Bonding, biophilia, biosynergy, and the future of primates in the wild

Human and nonhuman primates bond with one another in countless ways, and the results are varied and vital to the individuals and species involved. The manifesto that is the basis for the collection of essays in which this commentary is included proposes that the "human/nonhuman bonds that arise in primatological research and practice deserve and demand study and research." An essential corollary of this proposal is that the primatologists themselves must be studied. The aim of this essay is to explore the influence of human/nonhuman primate bonding on conservation practice and on the future of primates in the wild. This commentary applies the author's professional experience as a conservation psychologist and his research on the impact of profound interspecies bonds on human worldviews, attitudes, and behavior. It examines two general categories of bonds: those driven by Biophilia (human fascination with life) and those influenced by Biosynergy (mutual enrichment of life). It is the author's premise that biosynergy promotes complex collaborative interspecies bonds that broaden the conservationist's desire to enhance synergy among all organisms in an ecosystem. Conversely, biophilia induces relatively simple unidirectional bonds between humans and other animals that deepen the conservationist's desire to understand and protect certain species. This contrast raises some crucial questions. Do biophilia-driven bonds between conservationists and their favorite primates blind them to the synergistic needs of all species and impair their ability to work for sustained preservation of threatened habitat? Does biosynergy-based human/nature bonding enhance focus on conservation as an ecological science and thus ignore species-specific factors crucial to assure survival of endangered primates? How can both types of bonds be optimally applied to the conservation of wildlife and wilderness?     

Distribution of Cu, Zn, and Fe in the soluble fraction of the kidney in normal, copper-poisoned, and thiomolybdate-treated sheep

Twenty-seven sheep were used in two experiments to study the distribution of copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and iron (Fe) in the kidney cytosol of control, Cu-loaded, and thiomolybdate (TM)-treated sheep. A comparison was made of the patterns of distribution on Sephadex G-75 of Cu, Zn, and Fe from the cytosol of fresh and frozen kidneys and after thawing of frozen cytosol. In both Cu-dosed and TM-treated sheep, the absolute level of Cu increased in the cytosol, but the percent of Cu decreased. The percent recovery of Cu from the frozen kidney was comparable to that from fresh kidney, but the extraction of Cu from the supernatant of frozen cytosol was approximately 10% less. This was due to a loss of Cu in a precipitate that formed when the frozen cytosol was thawed. Most of the Cu in the cytosol from the kidney of Cu-loaded sheep was in a metallothionein (MT)-like protein fraction and was trichloroacetic acid (TCA) soluble. In contrast, that from the cytosol of TM-treated sheep was mostly in a high molecular weight fraction that was TCA insoluble. The chromatograms obtained from cytosol derived from frozen kidneys, or cytosol that had itself been frozen, contained a similar distribution of Cu, Zn, and Fe, but the peak heights were lower in the latter samples.     

Stress,adaptation, and speciation in the evolution of the blind mole rat,Spalax, in Israel

Environmental stress played a major role in the evolution of the blind mole rat superspecies Spalax ehrenbergi, affecting its adaptive evolution and ecological speciation underground. Spalax is safeguarded all of its life underground from aboveground climatic fluctuations and predators. However, it encounters multiple stresses in its underground burrows including darkness, energetics, hypoxia, hypercapnia, food scarcity, and pathogenicity. Consequently, it evolved adaptive genomic, proteomic, and phenomic complexes to cope with those stresses. Here I describe some of these adaptive complexes, and their theoretical and applied perspectives. Spalax mosaic molecular and organismal evolution involves reductions or regressions coupled with expansions or progressions caused by evolutionary tinkering and natural genetic engineering. Speciation of Spalax in Israel occurred in the Pleistocene, during the last 2.00–2.35 Mya, generating four species associated intimately with four climatic regimes with increasing aridity stress southwards and eastwards representing an ecological speciational adaptive trend: (Spalax golani, 2n = 54 → S. galili, 2n = 52 → S. carmeli, 2n = 58 → S. judaei, 2n = 60). Darwinian ecological speciation occurred gradually with relatively little genetic change by Robertsonian chromosomal and genic mutations. Spalax genome sequencing has just been completed. It involves multiple adaptive complexes to life underground and is an evolutionary model to a few hundred underground mammals. It involves great promise in the future for medicine, space flight, and deep-sea diving.     

