Intercalation and Pattern Regulation in Hydroids

Several topics and concepts in developmental biology, such as induction of secondary axes (as in amphibians), the rules of distal transformation (valid, e.g., for insect and vertebrate limbs), and the rule one piece regenerates, the other one duplicates (valid also for imaginal discs) originally emerged from pioneering studies in hydroids. In addition, one finds phenomena of intercalation, i.e., the insertion of intervening parts when tissues of distant origin are confronted with each other. However, since not only short-range but also long-range interactions contribute to pattern regulation, one observes more regulative flexibility as compared to insect systems.     

Seed quality effects in bulb onions (Allium cepa L.)

The nature and persistence of seed quality effects produced by a range of seed production treatments was investigated in the autumn-sown onion crop. Genotypically equivalent seed lots raised in different glasshouses within the same year were found to germinate at significantly different rates. The seed lot which emerged earlier produced larger seedlings and this difference in size persisted throughout the growing period. In a comparison between the effects of hand crossing and self-pollination techniques the hand crossing method produced a much lower total seed yield but heavier seeds and larger plants. The induced effects persisted throughout the year but were not significant in the mature bulb characters. The implications of these results upon the control of seed production for plant breeding and genetical experiments is discussed.     

Temperature-dependent changes in circadian patterns of cricket premating behaviour

ABSTRACT. Male-calling and female-walking in Teleogryllus commodus (Walker) is mainly performed during the night (in LD 12:12 at constant temperature). Cold nights of 1–7°C switched both activities from night to daytime. After cold exposure it took several transient cycles until the original phase angle difference to lights-out was re-established. The involvement of a circadian clock in these processes was revealed by observing the free-running rhythm in constant light after a cold night. The rhythm was delayed, evidently due to the resetting of the biological clock by the cold exposure. This temporal alteration of premating behaviour in males and females is discussed in relation to intraspecific consequences, its adaptive value in natural conditions, and with respect to the potential parallel effects in parasites and predators.     

Indirect Immunofluorescence Microscopy of Microtubular Structures in Male Germ Cells of Wildtype and l(3)pl (lethal-polyploid) Drosophila hydei

Tubulin-containing structures of the male germ cells of Drosophila hydei crossreact in indirect immu-nofluorescence microscopy with antibody directed against homogeneous porcine brain tubulin. There is no detectable difference in reactivity between germ cells of wildtype flies and the mutant l(3)pl (lethal-polyploid) which is characterized by microtubular abnormalities. However, the technique of indirect immunofluorescence microscopy allows the direct visualization of several abnormalities in the arrangement of the microtubular system of the mutant, particularly in the axonemal complex.     

Characteristics of Zinc Uptake by Barley Roots

The linear uptake of zinc by excised barley roots (Hordeum distichon L.) in the time range from 20–120 min is not continued over periods of 20–28 h. In concentration dependent uptake experiments with intact barley roots three phases in the range up to 1.38 mM zinc could be detected independent of the tested uptake period. The kinetic constants increased with higher phases and the transition points were lowered with increasing time. The presence of copper did not inhibit the uptake of zinc competitively. On the contrary a slight stimulation in the uptake rates was observed indicating an interaction with the transition site. It is concluded that zinc and copper are taken up by separate mechanisms.     

Guanylate Cyclase Activity in Dictyostelium discoideum and Its Increase during Cell Development

Following consumption of the food supply, cells of the cellular slime mould Dictyostelium discoideum aggregate and form a multicellular organism. The mechanism for cell aggregation is chemotaxis. The chemotactic signal in D. discoideum is released periodically from aggregation centers and propagated from cell to cell. cAMP mediates cell aggregation by acting as chemotactic attractant and as propagator of the signal. cAMP signals are measured by cell-surface receptors. Recent evidence indicates a role for cGMP during cAMP-mediated cell aggregation in D. discoideum .
During cell differentiation to aggregation competence, cAMP binding sites appear at the cell surface, and the activity of the enzymes adenylate cyclase and phosphodiesterase increases several-fold. In the present work we investigate the synthesis of cGMP in D. discoideum . Conditions for the assay of guanylate cyclase in cell homogenates are described. Guanylate cyclase activity was followed during cell differentiation to aggregation competence and found to increase fourfold. These results indicate that cGMP is involved in cell differentiation of D. discoideum . In contrast to adenylate cyclase, which is activated by cAMP, guanylate cyclase was under our conditions activated neither by cAMP, nor by folic acid.     

