Analisi polliniche di depositi lacustri delle pendici del M. Vulture in Basilicata

Abstract

Pollen analysis of lake sediments on Mt. Vulture in Basilicata (Southern Italy).—A marshy sediment, about 7 meters thick, containing fossil pollen, has been discovered in a little lake of volcanic origin on a slope of Mount Vulture in Lucania at 656 m above sea level.

The sediment shows four distinct layers from the top to the bottom. The deepest layer, from 7 to 5.75 m, consisting of clay containing Betula and Ostrya, indicates a rather arid climate; the next layer, from 5.75 to 3.75 m, made up of mud rich in organic substance and containing pollen of Fagus and Abies, is witness of a damp and warmer climate; the following layer, from 3.75 to 2.25 m, with clay containing Betula, Ulmus, Ostrya and Corylus suggests a return to a more arid climate; lastly, the upper layer, from 2.25 m to the surface, with marshy mud rich in organic substance and pollen of plants with greater water requirements leads us to think of a return to a damper climate.     

Analisi ultrastrutturale degli effetti della monensina in Euglena gracilis,con particolare riguardo all'apparato di Golgi

Abstract

Ultrastructural analysis of the effects of monensin in Euglena gracilis, with special reference to the Golgi apparatus. - The monovalent ionophore, monensin, is known to affect the mature (trans) half of the dictyosomes of several organisms, including Euglena gracilis. We demonstrated that the exposure to high concentrations of this compound (2.5 × 10^?5 to 10^?4M) provoked remarkable swelling also in the forming (cis) half of Euglena cisternae. Additional dilations affected the thylakoids of both mature chloroplasts and proplastids of greening cells in which the organelle development was slower than in the control group. No osmotic swelling was observed for the mitochondria. Since monnesin exchanges one proton for each monovalent cation (Na⁺ or K⁺) transported, it follows that an energy driven influx of H⁺ is necessary to accumulate sufficient osmotically active ions in a membrane compartment. Thus it is possible that H⁺-ATPases are present on both forming and mature half of Euglena dictyosomes.     

Ricerche sul meccanismo di azione della cocliobolina B: effetti sul metabolismo ossidativo di Micrococcus pyogenes var. aureus

Abstract

STUDIES ON MECHANISM OF COCHLIOBOLIN ACTIVITY. B: EFFECTS ON OXIDATIVE METABOLISM OF MICROCOCCUS PYOGENES VAR. AUREUS. — Endogenous respiration of washed 24-hours old cells of Micrococcus pyogenes var. aureus was markedly decreased by cochliobolin, which also completely prevented pyruvate, succinate, fumarate and malate oxidation. The toxin inhibited also lactate and α-ketoglutarate utilization by Micrococcus cells, while aerobic respiration of glucose was only slightly reduced, and anaerobic breakdown increased. These phenomena were irreversible, and depended upon the pH of media and the lenght of incubation periods. In contrast, respiratory activities of cell-free homogenates and acetone powders of Micrococcus were refractory to the toxin, and the oxidation of Krebs cycle intermediates was not affected. These phenomena suggest that, although cochliobolin prevens the respiratory metabolism of Micrococcus cells, the initial locus of interference probably is not one of the common respiratory enzimes, but cell permeabiltiy. Thus, if one postulates that the toxin disturbs cell membrane integrity, by disrupting lipoprotein of phospholipid costituents, then the phenomena might be explained by the reduced concentration in the cells of cofactors essential to respiration, due to leakage through the cell membrane.     

