Impact of aerially appliedBacillus thuringiensis and carbaryl on gypsy moth [Lep.: Lymantriidae] and adult parasites

In 1973, Dipel^® (Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner) and Sevin^® 4 oil (carbaryl) were applied aerially on a dense population of gypsy moths,Lymantria dispar (L.), to evaluate the effect of these biological and chemical insecticides on gypsy moth larvae and adult parasites. Both insecticides provided excellent protection of foliage (29 % average defoliation) and gypsy moth population reduction (99 %). Significantly fewerBrachymeria intermedia (Nees), andApanteles melanoscelus (Ratzeburg),Parasetigena silvestris (Robineau-Desvoidy) andCompsilura concinnata (Meigen) adult parasites were captured in the blocks treated with Sevin 4 oil or Dipel than in the control block during the treatment year and in 1974, respectively.     

Attraction of insects to potato plants through use of artificial honeydews and aphid juice

Three field experiments were conducted to determine the attractiveness of artificial honeydews and aphid juice to insects. Honeydew mixtures were composed of molasses, honey and tryptophane alone or combined with Feed-Wheast^®, (produced by culturing the yeastKluyveromyces fragilis Jorgensen on cottage cheese whey). Potato plants,Solanum tuberosum L., treated with sprays of these mixtures attracted the following predatory insects: green lacewings,Chrysopa carnea Stephens; ladybird beetlesHippodamia spp.,Coccinella transversoguttata Brown,Scymnus postpinctus Casey; andGeocoris pallens Stal.Lygus hesperus Knight, a phytophagous species was also attracted. Honey and tryptophane were the most attractive to all species. Aphid juice was attractive to several predators but not to lygus bugs. Orientation through olfactory response was indicated for ladybird beetles and lygus bugs. The predatory species attracted are important in the natural control of potato insects. The attraction ofL. hesperus to artificial honeydews may be useful in the control of this pest.     

Notes on some African hepatic genera 1–5

The present study deals with five genera of hepatics in Africa, Isotachis Mitt., Anastrophyllum (Spruce) Steph., Tritomaria Schiffn. ex Loeske, Gymnocoleopsis (Schust.) Schust. and Lophozia (Dum.) Dum. All African populations of the genus Isotachis Mitt. are considered to be one species, I. aubertii (Schwaegr.) Mitt. Four species of Anastrophyllum (Spruce) Steph. (s.l.), A. auritum (Lehm.) Steph., A. piligerum (Nees) Spruce, A. subcomplicatum (Lehm. et Lindenb.) Steph. and A. minutum (Schreb.) Schust., and two species of Tritomaria Schiffn. et Loeske, T. camerunensis S. Arnell and T. exsecta (Schrad.) Schiffn. ex Loeske occur in Africa. Gymmocoleopsis multiflora (Steph.) Schust. represents a genus and species hitherto unreported for the African flora. Finally, five Lophozia (Dum.) Dum. species, L. argentina (Steph.) Schust., L. capensis S. Arnell, L. decolorans (Limpr.) Steph., L. hedbergii S. Arnell and L. tristaniana (S. Arnell) Váňa, are reported from central and southern Africa; two of these (L. argentina (Steph.) Schust. and L. decolorans (Limpr.) Steph.) represent the first reports from Africa.     

Ein Beitrag zur Nomenklatur sphinctozoider Schwämme (Porifera)

The sphinctozoid sponge generaFania Senowbari-Daryan 1990 andSpica Termier &Termier 1977 are preoccupied.Fania is replaced byFanthalamia nom. nov. andSpica by the younger synonymFistulispongia Termier &Termier 1977. The invalid subfamily name FaniinaeSenowbari-Daryan 1990 is replaced by Fanthalamiinae n. subfam. The invalid family and subfamily names SpicidaeTermier &Termier 1977 and SpicinaeSenowbari-Daryan 1990 respectively are replaced by FistulispongiidaeTermier atTermier 1977 and FistulispongiinaeSenowbari-Daryan 1990. The generaWaagenium de Laubenfels 1957 andCatubria Merla 1931 were previously overlooked.Waagenium DeLaubenfels 1957 is a younger synonym ofColospongia Laube 1865. The position ofCatubria Merla 1931 is uncertain. Most probablyCatubria is an alga.     