Continuous monitoring of phytoplankton dynamics in Lake Balaton (Hungary) using on-line delayed fluorescence excitation spectroscopy

1. This study introduces delayed fluorescence (DF) excitation spectroscopy as an on‐line tool for in situ monitoring of the composition and biomass of various colour classes of phytoplankton when they are photosynthetically active (cyanobacteria, chlorophytes, chromophytes and cryptophytes). The DF data are validated by comparison with those from conventional methods (weekly microscopic counts and the measurement of chlorophyll concentration). 2. The composition of phytoplankton as assessed by DF agreed reasonably well with the results from microscopic counts, particularly when differences in chlorophyll‐specific DF integrals of the various colour classes were taken into account. 3. Integrals of DF spectra were converted into concentration of chlorophyll a using empirical factors derived from field data. The value of the conversion factor was nearly twice as high when the relative abundance of cyanobacteria was low (<15%) than when it was high. The converted DF‐chl time series agreed well with chlorophyll measurements particularly when blooms were developing. As the DF method is inherently free of the interference caused by pigment degradation products, the discrepancy between the two data sets increased during the collapse of blooms and when sediment resuspension was intense. 4. Fourier spectrum analysis of the time series of DF‐chl indicated that samples must be taken, at a minimum, every 2–3 days to capture the dynamics of phytoplankton. As a consequence, the dynamics of various algal blooms, including their timing, duration and net growth rate, could be estimated with greater confidence than by using conventional methods alone. 5. On‐line DF spectroscopy is an advanced technique for monitoring daily the biomass and composition of the photosynthetically active phytoplankton in aquatic environments, including turbid shallow lakes. At present, the detection limit is around 1 mg DF‐chl a m^?3 in terms of total biomass but confidence in estimates of phytoplankton composition declines sharply below about 5 mg chl a m^?3. 6. On‐line DF spectroscopy represents a promising approach for monitoring phytoplankton. It will be useful in water management where it can act as an early‐warning system of declines in water quality. In basic ecological research it can supplement manual methods. While default calibration spectra may be acceptable for routine monitoring, we suggest a careful individual calibration of the DF spectrometer for basic research. The statistical methods developed here help to assess the adequacy of various calibration sets.     

A morphometric and molecular study in Tortula subulata complex (Pottiaceae, Bryophyta)

Specimens belonging to Tortula subulata complex ( T. inermis , T. mucronifolia and T. subulata ) were analysed using a combination of morphometric methods based on quantitative characters [principal component analysis (PCA), discriminant analysis (DA); 76 samples)] and molecular methods (ITS1 – 5.8S rRNA gene and ITS2; 47 samples) to assess patterns of morphological and molecular differentiation within this complex of taxa. The study shows that four species can be recognized: T. mucronifolia , T. subulata , T. inermis and T. subulata var. angustata with bistratose border, which is elevated to the species rank as T. schimperi nom. nov. The most valuable quantitative characters for identification of these species are the strata number of the marginal laminal cells, the ratio of middle marginal laminal cell width/middle marginal laminal cell length, basal membrane of peristome length, middle laminal cell width and papillae number on the middle laminal cells. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) data suggest that this group of taxa is not monophyletic, T. mucronifolia being close to Protobryum bryoides (= Tortula protobryoides ). The remaining species seem to be a monophyletic group, T. schimperi being the sister group of the clade composed by T. inermis and T. subulata . T. subulata is considered to be of high morphological variability, for which ITS sequences did not resolve the internal relationships.  © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2005, 149 , 333–350.