Selenium,cadmium, lead,and mercury concentrations in human breast milk,in placenta,maternal blood,and the blood of the newborn

The concentrations of the trace elements Cd, Hg, Pb, and Se during the perinatal period in human placenta and in the blood of the mother and the newborn (cord blood) were determined. Breast milk (colostrum and mature milk) was also included to permit correlations between the different compartments. For Cd, a placental barrier exists, in accord with previous observations. For Pb, a strong correlation between the concentrations in the blood of the mother and of the newborn was found. The concentration of Hg was in most cases below low the detection limit. Its concentration in colostrum was higher than in the mature milk. The results for Se reflect the knowledge about an essential trace element. Strong positive correlations were noted between maternal blood and cord blood and maternal milk. Anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV) was used for the determination of Cd and Pb, cold vapor AAS (CVAAS) for the determination of Hg, and instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) for the determination of Se.     

Kinetics, distribution, and biotransformation of the chemical HI-6 in the rat, dog, and rhesus monkey

Disposition of the bis-pyridinium mono-oxime, HI-6, following intramuscular injection in rats (200 mg/kg bw), beagle dogs (10 and 50 mg/kg bw), and rhesus monkeys (50 mg/kg bw) revealed that the oxime was absorbed rapidly and completely from the site of injection, was distributed rapidly in the tissues, and that tissue concentrations decreased below the limits of detection by 4 h after treatment. No overt signs of toxicity were observed in any species at the concentrations given. Tissue analysis for HI-6 and degradation products was conducted by extraction followed by ion-pair, reverse phase, HPLC chromatography. The estimated plasma half-life values were 20, 40-55, and 25-30 min for rats, dogs, and monkeys, respectively. HI-6 and the degradation products were excreted via the urine. A marked species difference in disposition was observed in that HI-6 selectively accumulated in the diaphragmatic muscle of the rat to a level 10- to 20-fold higher than the level in blood plasma, whereas in the dog and monkey, diaphragmatic concentrations were comparable with those in the plasma. Three degradation products of HI-6 were detected in the plasma of the three species. One excreted product formed spontaneously since it was also detected in buffered solutions used for abiotic stability studies. The second product, the picolinic acid analog of HI-6, appeared to be metabolically formed in vivo. A third product remains unidentified.     

Reversibility of Propranolol-Induced Changes in the Biosynthesis of Monoacylglycerol, Diacylglycerol, Triacylglycerol, and Phospholipids in the Retina

Abstract: The biosynthesis and metabolism of phospholipids and neutral glycerides were studied in the bovine retina. Radioactive glycerol was used as a precursor. Phentolamine and d - and dl -propranolol were found to produce similar effects on lipid metabolism in the retina. Marked stimulation of phosphatidylinositol (PhI) synthesis and maximal inhibition of phosphatidylcholine (PhC), diacylglycerol (DG), and triacylglycerol (TG) formation were observed within 5 min after exposure to 0.5 m M dl -propranolol. Pulse-chase experiments showed a high turnover rate in DG and a reversibility of the propranolol-induced changes produced during the synthesis of PhC, TG, DG, monoacylglycerol (MG), and phosphatidylserine. All reversals of the drug-induced biosynthetic profiles approached control values 60 min after incubation in drug-free medium. However, complete reversal was not achieved in any of the cases under these conditions. Propranolol appeared to inhibit both the formation of DG from phosphatidic acid and the further metabolism of DG, probably to MG. Phosphatidylethanolamine biosynthesis showed some recovery from this inhibition. Synthesis of Phi was greatly stimulated by preincubation with propranolol and was further enhanced by reincubation in the presence of propranolol. However, this effect was not reversed by reincubation without the drug. The active de novo biosynthesis of retinal phospholipids and glycerides is a very dynamic pathway that may be redirected by amphiphilic drugs. In addition, the partial reversal of modifications induced in the flux of [2-³H]glycerol through the lipids can occur during short-term reincubations of retinas in drug-free medium.     

