Sursumura affinis sp. n.—a New Deep-Sea Species of the Family Munnopsidae (Isopoda: Asellota) from the Region of Australia and New Zealand

We describe here Sursumura affinis sp.n., a new deepwater species of the family Munnopsididae (Isopoda: Asellota) from the South Australian and South Fiji hollows. It is characterized as follows: the dorsum of the body is not granulated, bearing short setae; the pleonite lacks a dorsal spine; the pleotelson bears 5 dorsal spines; the preanal projection of the pleotelson is well-developed; the exopod of pleopod 4 is relatively slender and short. In morphology, the new species is most similar to S. abyssalis (Wolff, 1962) from the Tasmanian Sea. This is the second species of the genus described from the Australian–New Zealand region.     

Contrasting responses to water deficits of Nothofagus species from tropical New Guinea and high‐latitude temperate forests: can rainfall regimes constrain latitudinal range?

Aim Comparative responses of Nothofagus species to water deficits were studied to determine whether rainfall regimes could limit the latitudinal ranges of tropical and temperate forest species. Location The study species are native to New Guinea, New Caledonia, Australia, New Zealand, Chile and Argentina. Methods Seedlings of Nothofagus species from a broad latitudinal range were grown in a common environment. Changes in conductance, relative water content and water potential were measured in detached shoots, and together with measurements of tissue injury and biomass allocation, were compared between tropical and temperate species. Results Differences in responses to water deficits between tropical and temperate species appear to reflect differences in climate regimes. In particular, species native to ever‐wet rainfall regimes in New Guinea, where water deficits are generally likely to be short‐lived, were effective at conserving water by reduced stomatal conductance. In contrast, high‐latitude evergreen species on average showed greater development of traits that should enhance water uptake. This was particularly evident in Nothofagus cunninghamii from southern Australia, which developed low water potentials at moderate levels of tissue water deficit and higher root:leaf biomass than tropical species, potentially allowing carbon assimilation to be maximized during warmer, but drier, summer months. However, water relations varied among high‐latitude species. In particular, deciduous species on average showed higher rates of conductance, even during moderate levels of tissue water deficit, than evergreen species. Main conclusions The tropical species appear to conserve water during periods of water deficit (relative to temperate species), which is unlikely to have substantial opportunity costs for growth in ever‐wet climates. However, spread of tropical species to higher latitudes may be limited by water conservation strategies that limit carbon gain in climates in which temperature seasonality is often paired with drier summers. Evergreen species from high latitudes, such as N. cunninghamii, commonly showed traits that should increase water uptake. However, this strategy, while probably maximizing growth in temperate climates with cool winters and drier summers, must limit competitiveness at lower latitudes in summer‐wet climates. We conclude that responses to water regimes may make a significant contribution to the latitudinal limits of some evergreen rain forest species.     

Oxidative stress and antioxidants: a link to disease and prevention?

The thrust of this presentation takes a more programmatic approach and gives an overview of the programs at the NIH and the NCI that have a broad nutritional and basic science undercurrent and outline. Also discussed briefly are some areas of general concern that are under investigation in the nutrition group and are included in the group's outreach efforts among professional and academic organizations. The overarching focus of these efforts is to stress the importance of nutrition as a potential modulator of health/disease risks associated with genetic predisposition and environmentally induced disease from diet, lifestyle and exposure to pollutants.     

New Genera and Species of ‘Giant’ Ostracods (Crustacea: Cyprididae) from Australia

Two new genera of giant ostracods Lacrimicypris n. gen. and Repandocypris n. gen. from Australia are described and eight new species:L. kumbar n. sp., R. austinensis n. sp., R. gleneagles n. sp., Mytilocypris coolcalalaya n. sp., Australocypris bennetti n. sp., A. beaumonti n. sp., A. mongerensis n. sp. and Caboncypris kondininensis n. sp. The number of known Australian genera and species of giant ostracods are now 6 and 21, respectively. Keys to genera and species are provided: all species can be distinguished using the hemipenis and male first leg. The usefulness of the bursa copulatrix as a species-level taxonomic character is highlighted. Most of the species described in this paper occur in salt lakes and existing ecological information on Western Australian species, as well as the distributions of all species, are summarized. Western Australia has a particularly rich halobiont fauna but current explanations relating richness of the halobiont fauna to the widespread occurrence of salt lakes appear incomplete. Australocypris bennetti is unusual in that it is frequently found at pH < 4. Its morphology differs slightly in acidic and alkaline waters.     

