapitation, disorganized and redundant tail elements, and superfluous cytoplasm. However, abortive dense fiber development was only rarely observed. Apparently, even when availability of zinc is limited and reduced sperm production ensues, elaboration of dense fibers rich in zinc and sulfhydryls continues to be obligatory for the completion of spermiogenesis.