Content and Concentration of Taurine,Hypotaurine, and Zinc in the Retina,the Hippocampus,and the Dentate Gyrus of the Rat at Various Postnatal Days

Taurine and zinc possess neurotrophic and neuroprotective properties, and they have been demonstrated to interact in the central nervous system (CNS). The aim of this work was to determine taurine, hypotaurine, and zinc levels during postnatal development and any possible significant correlation between them in selective areas of the CNS with differential taurine level regulation and intrinsic capacity to proliferate. Taurine and hypotaurine content (nM/region) and concentration (nM/mg protein) and total zinc levels were determined in the retina, hippocampus, and dentate gyrus of the rat at postnatal days 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, and 50. Taurine and hypotaurine increased during development in the retina without significant correlation between them. In the hippocampus there was a progressive decrease, and in the dentate gyrus there was an initial increase and a posterior decrease of taurine and hypotaurine levels. Correlation between the two amino acids was observed at P10, P15, and P50 for the hippocampus and at P15, P30, and P50 for the dentate gyrus. The variations in total zinc levels followed a biphasic behavior, with an early decrease and later increase. Significant and positive correlation of zinc and taurine was only observed in the hippocampus at P30 and P50 and negative in the dentate gyrus at P30. No significant correlation was obtained for the retina. The maintenance of taurine levels in specific CNS areas does not seem to be related to the availability of the precursor, hypotaurine, which might have a role by itself. There are critical postnatal periods during which there is a preservation of taurine, hypotaurine, or zinc levels. It seems that these requirements could be related to zinc-taurine interactions.     

Phragmoplastins,the Trentepohliales,and the Evolution of the Cytokinesis in Green Plants

Representatives of the monophyletic Trentepohliales are widely distributed in the tropics, subtropics, and temperate regions worldwide. They grow in soil, or are epilithic, epiphytic or endophytic. The family comprises approximately 70 species placed in at least four genera (Trentepohlia, Cephaleuros, Phycopeltis and Stomatochroon), with Trentepohlia sensu lato (including Printzina and Physolinum) accounting for half of the species in this family. PCR amplification and sequencing of the 18 SSU rDNA of 18 isolates of the Trentepohliaceae were used to assess the monophyly of the genus Cephaleuros and to determine the phylogenetic relationships among species of Trentepohlia sensu lato. Distance, Parsimony, and Maximum Likelihood analyses indicate that Trentepohlia sensu lato is basal and includes two species recently transferred to Phycopeltis (P. umbrina) and Printzina (P. lagenifera). In contrast, Cephaleuros is a derived monophyletic clade. Analysis of isolates of C. virescens, from the USA, Taiwan, and South Africa indicate that this taxon may consist of different species sharing a convergent morphology. The results of this study have implications for the taxonomy of the genera.     

Species variation in the distribution of cholinesterases in the ovary of the plains viscacha, cat, ferret, rabbit, rat, guinea-pig and roe deer

Synopsis Sections of ovary from plains viscacha, cat, ferret, rabbit, rat, guinea-pig and roe deer have been histochemically processed to demonstrate acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) in nervous and non-nervous tissue. The effects of different reproductive states on enzyme activity were observed in some animals. AChE-containing nerves were sparse in rabbit and rat but plentiful in cat and roe deer. Nerves containing BuChE were not detectable in ferret or guinea-pig and were rare in cat. Species variations in the activity and type of enzyme were also found in non-neuronal tissues. Some blood vessels in the ovaries of guinea-pig and viscacha contained AChE. No other species showed a reaction for AChE in non-neuronal stromal tissue but BuChE was present at this site in all animals except rat. Granulosa cells reacted for AChE only in cat and rabbit while luteal cells were reactive in cat, rabbit and roe deer. Some BuChE activity was present in granulosa and or luteal cells in all species except roe deer. In rat, BuChE activity in luteal cells increased during oregnaney and the early phase of pseudopregnancy. The difficulty of assigning a function to ovarian cholinesterases is discussed.     

