Effects of ambient temperature on avian incubation behavior

Ambient temperature is commonly thought to influence avian incubation behavior. However, results of empirical studies examining correlationsbetween ambient temperature and bout duration are equivocal.We propose that these equivocal results can be partly explainedby developing a conceptual understanding of how we should expecttemperature to influence incubation. We demonstrate why linearcorrelation analyses across a wide range of temperatures canbe inappropriate based on development of an incubation model for small birds that incorporates how ambient temperature influencesboth embryonic development and adult metabolism. We found supportfor predictions of the model using incubation data from orange-crownedwarblers (Vermivora celata) in Arizona. Both off- and on-boutduration were positively correlated with ambient temperaturebetween 9° and 26°C, but unrelated to ambient temperature<9° and 26-40°C. Bout durations declined as ambienttemperature approached or exceeded 40°C. Incubating orange-crowned warblers appeared to avoid bouts off the nest <7 min andbouts on the nest <20 min. Time of day, duration of theprevious bout, and variation among nests all explained variationin both on- and off-bout duration. Although we found supportfor the general shape of the incubation model, temperature still explained only a small portion of the overall variation in on-and off-bout duration. Results of previous studies were generallyconsistent with the model for off-bout duration; most studiesin colder environments reported positive correlations withtemperature, and the one negative correlation reported was from a hot environment. However, the relationships between on-boutduration and temperature reported in previous studies wereless consistent with our model and our data. Although somediscrepancies could be explained by considering our model,some studies reported negative correlations in cold environments.The effect of ambient temperature on duration of on-bouts probablydiffers among species based on the amount of fat reserves females typically carry during incubation and the extent of male incubationfeeding. Additional studies of the effects of temperature onavian incubation will help improve the general model and ultimatelyaid our understanding of energetic and ecological constraintson avian incubation.     

Changes in interactions between juniper and mistletoe mediated by shared avian frugivores: parasitism to potential mutualism

Although mistletoe is typically viewed as a parasite of juniper in a two-way interaction, its role may become neutral or even mutualistic when their common avian seed dispersing agents are considered as a three-way interaction. In the study area, wintering avian frugivores forage on both one-seed juniper (Juniperus monosperma) berries and on the fruit of its associated mistletoe (Phoradendron juniperinum). Three major findings emerged from our studies that support a three-way interaction and the hypothesis of conditional interactions. First, mistletoes provide a stable resource for shared avian seed dispersers; junipers do not. Whereas juniper berry production varied 10- to 15-fold over the 3 years of our study, mistletoe fruit abundance did not vary significantly. Second, the abundance of avian seed dispersal agents, such as Townsend's solitaires (Myadestes townsendi), is strongly tied to the abundance of juniper berries in mast years and mistletoe fruits in all years. In fact, the best overall predictor of their common avian seed dispersal agents was the abundance of mistletoe; stands with mistletoe attracted up to 3 times more avian frugivores than stands with little or no mistletoe. Thus, mistletoe berries can serve as the main attractor for birds that disperse juniper berries. Third, in agreement with the hypothesis that mistletoe can benefit junipers by attracting and supporting greater populations of avian seed dispersal agents, the number of juniper seedlings was more than 2-fold greater in stands with high mistletoe density compared with stands that had little or no mistletoe. Results suggest that the occurrence of a three-way interaction, in the presence of environmental variation (in this case, annual variation in juniper berry crops), may change the ecological roles of associated species. A conceptual model is presented to illustrate how the role of mistletoe may range from parasitic to mutualistic, while the role of avian seed dispersers may conversely range from mutualistic to parasitic, the latter by acting as vectors for the spread of mistletoe.     

Analysis and visualization of H7 influenza using genomic,evolutionary and geographic information in a modular web service

We have reported previously on use of a web‐based application, Supramap ( http://supramap.org ) for the study of biogeographic, genotypic, and phenotypic evolution. Using Supramap we have developed maps of the spread of drug‐resistant influenza and host shifts in H1N1 and H5N1 influenza and coronaviruses such as SARS. Here we report on another zoonotic pathogen, H7 influenza, and provide an update on the implementation of Supramap as a web service. We find that the emergence of pathogenic strains of H7 is labile with many transitions from high to low pathogenicity, and from low to high pathogenicity. We use Supramap to put these events in a temporal and geospatial context. We identify several lineages of H7 influenza with biomarkers of high pathogenicity in regions that have not been reported in the scientific literature. The original implementation of Supramap was built with tightly coupled client and server software. Now we have decoupled the components to provide a modular web service for POY ( http://poyws.org ) that can be consumed by a data provider to create a novel application. To demonstrate the web service, we have produced an application, Geogenes ( http://geogenes.org ). Unlike in Supramap, in which the user is required to create and upload data files, in Geogenes the user works from a graphical interface to query an underlying dataset. Geogenes demonstrates how the web service can provide underlying processing for any sequence and metadata database. © The Willi Hennig Society 2012.     

DNA Sequences from Formalin-Fixed Nematodes: Integrating Molecular and Morphological Approaches to Taxonomy

To effectively integrate DNA sequence analysis and classical nematode taxonomy, we must be able to obtain DNA sequences from formalin-fixed specimens. Microdissected sections of nematodes were removed from specimens fixed in formalin, using standard protocols and without destroying morphological features. The fixed sections provided sufficient template for multiple polymerase chain reaction-based DNA sequence analyses.     

Rapid determination of substrate specificity of Clostridium histolyticum beta-collagenase using an immobilized peptide library.

The molecular basis of the substrate specificity of Clostridium histolyticum beta-collagenase was investigated using a combinatorial method. An immobilized positional peptide library, which contains 24,000 sequences, was constructed with a 7-hydroxycoumarin-4-propanoyl (Cop) fluorescent group attached at the N terminus of each sequence. This immobilized peptide library was incubated with C. histolyticum beta-collagenase, releasing fluorogenic fragments in the solution phase. The relative substrate specificity (k(cat)/K(m)) for each member of the library was determined by measuring fluorescence intensity in the solution phase. Edman sequencing was used to assign structure to subsites of active substrate mixtures. Collectively, the substrate preference for subsites (P(3)-P(4)') of C. histolyticum beta-collagenase was determined. The last position on the C-terminal side in which the identity of the amino acids affects the activity of the enzyme is P(4)', and an aromatic side chain is preferred in this position. The optimal P(1)'-P(3)' extended substrate sequence is P(1)'-Gly/Ala, P(2)'-Pro/Xaa, and P(3)'-Lys/Arg/Pro/Thr/Ser. The Cop group in either the P(2) or P(3) position is required for a high substrate activity with C. histolyticum beta-collagenase. S(2) and S(3) sites of the protease play a dominant role in fixing the substrate specificity. The immobilized peptide library proved to be a powerful approach for assessing the substrate specificity of C. histolyticum beta-collagenase, so it may be applied to the study of other proteases of interest.