Ricerche sul meccanismo di azione della cocliobolina. A: effetti della tossina su fettine di tubero di patata in riposo

Abstract

STUDIES ON MECHANISM OF COCHLIOBOLIN ACTIVITY. A: EFFECTS OF THE TOXIN ON FRESH POTATO TUBER SLICES. — Cochliobolin, a toxic compound produced by Helminthosporium oryzae, causes inorganic phosphorus leakage from fresh potato tuber slices, higher amounts being found in incubation media with higher toxin concentrations and for longer incubation periods. Organic compounds, also, are released by potato tuber slices, like phenolic products, large amounts of sugars, and some aminoacids, alanine, lysine, tyrosine, valine and γ-aminobutirric acid, which have never been observed in the incubation meida of untreated slices. Cochliobolin uptake by fresh potato tuber slices does not take place actively or, anyhow, at a metabolic level. Indeed, neither 2,4-dinitro-phenol (at concentration, pH, and incubations periods apt to reduce active uptake), nor low temperatures (0–2°C) prevent toxin uptake. Potato tuber slices are not affected by cochliobolin, unless kept at 25°C, and this fact suggests that while toxin uptake does not interest metabolic pathways, it might affect some phase, or structure, essential to cell metabolism. The locus of toxin activity seems therefore to be identified with its influence on cell absortion and retention activities, of products essential for metabolic processes. Thus the impairing of cell permeability, possibly affecting the processes or the structures which regulate the active uptake, seems to be, at the moment, the only evident interpretation of the phenomena observed.     

Osservazioni sul ciclo di sviluppo delle gemme di esemplari mascbili e femminili di Ginkyo biloba L.

Abstract

Observations on the development cycle of the buds of male and female specimens of Ginkyo biloba L. – A study of the buds of long shood and short shoot of male and female Ginkyo biloba L. individuals reveals the following: 1) All the buds of the male individuals are bigger and round in shape while those of the female individuals are smaller and conical. 2) Among individuals of the same sex there are no differences between the buds of long and short shoots except that the latter are always bigger. 3) All the buds, both male and female, show a constant number of buds scales (7–14), embryonic leaves (3–7) and leaf primordia (3–4). 4) The increase in diameters is greater in the male than in the female buds. 5) When opening, the buds of the male short shoots can get as big as 11,5 mm × 11,5 mm and those of the female short shoots 5 mmx4 mm. At this time, the long shoots of both sexes show a less marked differences in size (♂ 5 mm × 5 mm; 9 4 mm × 3,5 mm). 6) The male buds of both long and short shoots are always mixed, that is they are provided with a very small apex and pollen sacs. Only on exceptional cases has sterility been observed. On the other hand female buds are mixed, that is they are provided with a shoot apex and ovules, only in the long shoots of three or more years of age and not always; while the buds of the long shoots are always sterile. 7) Opening of the buds, which in both sexes occurs from the base upwards, takes place at the middle of March in the male and in the first decade of April in the female individuals. 8) The appearence of sex, starting from the base, takes place at an earlier time in male individuals. In fact in the buds of the male short shoots it appears as early as July. In the buds of the female short shoots it appears in October. 9) Pollen cones do not appear at the same time in all the buds of the two types of shoot. They are found in the buds of the short shoots in July, in October in the lateral buds of the long shoots and in November in the terminal buds of the same type of shoots. 10) Ovules appear only in some buds of short shoots three or more year old. They are never present in the long and short shoots one or two year old buds. 11) The dates of appearance of the pollen cones and ovules in our Florentine specimens are exactly the same as those reported by SPRECHER (1907) for the Ginkyo plants growing in Geneva.     

Ricerche sul meristema apicale della radice II. II contenuto di coenzimi riboflavinici

Abstract

RESEARCHES ON ROOT APEX MERISTEM. II. RIBOFLAVINE COENZYMES. — FMN and FAD contents have been measured (by the method of BURCH et al.) in the roots of etiolated pea seedlings. It has been found that FMN and FAD content is higher, when referred to fresh weight, in the 2 mm. apical segment than in the next 2–4 mm segment.

On a protein basis, FMN is more abundant in the 2–4 mm segment than in the 0–2 mm apical segment.

The opposite is true for FAD (see table). The apical (meristematic) segment is therefore characterized by a higher FAD/FMN ratio (its value is 1) than the next 2–4 mm segment, where the ratio FAD/FMN is 0.29.