Notch signaling in the mammalian respiratory system,specifically the trachea and lungs,in development,homeostasis, regeneration,and disease

The respiratory system has ideal tissue structure and cell types for efficient gas exchange to intake oxygen and release carbon dioxide. This complex system develops through orchestrated intercellular signaling among various cell types, such as club, ciliated, basal, neuroendocrine, AT1, AT2, endothelial, and smooth muscle cells. Notch signaling is a highly conserved cell–cell signaling pathway ideally suited for very short-range cellular communication because Notch signals are transmitted by direct contact with an adjacent cell. Enthusiastic efforts by Notch researchers over the last two decades have led to the identification of critical roles of this signaling pathway during development, homeostasis, and regeneration of the respiratory system. The dysregulation of Notch signaling results in a wide range of respiratory diseases such as pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), interstitial pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and lung cancer. Thus, a deep understanding of the biological functions of Notch signaling will help identify novel treatment targets in various respiratory diseases.     

Arsenic Concentrations in the Surface,Well, and Drinking Waters of the Hisarcik,Turkey, Area

Arsenic is one of the most important water pollutants because of its carcinogenicity. The association between arsenical poisoning and the development of internal malignancies and skin cancer is well known. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) sets maximum contaminant level goals at zero for carcinogens. In this study are presented groundwater arsenic concentrations in the area of naturally rich boron sources of Turkey. Water samples were collected from the Hisarcik, Turkey, area, which has a large boron mine. An inductively coupled plasma/mass spectrometry method was used to analyze arsenic concentrations in water samples. The arsenic levels in water ranged from no detectable amounts to 3.00 mg As/L (mean: 0.46 ± 0.07SD). This mean As level exceeds by a factor of 10 the USEPA's current Maximum Contaminant Level of 0.05 mgAs/L. Some possible health problems associated with consumption of arsenic-contaminated water are discussed and public health interventions proposed.     

Redistribution of Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, and Manganese in the Plant

The extent of redistribution in apple was described by calculating the fruit/leaf ratio of the cation content. It was found that the redistribution diminishes in the sequence K > Mg > Ca ～ Mn. These results are more or less in agreement with those found elsewhere. Investigations were made to see whether it was possible to account for the differences in redistribution by the phloem by means of the solubility of these cations in the sieve tube sap. As model plants Yucca flaccida and Ricinus communis were used, plants from which it was possible to obtain phloem sap in a rather pure state. It was found that the addition of potassium and magnesium as a chloride in the usual investigated range of concentrations did not give precipitation. With calcium and manganese, however, a precipitate soon occurred. Manganese was demonstrated to be less soluble than calcium. For Ricinus the maximum amount of calcium and manganese the sieve tube sap could contain before precipitation set in was higher than for Yucca sap. The results confirm the possibility that the redistribution of the different cations in the plant can be related inter alia to their solubility in the sieve tube sap. It was also found that the calcium in the phloem sap is present in ionic condition. Thus the normal laws of solubility should be applicable.     

Cholinesterases and arylesterase in the umbilical cord, the placenta, and the amniotic membrane, in the female at term]

Cholinesterasic activity of umbilical cord (tissue), completely bloodless, is exclusively due to pseudocholinesterase. Cholinesterase is more active in placenta than in cord; it is an acetylcholinesterase at 80 per cent. Both forms coexist, about equally, in amniotic membrane. A considerable arylesterasic activity is proved in cord, placenta and membrane, the greatest activity being in placenta. Comparing the greater activity in maternal plasma and cord blood's plasma to the very weak activity in amniotic fluid, it is possible to think that cork, membrane, placenta and also amniotic fluid pseudocholinesterase and arylesterase, come from plasma. On the contrary, placental acetylcholinesterase seems original and probably is the source of this enzyme activity in amniotic fluid.