Possible link between photosynthesis and leaf modulus of elasticity among vascular plants: a new player in leaf traits relationships?

A compromise between carbon assimilation and structure investment at the leaf level is broadly accepted, yet the relationship between net assimilation per area (A_n) and leaf mass per area has been elusive. We propose bulk modulus of elasticity (ε) as a suitable parameter to reflect both leaf structure and function, and an inverse relationship between ε and A_n and mesophyll conductance (g_m) is postulated. Using data for A_n, g_m and ε from previous studies and new measurements on a set of 20 species covering all major growth forms, a negative relationship between A_n or g_m and ε was observed. High ε was also related to low leaf capacitance and higher diffusive limitations to photosynthesis. In conclusion, ε emerges as a key trait linked with photosynthetic capacity across vascular plants, and its relationship with g_m suggests the existence of a common mechanistic basis, probably involving a key role of cell walls.     

A new bat‐fly family from New Zealand (Diptera: Mystacinobiidae)

Mystacinobia zelandica n.sp. is described. It is the sole member of Mystacinobia new genus and of Mystacinobiidae new family, and belongs to the superfamily Drosophiloidea. The species lives in large communities in roosts of the New Zealand short‐tailed bat, Mystacina tuberculata, and requires temperatures around 30°c for development and survival. Adults are physogastric, apterous, and have reduced eyes. The claws are adapted for movement over bat fur, but the mouthparts are not modified for blood‐feeding. Adults and larvae feed on guano. Eggs are laid in clusters in roost wood, and have non‐functional respiratory horns. Larvae have elongate anterior spiracles, tubular posterior spiracles, and 5 pairs of anal papillae. The puparium has a reduced operculum. Dispersal to new roosts depends entirely on transport by Mystacina, and as many as 10 phoretic flies have been found embedded in fur of individual bats leaving a roost to feed at night. The species has reached a degree of sociality which includes group oviposition, partial overlapping of generations, clustering of all stages, mutual grooming, male polymorphism, and extension of the males’ life‐span beyond the reproductive phase to form a sound‐producing guard caste which probably prevents the bats from interfering with the bat‐fly community. Mystacinobia zelandica is part of the New Zealand Endemic (Archaic) Element, which also includes Mystacina tuberculata.     

Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress: a contributing link to acquired epilepsy?

Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress contribute to several neurologic disorders and have recently been implicated in acquired epilepsies such as temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Acquired epilepsy is typically initiated by a brain injury followed by a "latent period" whereby molecular, biochemical and other cellular alterations occur in the brain leading to chronic epilepsy. Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress are emerging as factors that not only occur acutely as a result of precipitating injuries such as status epilepticus (SE), but may also contribute to epileptogenesis and chronic epilepsy. Mitochondria are the primary site of reactive oxygen species (ROS) making them uniquely vulnerable to oxidative damage that may affect neuronal excitability and seizure susceptibility. This mini-review provides an overview of evidence suggesting the role of mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress as acute consequences of injuries that are known to incite chronic epilepsy and their involvement in the chronic stages of acquired epilepsy.     

Forest bird mortality and baiting practices in New?Zealand aerial 1080 operations from 1986 to 2009

We collated 48 surveys of individually banded birds or birds fitted with radio transmitters that were checked before and after 1080 poison (sodium fluoroacetate) baits were aerially distributed to control brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) in New?Zealand forests. The surveys were associated with 34 pest control operations from 1986 to 2009 and covered 13 native bird species, of which four were kiwi (Apteryx spp.). Sample sizes ranged from 1 to 46 birds (median 15). In 12 cases a sample of 1 to 42 birds (median 13) was surveyed in an untreated area at the same time. In total, 748 birds were checked before and after operations and 48 birds disappeared or were found dead. In non-treatment areas, 193 birds were checked and four died. Surveys of kiwi, whio (Hymenolaimus malacorhynchos), kaka (Nestor meridionalis) and kokako (Callaeas cinerea) were grouped for meta-analyses. The 95% pooled upper confidence bounds for the point estimate of zero mortality were each less than 4% for kiwi, kaka and kokako indicating only a small risk of mortality during 1080 pest control operations. Prefeeding with non-toxic baits increased from 22% (1998?1999) to 79% (2007?2008) in 322 operations on public conservation lands but was used in only 9 (26%) of the operations during which individually marked birds were monitored. We caution that failure to observe bird deaths in small samples may lead to weak inference about zero mortality across a population, most surveys in the review did not involve prefeeding, and that 11 native bird species for which deaths were reported after 1080 operations have not been studied.     

