Sex ratios under asymmetrical local mate competition in the parasitoid wasp Nasonia vitripennis

Sex ratio theory has proved remarkably useful in testing theadaptive nature of animal behavior. A particularly productivearea in this respect is Hamilton's theory of local mate competition(LMC), which has been extended in numerous directions to includegreater biological realism, allowing more detailed tests inspecific organisms. We have presented one such extension, termedasymmetrical LMC, which occurs when egg laying by females ona patch is asynchronous, and emerging males do not disperse,resulting in the extent of LMC on a patch varying over time.Our aim here is to test whether the parasitoid wasp Nasoniavitripennis responds to variation in the degree of asymmetricalLMC. Specifically, we show that females adjust their offspringsex ratios in response to (1) variation in the amount of asynchronyin emergence between broods on a patch and (2) the number andproportion of previously parasitized hosts on the patch. Ourresults provide qualitative support for the predictions of theory,suggesting new levels of complexity in the sex ratio behaviorof this much-studied organism. However, our results do not alwaysprovide quantitative support for theory, suggesting furthercomplexities that must be clarified.     

The Empirical Analysis of Cigarette Tax Avoidance and Illicit Trade in Vietnam, 1998-2010

Illicit trade carries the potential to magnify existing tobacco-related health care costs through increased availability of untaxed and inexpensive cigarettes. What is known with respect to the magnitude of illicit trade for Vietnam is produced primarily by the industry, and methodologies are typically opaque. Independent assessment of the illicit cigarette trade in Vietnam is vital to tobacco control policy. This paper measures the magnitude of illicit cigarette trade for Vietnam between 1998 and 2010 using two methods, discrepancies between legitimate domestic cigarette sales and domestic tobacco consumption estimated from surveys, and trade discrepancies as recorded by Vietnam and trade partners. The results indicate that Vietnam likely experienced net smuggling in during the period studied. With the inclusion of adjustments for survey respondent under-reporting, inward illicit trade likely occurred in three of the four years for which surveys were available. Discrepancies in trade records indicate that the value of smuggled cigarettes into Vietnam ranges from $100 million to $300 million between 2000 and 2010 and that these cigarettes primarily originate in Singapore, Hong Kong, Macao, Malaysia, and Australia. Notable differences in trends over time exist between the two methods, but by comparison, the industry estimates consistently place the magnitude of illicit trade at the upper bounds of what this study shows. The unavailability of annual, survey-based estimates of consumption may obscure the true, annual trend over time. Second, as surveys changed over time, estimates relying on them may be inconsistent with one another. Finally, these two methods measure different components of illicit trade, specifically consumption of illicit cigarettes regardless of origin and smuggling of cigarettes into a particular market. However, absent a gold standard, comparisons of different approaches to illicit trade measurement serve efforts to refine and improve measurement approaches and estimates.     

Isoleucine and Valine Metabolism in Escherichia coli XVIII. Induction of Acetohydroxy Acid Isomeroreductase

The regulation by substrate induction of the acetohydroxy acid isomeroreductase was studied in Escherichia coli. Induction was inhibited by chloramphenicol and rifampin. The addition of rifampin resulted in a decay of the capacity to form isomeroreductase. This was attributed to the breakdown of the isomeroreductase messenger, which had a half-life of about 45 sec at 37 C. Induction of isomeroreductase was enhanced by including glucose in the medium. This effect was shown to be due in part to the lowering of the pH of the medium, which presumably made inducer entry more rapid.     

An Extreme Value Analysis of Pollutant Concentrations in Surface Soils Due to Atmospheric Deposition

Risk assessments often rely on deterministic models using long-term averages or “steady-state” values of input variables. Such models do not provide the information needed to estimate acute exposures. This study uses extreme value theory to examine the frequency and magnitude of daily pollutant concentrations in surface soils predicted at six U.S. locations. Concentrations are predicted using a deposition-leaching model and 50 years of historical precipitation data. A stochastic model also is used to generate 1000 years of precipitation data as modeling inputs for each location. The annual maximum concentrations at each site are fitted to a Gumbel type I distribution to estimate occurrence probability. For soluble pollutants, the predicted concentration varied substantially with precipitation, and the maximum daily concentrations exceeded annual averages by 4 to 8 times. Observed and synthetic precipitation data produced similar results at most study locations, though the synthetic data provided a slightly better fit to the Gumbel type I distribution. The precipitation model allows the generation of representative precipitation data that extend limited historical records. The extreme value analysis facilitates the evaluation of maximum pollutant concentrations, return periods, and other statistics that are important in evaluating acute exposures.     

Sequence Determinants of GLUT1 Oligomerization: ANALYSIS BY HOMOLOGY-SCANNING MUTAGENESIS*

The human blood-brain barrier glucose transport protein (GLUT1) forms homodimers and homotetramers in detergent micelles and in cell membranes, where the GLUT1 oligomeric state determines GLUT1 transport behavior. GLUT1 and the neuronal glucose transporter GLUT3 do not form heterocomplexes in human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells as judged by co-immunoprecipitation assays. Using homology-scanning mutagenesis in which GLUT1 domains are substituted with equivalent GLUT3 domains and vice versa, we show that GLUT1 transmembrane helix 9 (TM9) is necessary for optimal association of GLUT1-GLUT3 chimeras with parental GLUT1 in HEK cells. GLUT1 TMs 2, 5, 8, and 11 also contribute to a less abundant heterocomplex. Cell surface GLUT1 and GLUT3 containing GLUT1 TM9 are 4-fold more catalytically active than GLUT3 and GLUT1 containing GLUT3 TM9. GLUT1 and GLUT3 display allosteric transport behavior. Size exclusion chromatography of detergent solubilized, purified GLUT1 resolves GLUT1/lipid/detergent micelles as 6- and 10-nm Stokes radius particles, which correspond to GLUT1 dimers and tetramers, respectively. Studies with GLUTs expressed in and solubilized from HEK cells show that HEK cell GLUT1 resolves as 6- and 10-nm Stokes radius particles, whereas GLUT3 resolves as a 6-nm particle. Substitution of GLUT3 TM9 with GLUT1 TM9 causes chimeric GLUT3 to resolve as 6- and 10-nm Stokes radius particles. Substitution of GLUT1 TM9 with GLUT3 TM9 causes chimeric GLUT1 to resolve as a mixture of 6- and 4-nm particles. We discuss these findings in the context of determinants of GLUT oligomeric structure and transport function.     

What paths do advantageous alleles take during short‐term evolutionary change?

Combining experimental evolution with whole‐genome resequencing is a promising new strategy for investigating the dynamics of evolutionary change. Published studies that have resequenced laboratory‐selected populations of sexual organisms have typically focused on populations sampled at the end of an evolution experiment. These studies have attempted to associate particular alleles with phenotypic change and attempted to distinguish between different theoretical models of adaptation. However, neither the population used to initiate the experiment nor multiple time points sampled during the evolutionary trajectory are generally available for examination. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Orozco‐terWengel et al. (2012) take a significant step forward by estimating genome‐wide allele frequencies at the start, 15 generations into and at the end of a 37‐generation Drosophila experimental evolution study. The authors identify regions of the genome that have responded to laboratory selection and describe the temporal dynamics of allele frequency change. They identify two common trajectories for putatively adaptive alleles: alleles either gradually increase in frequency throughout the entire 37 generations or alleles plateau at a new frequency by generation 15. The identification of complex trajectories of alleles under selection contributes to a growing body of literature suggesting that simple models of adaptation, whereby beneficial alleles arise and increase in frequency unimpeded until they become fixed, may not adequately describe short‐term response to selection.