Complete elimination of hostplant quinolizidine alkaloids by larvae of a polyphagous lycaenid butterfly,Callophrys rubi

Caterpillars of the lycaenid butterfly Callophrys rubi accept a variety of hostplants. When fed inflorescences or leaves of Genista tinctoria (a natural hostplant) or Lupinus polyphyllus (a non-host), the larvae completely eliminate quinolizidine alkaloids ingested from their food in their frass. No alkaloids are stored. Infestation by the parasitoid wasp Distatrix sancus (Braconidae) did not affect alkaloid elimination. The presence of an effective anti-toxin system is discussed with reference to the evolution of hostplant relationships in the genus Callophrys. There is no evidence that in the secondarily myrmecoxenous larvae of C. rubi hostplantderived chemical defense takes the place of former myrmecophily.     

Accommodating scenarios of climate change and management in modelling the distribution of the invasive tree Schinus molle in South Africa

Determining the potential range of invasive alien species under current conditions is important. However, we also need to consider future distributions under scenarios of climate change and different management interventions when formulating effective long‐term intervention strategies. This paper combines niche modelling and fine‐scale process‐based modelling to define regions at high risk of invasion and simulate likely dynamics at the landscape scale. Our study species is Schinus molle (Peruvian pepper tree; Anacardiaceae), a native of central South America, introduced to South Africa in about 1850 where it was widely planted along roads. Localities of planted and naturalized trees were mapped along 5380 km of roads – a transect that effectively samples a large part of western South Africa. Correlative modelling was used to produce profiles of present and future environmental conditions characterizing its planted and naturalized ranges. A cellular‐automata simulation model was used to estimate the dynamics of S. molle under future climates and different management scenarios. The overall potential range of S. molle in the region is predicted to shrink progressively with predicted climate change. Some of the potential range of S. molle defined based on current conditions (including areas where it is currently highly invasive) is likely to become less favourable. The species could persist where it is well established long after conditions for recruitment have deteriorated. Some areas where the species is not widely naturalized now (notably the fynbos biome) are likely to become more favourable. Our modelling approach allows for the delineation of areas likely to be invaded in future by considering a range of factors at different scales that mediate the interplay of climatic variables and other drivers that define the dimensions of human intervention such as distance from planted trees and the density of planted plants, both of which affect propagule pressure.     

The Behaviour of 2′-Deoxy-2′-Fluorouridine Incorporated into Oligonucleotides by the Phosphoramidite Approach

Abstract

2′-Deoxy-2′-fluorouridine has been chemically incorporated into an oligodeoxynucleotide of the structure 5′ACGGAX 3′ (X=U(2′-F)) using the phosphoramidite method and the behaviour of the product has been studied. 5′-O-Monomethoxytrityl-2′-deoxy-2′-fluorouridine was fixed on silica gel at the 3′-end and the chain elongated on a DNA-synthesizer using nucleoside methoxyphosphoramidites. After alkaline work-up two products were observed. One was found to be the desired fluoro containing hexamer, whereas the other corresponds to an araU-hexamer (X=arabino-furanosyluridine). The latter compound is supposed to be a product of alkaline hydrolysis of the C-2′-F-bond. The oligomers containing 2′-fluoro- and ara-U at their 3′-end were chemically sequenced by a solid phase method on CCS-paper which confirmed the right primary structure.     

Drainage history and land use pattern of a Swedish river system — their importance for understanding nitrogen and phosphorus load

During the 19th and the first half of the 20th century, approximately 300 km² of lakes and wetlands, representing 29% of the River Kavlingean catchment in Southern Sweden, were drained to make land available for agriculture. Published accounts of nutrient loads from the catchment indicated that until the mid 20th century, factories and urban point sources were the major contributors of both nitrogen and phosphorus. By the middle of the 20th century, the construction of sewage treatment plants had effectively reduced phosphorus pollution. Concurrently, the land drained in the previous century underwent a more intense cultivation, with productivity being maintained by commercial fertilizers. Subsequently, net nutrient loads from agriculture continued to increase, reaching an annual load of 2652 tons total-nitrogen and 70 tons total-phosphorus for the River Kävlingeån. Whilst high nutrient leakage from agricultural watersheds may be a problem which is only recently recognized, it had its origins in nearly a hundred years of commonly accepted agricultural policy.To assess the importance of agriculture as the major source of nutrients to the River Kävlingeån system, three tributary catchment areas, differing in terms of their land use patterns (high, medium and low intensity of agricultural use), were studied and compared with literature figures. Results indicated that agricultural nutrient loss areal coefficients were substantially higher than the literature figures, demonstrating the role of agriculture as source of nutrients to the River Kävlingeån system. The agricultural land use policies of the last fifty years were revealed to be most important with regard to this role. Of such land use policies, the cultivation of the last 10–15% of land employed for agricultural use (primarily riparian ecotones) may be of most significance. The literature indicates that intense agricultural use of this final 10–15% may account for a ca. 50% increase in nitrogen loss. This suggests that one solution to the problem of agricultural diffuse pollution may lie in the restoration and sustainable management of riparian ecotones of agricultural streams.     

The dynamics of the G protein-coupled neuropeptide Y2 receptor in monounsaturated membranes investigated by solid-state NMR spectroscopy

In contrast to the static snapshots provided by protein crystallography, G protein-coupled receptors constitute a group of proteins with highly dynamic properties, which are required in the receptors’ function as signaling molecule. Here, the human neuropeptide Y2 receptor was reconstituted into a model membrane composed of monounsaturated phospholipids and solid-state NMR was used to characterize its dynamics. Qualitative static ¹⁵N NMR spectra and quantitative determination of ¹H–¹³C order parameters through measurement of the ¹H–¹³C dipolar couplings of the CH, CH₂ and CH₃ groups revealed axially symmetric motions of the whole molecule in the membrane and molecular fluctuations of varying amplitude from all molecular segments. The molecular order parameters (S_backbone = 0.59–0.67, S_CH2 = 0.41–0.51 and S_CH3 = 0.22) obtained in directly polarized ¹³C NMR experiments demonstrate that the Y2 receptor is highly mobile in the native-like membrane. Interestingly, according to these results the receptor was found to be slightly more rigid in the membranes formed by the monounsaturated phospholipids than by saturated phospholipids as investigated previously. This could be caused by an increased chain length of the monounsaturated lipids, which may result in a higher helical content of the receptor. Furthermore, the incorporation of cholesterol, phosphatidylethanolamine, or negatively charged phosphatidylserine into the membrane did not have a significant influence on the molecular mobility of the Y2 receptor.