Eco‐morphological differentiation in Lake Magadi tilapia,an extremophile cichlid fish living in hot,alkaline and hypersaline lakes in East Africa

Ecological diversification through divergent selection is thought to be a major force during the process of adaptive radiations. However, the large sizes and complexity of most radiations such as those of the cichlids in the African Great Lakes make it impossible to infer the exact evolutionary history of any population divergence event. The genus Alcolapia, a small cichlid lineage endemic to Lakes Magadi and Natron in East Africa, exhibits phenotypes similar to some of those found in cichlids of the radiations of the African Great Lakes. The simplicity within Alcolapia makes it an excellent model system to investigate ecological diversification and speciation. We used an integrated approach including population genomics based on RAD‐seq data, geometric morphometrics and stable isotope analyses to investigate the eco‐morphological diversification of tilapia in Lake Magadi and its satellite lake Little Magadi. Additionally, we reconstructed the demographic history of the species using coalescent simulations based on the joint site frequency spectrum. The population in Little Magadi has a characteristically upturned mouth—possibly an adaptation to feeding on prey from the water surface. Eco‐morphological differences between populations within Lake Magadi are more subtle, but are consistent with known ecological differences between its lagoons such as high concentrations of nitrogen attributable to extensive guano deposits in Rest of Magadi relative to Fish Springs Lagoon. All populations diverged simultaneously only about 1100 generations ago. Differences in levels of gene flow between populations and the effective population sizes have likely resulted in the inferred heterogeneous patterns of genome‐wide differentiation.     

Alzheimer's disease amyloid-β peptide analogue alters the ps-dynamics of phospholipid membranes

We have investigated the influence of the neurotoxic Alzheimer's disease peptide amyloid-β (25-35) on the dynamics of phospholipid membranes by means of quasi-elastic neutron scattering in the picosecond time-scale. Samples of pure phospholipids (DMPC/DMPS) and samples with amyloid-β (25-35) peptide included have been compared. With two different orientations of the samples the directional dependence of the dynamics was probed. The sample temperature was varied between 290 K and 320 K to cover both the gel phase and the liquid-crystalline phase of the lipid membranes. The model for describing the dynamics combines a long-range translational diffusion of the lipid molecules and a spatially restricted diffusive motion. Amyloid-β (25-35) peptide affects significantly the ps-dynamics of oriented lipid membranes in different ways. It accelerates the lateral diffusion especially in the liquid-crystalline phase. This is very important for all kinds of protein-protein interactions which are enabled and strongly influenced by the lateral diffusion such as signal and energy transducing cascades. Amyloid-β (25-35) peptide also increases the local lipid mobility as probed by variations of the vibrational motions with a larger effect in the out-of-plane direction. Thus, the insertion of amyloid-β (25-35) peptide changes not only the structure of phospholipid membranes as previously demonstrated by us employing neutron diffraction (disordering effect on the mosaicity of the lipid bilayer system) but also the dynamics inside the membranes. The amyloid-β (25-35) peptide induced membrane alteration even at only 3 mol% might be involved in the pathology of Alzheimer's disease as well as be a clue in early diagnosis and therapy.     

三种森林生态系统昆虫病原真菌优势种生态位比较

研究了天然阔叶林、天然阔叶次生林和马尾松人工纯林3种不同森林生态系统中昆虫病原真菌优势种的数量组成及生态位宽度和生态位重叠值.结果表明:球孢白僵菌在这3种森林生态系统中分别为第三、第一和第二优势种.该菌在3种森林生态系统中的营养生态位宽度和时间生态位宽度均最大,远大干环链棒束孢、粉棒束孢和细脚棒束孢等优势种;该菌与其他优势种的时间生态位重叠值较大,而营养生态位重叠值较小.球孢白僵菌在3种森林生态系统中都是发生时间最长、寄主昆虫最丰富、适应环境能力最强的昆虫病原真菌.     

Genetic differences among populations in sexual dimorphism: evidence for selection on males in a dioecious plant

Genetic variation among populations in the degree of sexual dimorphism may be a consequence of selection on one or both sexes. We analysed genetic parameters from crosses involving three populations of the dioecious plant Silene latifolia, which exhibits sexual dimorphism in flower size, to determine whether population differentiation was a result of selection on one or both sexes. We took the novel approach of comparing the ratio of population differentiation of a quantitative trait (Q(ST) ) to that of neutral genetic markers (F(ST) ) for males vs. females. We attributed 72.6% of calyx width variation in males to differences among populations vs. only 6.9% in females. The Q(ST) /F(ST) ratio was 4.2 for males vs. 0.4 for females, suggesting that selection on males is responsible for differentiation among populations in calyx width and its degree of sexual dimorphism. This selection may be indirect via genetic correlations with other morphological and physiological traits.     

Can Functional Traits Predict Ecological Interactions? A Case Study Using Rain forest Frugivores and Plants in Australia

In rain forest, the large numbers of species of fleshy-fruited plants and frugivorous animals result in a large number of potential fruit–frugivore interactions, which are challenging to survey in the field. Yet, knowledge of these relationships is needed to predict consequences of changes in the frugivore assemblage for seed dispersal. In the absence of comprehensive dietary information, it may be possible to delineate between frugivores that disperse different plants using ‘functional traits,’ or morphological and behavioral attributes of frugivores that interact with differences in salient characteristics of plant species. Here we use data on the consumption of 244 Australian rain forest plant species by 38 bird species to test for associations between patterns of frugivory and birds': (1) degree of frugivory, (2) gape width, and (3) seed treatment (seed crushing or seed dispersing). Degree of frugivory and gape width explain 74 percent of the variation in the sizes of fruits consumed by frugivorous birds. Among birds that consume a substantial dietary proportion of fruit, birds with wider gapes consume larger fruits. In contrast, this relationship was not shown by birds for which fruit is only a minor dietary component. Degree of frugivory and gape width, together with seed treatment, also strongly predict the overall taxonomic composition and diversity of plants consumed by bird species. Functional classifications of frugivore species may prove useful in developing a predictive understanding of fruit–frugivore interactions in other rain forest regions where detailed dietary information is not available for most frugivores.     

A new rapid and simple method to determine the kinetics of electrode reactions of biologically relevant compounds from the half-peak width of the square-wave voltammograms

A new method is introduced to determine the kinetic parameters of electron transfer reactions of biologically important compounds, based on the measurements of the half-peak width (DeltaE(p/2)) of the square-wave voltammograms. A simple surface (diffusionless) redox reaction, and a simple electrode reaction occurring from dissolved state are considered as model systems. In the region of quasireversible electron transfer, the half-peak widths of theoretical square-wave voltammograms are linear functions of the logarithm of the dimensionless kinetic parameter ln(K) that characterizes the rate of the electron transfer reaction. The dimensionless kinetic parameter K is defined as K=k(s)(fD)(-0.5) for the redox reaction taking place from dissolved state, whereas for the surface redox reaction K is defined as K=k(s)/f (k(s) is the standard rate constant of electron transfer, f is the SW frequency, and D is the diffusion coefficient). A set of linear regression equations for the dependences DeltaE(p/2)vs. ln(K) are derived, which can be used for rapid and precise determination of the charge-transfer kinetic parameters. The estimated values for the standard rate constants of various biologically relevant redox systems using this approach are in very good agreement with the experimental values determined by other square-wave voltammetric methods. The square-wave voltammetric half-peak width method can be used as a simple and reliable alternative to other voltammetric methods developed for the kinetic characterization of electron transfer rates.