Internal Nutrient Translocation in Chestnut Tree Stemwood: III. Dynamics Across an Age Series of Castanea sativa (Miller)

Nutrient translocation in chestnut tree stemwood was calculatedfrom the distribution of nutrient content throughout the tissuelife-span. The dynamics of internal translocation were followedduring the crop rotation by means of an age series of five coppicedstands (2–19 years). N, P, K, Ca and Mg contents in treerings were estimated from the concentrations along a verticaland radial gradient and from the ring volume obtained usingstem ring analysis.Real nutrient translocation was calculatedstepwise between successive stages in the age series;apparenttranslocation was computed on a complete tree rotation by comparingthe initial content just after the ring was formed with themineral content in the oldest stand. There was a marked translocationof N, P, K and Ca when the rings were physiologically-activetissues. Real translocation of N, P and K (but not Ca) increasedwith stand age, obviously in parallel with the enlarged stemwoodbiomass reaching 23.2 and 20.6 kg ha^-1for K and N in the lastyears of rotation, nearly 5 kg ha^-1for Mg and about 3 kg ha^-1forCa and P. Potassium was the most mobile element since translocationreached 60% of the total amount immobilized in the stemwoodat the end of the rotation, whereas values for N, P and Mg wereapproximately 25% and 10% for calcium. Total apparent translocationreached respectively 39.2 and 32.4 kg ha^-1for K, N, approximately12 and 7 kg ha^-1for Mg and Ca and only 4.4 kg ha^-1for P. Totalapparent translocation as a percentage of total wood immobilizationwas 114% for K, 83% for Mg, 63% for P, but only 39% for N and24% for calcium. Translocation; nutrient content; stemwood; tree ring; coppice; age series; dynamics; chestnut tree; Castanea sativa Miller     

Use of time in a decision‐making process by a parasitoid

1. Time perception is seldom studied in invertebrates, with the limited experimental evidence being insufficient to provide a comprehensive pattern of the capacity of invertebrates to measure time and use it in decision‐making processes. 2. In this study, it was hypothesized that insect parasitoids have evolved the capacity to measure time precisely and to use it to optimize foraging decisions related to host exploitation. To examine time perception in females of the gregarious egg parasitoid Trichogramma euproctidis, the present study used their ability to adjust their investment (number of eggs laid) in a host to the initial transit duration (interval between the first contact with the host and the following contact with the substrate). Females utilize this method to assess host egg size, as a large egg necessarily requires more time to evaluate than a small host. In this study, the initial transit duration for a given sized egg was artificially extended by suspending it. 3. For similar sized hosts, female T. euproctidis significantly increased both oviposition duration and progeny allocation following a longer initial transit duration. 4. These results demonstrate the intrinsic capacity of this parasitoid to measure time and to adjust their progeny investment accordingly. This is believed to be one of the few demonstrations of a retrospective measure of time in an invertebrate.     

Developmental Endocrinology of the Dipnoan, Neoceratodus forsteri

The development of the pineal, pituitary and thyroid glandsof the extant lungfish, Neoceratodus forsteri, are being studiedboth morphologically and functionally. This paper presents datafrom hatching to 40–52 weeks for a standardised seriesof lungfish, bred at Macquarie University. At hatching, thepineal comprises a single organ attached to the roof of thediencephalon, with well-developed photoreceptor, supportingand ganglion cells. The photoreceptors gradually degenerate,giving way to secretory cells which contain electron dense granules.These latter are immunoreactive to melatonin antibodies anddigestable with protease. The pituitary at hatching comprisesa hollow ball of cells lying beneath the infundibular regionof the hypothalamus. Ultrastructurally, four cell types canbe distinguished by cytoplasmic granule size after the firstfour weeks of development posthatching. By 20 weeks, a furtherthree cell types are recognisable. Inununogold labelling hasidentified corticotropes and melanotropes at four weeks and,at 20 weeks, prolactin cells, thyrotropes and somatotropes alsocan be identified. The thyroid is only just apparent at hatching,containing 2–3 follicles. Thenumbers of follicles increasesgradually, and variably between animals, with age. Iodine uptakein methimazole-treated animals did not exceed that of controlsat any of the three stages tested, indicating a lack of feedbackcontrol between thyroid hormones and pituitary thyrotropes at,or before, 40 weeks of age. Thyroid hormone receptors in theliver at 40 weeks are predominantly immunoreactive to humanTRac antibodies. These findings taken together suggest that,up to 40 weeks post hatching, lungfish development is equivalentto amphibian premetamorphic development. This would be consistentwith lungfish neoteny, but cannot be taken as evidence for neotenyuntil confirmed at later stages of development     

The life cycle of Hydrichthys tnirus (Gnidaria: Hydrozoa: Anthomedusae: Pandeidae)

The previously unknown life cycle of the parasitic hydroid Hydrichthys mirus is described. The adult medusa has 5–6 tentacles and could be referred to Leuckartiara. Another species of Hydrichthys has previously been shown to have a Stomotoca -like medusa, characterized by the possession of two tentacles. It is proposed that Hydrichthys originated from the Leuckartiara lineage and that, through paedomorphosis in at least one species, the medusa retained the two-tentacle state of the newly-released medusa of all pandeids, thus becoming referable to Stomotoca. It is suggested that Stomotoca has hitherto constituted a polyphyletic taxon, embracing parallel lineages of pandeids, each retaining juvenile features. An additional genus, Larsonia , is introduced to accommodate species with Stomotoca-like medusae and Hydrichthys -like hydroids.     

Nitrogen Mobilization from Stubble and Roots during Re-growth of Defoliated Perennial Ryegrass

Nitrogen re-mobilization during ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.)re-growth was studied as a function of time. Roots and stubblecompounds were labelled with ¹⁵N before clipping. Experimentalresults clearly showed that ryegrass re-growth involves twoperiods of differing physiological significance. The first occursduring the first 6 d when nearly all the nitrogen of the newleaves comes from organic nitrogen re-mobilized from roots andstubble. At the same time, the uptake of nitrogen from the mediumis very low, no reduction of endogenous nitrate occurs and proteolysisand amino amido nitrogen re-mobilization in stubble are notfully compensated for by synthesis.Thus, the change in protein-Ncontent, expressed per plant, in stubble decreases from 998µg (uncut plant) to 866 µg and 661 µg for2 d and 4 d respectively after cutting. The second period (afterthe sixth day) may be more representative of stable behaviourof ryegrass, with assimilation of mineral nitrogen from themedium providing the predominant source of nitrogen for re-growth. Key words: Lolium perenne L., nitrogen, re-growth     

Facts and Hypotheses Concerning the Control of Odontoblast Differentiation

Numerous studies using amphibians have demonstrated that preodontoblasts emerging from the dental papilla are derived from cranial neural crest cells [4, 12, 46, 64]. However this has not been established for mammals. The history of odontogenesis begins during the early stages of cranial-facial development when the maxillary and mandibular processes develop. Continuous epithelio-mesenchymal interactions condition the histogenesis and morphogenesis of the teeth [24–26, 43, 44, 49, 51,58] as well as the terminal differentiation of odontoblasts and ameloblasts [23, 47, 52, 54, 59, 61, 67].
During recent years a considerable amount of experimental data relating to differentiation of odontoblasts has been published. We summarize these data and attempt to integrate them in deductive hypotheses concerning the control of odontoblast differentiation.