Causes and consequences of changes to New Zealand?s fungal biota

This paper briefly reviews advances in knowledge of the non-lichenised fungi of New Zealand over the past 25 years. Since 1980, the number of species recorded from New Zealand has doubled, and molecular techniques have revolutionised studies on fungal phylogeny and our understanding of fungal distribution, biology and origins. The origins of New Zealand?s fungi are diverse; a few appear to be ancient, whereas many have arrived in geologically more recent times following trans-oceanic dispersal. Some of these more recent arrivals have evolved subsequently to form local endemic species, while others may be part of larger populations maintained through regular, trans-oceanic gene flow. Although questions remain about which fungi truly are indigenous and which are exotic, about one-third of the fungi recorded from New Zealand are likely to have been introduced since human settlement. While most exotic species are confined to human-modified habitats, there are some exceptions. These include species with potential to have significant impacts at the landscape scale. Examples from saprobic, pathogenic, endophytic and ectomycorrhizal fungi are used to discuss the factors driving the distribution and dispersal of New Zealand?s fungi at both global and local scales, the impact that historical changes to New Zealand?s vascular plant and animal biota have had on indigenous fungi, and the broader ecological impact of some of the exotic fungal species that have become naturalised in native habitats. The kinds of fungi present in New Zealand, and the factors driving the distribution and behaviour of those fungi, are constantly changing. These changes have occurred over a wide scale, in both time and space, which means New Zealand?s indigenous fungi evolved in response to ecological pressures very different from those found in New Zealand today.     

Putative contribution of glucose kinase from Bacillus subtilis to carbon catabolite repression (CCR): a link between enzymatic regulation and CCR?

Carbon catabolite repression (CCR) in Bacillus subtilis is mainly mediated via the central component CcpA. Nevertheless, it has been reported that some sugar metabolizing systems underlie additional CcpA-independent CCR mechanisms. Here, we present evidence supporting a potential function of glucose kinase (GlcK) in CCR, analyzing knockout mutants in CcpA and GlcK. On the one hand, GlcK inactivation has no effect on CCR by glucose or fructose of the xylose system. On the other hand, CCR of the trehalose system is affected but a remaining glucose CCR still persists. This remaining glucose repression can be explained by the appearance of unphosphorylated glucose obtained from cytoplasmic trehalose 6-phosphate hydrolysis, which is detectable in cell culture supernatant.     

AMPK: a link between metabolism and reproduction?

5'AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a serine/threonine kinase that acts as a fuel gauge in regulating energy metabolism. It restores cellular ATP levels by switching on catabolic pathways and switching off anabolic pathways. Some evidence indicates that AMPK could be also implicated in reproductive functions such as granulosa cell steroidogenesis and nuclear oocyte maturation in several species. Some metabolic hormones such as leptin, resistin, adiponectin (three adipokines) and ghrelin may in part act through the AMPK signaling. These hormones are also involved in the control of the reproductive functions at the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis level in both male and female. Thus, AMPK could be one of the signaling pathways controlling the interactions between energy balance and reproduction. The reproductive system is tightly coupled with energy balance, and thereby metabolic abnormalities can lead to the development of some physiopathological situations such as the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Women with PCOS show altered fertility mostly associated with metabolic disorders such as insulin-resistance, hyperinsulinemia and/or dyslipidemia. Metformin, an insulin-sensitizer, is used for the treatment of women with PCOS. It restores subnormal fertility and energy balance. Recent studies show that AMPK is involved in the mechanism of action of metformin. Thus, it may be a therapeutic target. However, further investigations are necessary to elucidate the functions of AMPK in both metabolic and reproductive tissues.     

Myzostomida: a link between trochozoans and flatworms?

Myzostomids are obligate symbiotic invertebrates associated with echinoderms with a fossil record that extends to the Ordovician period. Due to their long history as host-specific symbionts, myzostomids have acquired a unique anatomy that obscures their phylogenetic affinities to other metazoans: they are incompletely segmented, parenchymous, acoelomate organisms with chaetae and a trochophore larva. Today, they are most often classified within annelids either as an aberrant family of polychaetes or as a separate class. We inferred the phylogenetic position of the Myzostomida by analysing the DNA sequences of two slowly evolving nuclear genes: the small subunit ribosomal RNA and elongation factor-1alpha. All our analyses congruently indicated that myzostomids are not annelids but suggested instead that they are more closely related to flatworms than to any trochozoan taxon. These results, together with recent analyses of the myzostomidan ultrastructure, have significant implications for understanding the evolution of metazoan body plans, as major characters (segmentation, coeloms, chaetae and trochophore larvae) might have been independently lost or gained in different animal phyla.     

The missing link(er): a return to symmetry in antigen receptor signaling?

B lymphocytes and T lymphocytes utilize several proteins with common functions to transduce signals from their respective receptors. However, at the hierarchial signalling level of SLP-76 [Src homology 2(SH2) domain-containing leukocyte protein of 76-kDa] and LAT (linker for activation of T cells) in T cells, the only corresponding protein in B cells was known to be BLNK (B cell linker protein). It was thought that perhaps BLNK performed the cognate roles of SLP-76 and LAT in B cells; however, mounting evidence to the contrary revealed that this hypothesis was not robust. Two laboratories have recently described the characterization of a protein expressed in B cells and myeloid cells, alternatively termed NTAL (non-T cell activation linker) or LAB (linker for activation of B cells). NTAL/LAB and LAT may have arisen from a primordial gene-duplicating event, but genes that code for the two proteins do not share a very high degree of sequence identity. Wange discusses the results of the two reports, the evidence for functional homology between LAT and NTAL/LAB, and the possibility that the differences between them might lead to specific clinical therapeutics to manipulate immune cell responses.     

Control of the sheep blowfly in Australia and New Zealand – are we there yet?

The last 50 years of research into infections in Australia and New Zealand caused by larvae of the sheep blowfly, Lucilia cuprina, have significantly advanced our understanding of this blowfly and its primary host, the sheep. However, apart from some highly effective drugs it could be argued that no new control methodologies have resulted. This review addresses the major areas of sheep blowfly research over this period describing the significant outcomes and analyses, and what is still required to produce new commercial control technologies. The use of drugs against this fly species has been very successful but resistance has developed to almost all current compounds. Integrated pest management is becoming basic to control, especially in the absence of mulesing, and has clearly benefited from computer-aided technologies. Biological control has more challenges but natural and perhaps transformed biopesticides offer possibilities for the future. Experimental vaccines have been developed but require further analysis of antigens and formulations to boost protection. Genetic technologies may provide potential for long-term control through more rapid indirect selection of sheep less prone to flystrike. Finally in the future, genetic analysis of the fly may allow suppression and perhaps eradication of blowfly populations or identification of new and more viable targets for drug and vaccine intervention. Clearly all these areas of research offer potential new controls but commercial development is perhaps inhibited by the success of current chemical insecticides and certainly requires a significant additional injection of resources.     

New Culicoides Latreille of the subgenus Mataemyia Vargas from Pará, Brazil (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)

Two new species of Culicoides Latreille of the Neotropical subgenus Mataemyia Vargas are described and illustrated based on female specimens from Juruti, Pará, Brazil and compared with their similar congeners. This paper also presents a diagnosis of the subgenus Mataemyia and a systematic key for the identification of the 19 species of the subgenus.     

Hormonal therapies and meningioma: Is there a link?

Background: The aetiology of meningiomas is largely unknown although hormones have been suggested to play a role. Methods: A cohort study was performed to evaluate hormone-related factors associated with meningioma. Patients (12–89 years) with a first diagnosis of meningioma (January 1996–June 2008) were identified from The Health Improvement Network UK primary care database and age- and sex-matched to controls (n = 10 000) from the same cohort. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated following a nested case control analysis using unconditional logistic regression. Results: In total, 745 patients with meningioma were identified from a study population of 2 171 287. No significantly increased risk of meningioma was found among female users of oral contraceptives (OR: 1.15; CI: 0.67–1.98), hormone replacement therapy (OR: 0.99; CI: 0.73–1.35) or low-dose cyproterone acetate (CPA; OR: 1.51; CI: 0.33–6.86) compared with non-users. There was a significantly increased risk of meningioma among male users of androgen analogues (OR: 19.09; CI: 2.81–129.74) and among users of high-dose CPA (OR: 6.30; CI: 1.37–28.94) compared with non-users, however there were only three cases currently using these drugs. No significant association was found between meningioma and prostate, breast, or genital cancers. Conclusions: Our results do not support a role for exogenous hormone use by females in meningioma development. The risk in males was only observed with high-dose, short-term (<1 year) therapy. Impact: While hormonal cancers and therapies are not associated with meningioma in females, the risk in males requires further investigation.