Improved Protease Stability of the Antimicrobial Peptide Pin2 Substituted with d-Amino Acids

Cationic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have attracted a great interest as novel class of antibiotics that might help in the treatment of infectious diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria. However, some AMPs with high antimicrobial activities are also highly hemolytic and subject to proteolytic degradation from human and bacterial proteases that limit their pharmaceutical uses. In this work a d-diastereomer of Pandinin 2, d-Pin2, was constructed to observe if it maintained antimicrobial activity in the same range as the parental one, but with the purpose of reducing its hemolytic activity to human erythrocytes and improving its ability to resist proteolytic cleavage. Although, the hydrophobic and secondary structure characteristics of l- and d-Pin2 were to some extent similar, an important reduction in d-Pin2 hemolytic activity (30–40 %) was achieved compared to that of l-Pin2 over human erythrocytes. Furthermore, d-Pin2 had an antimicrobial activity with a MIC value of 12.5 μM towards Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus agalactiae and two strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in agar diffusion assays, but it was half less potent than that of l-Pin2. Nevertheless, the antimicrobial activity of d-Pin2 was equally effective as that of l-Pin2 in microdilution assays. Yet, when d- and l-Pin2 were incubated with trypsin, elastase and whole human serum, only d-Pin2 kept its antimicrobial activity towards all bacteria, but in diluted human serum, l- and d-Pin2 maintained similar peptide stability. Finally, when l- and d-Pin2 were incubated with proteases from P. aeruginosa DFU3 culture, a clinical isolated strain, d-Pin2 kept its antibiotic activity while l-Pin2 was not effective.     

d-Amino Acid-Induced Expression of d-Amino Acid Oxidase in the Yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe

We investigated d-amino acid oxidase (DAO) induction in the popular model yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. The product of the putative DAO gene of the yeast expressed in E.?coli displayed oxidase activity to neutral and basic d-amino acids, but not to an l-amino acid or acidic d-amino acids, showing that the putative DAO gene encodes catalytically active DAO. DAO activity was weakly detected in yeast cells grown on a culture medium without d-amino acid, and was approximately doubled by adding d-alanine. The elimination of ammonium chloride from culture medium induced activity by up to eight-fold. l-Alanine also induced the activity, but only by about half of that induced by d-alanine. The induction by d-alanine reached a maximum level at 2?h cultivation; it remained roughly constant until cell growth reached a stationary phase. The best inducer was d-alanine, followed by d-proline and then d-serine. Not effective were N-carbamoyl-d,l-alanine (a better inducer of DAO than d-alanine in the yeast Trigonopsis variabilis), and both basic and acidic d-amino acids. These results showed that S. pombe DAO could be a suitable model for analyzing the regulation of DAO expression in eukaryotic organisms.     

Bemerkungen zu einigen balkanischenOxytropis-Arten

The present paper deals with the following three mountainOxytropis species:Oxytropis urumovii Jáv. inUrumov, an endemic species of the Pirin (Bulgaria);O. dinarica (Murb.) Wettst. distributed predominantly in Yugoslavia, andO. campestris which is common in the East Alps, but very rare in the Balkans. Three subspecies ofO. dinarica were distinguished: subsp.dinarica, subsp.weberi Chrtek etChrtková, and subsp.velebitica Chrtek etChrtková. In addition, a new combinationO. halleri Bunge exKoch subsp.korabensis (Kümmerle etJáv.)Chrtek etChrtková is given.     

Chromosome counts and chromosome morphology of some selected species

In the years 1976–1981 we studied chromosome counts and karyotypic formulae of the following 29 species of plants from 41 localities (of these 6 from Bohemia, 32 from Moravia, 3 from Slovakia):Batrachium baudotii (Godron) F. W. Schultz,Chenopodium rubrum L.,C. polyspermum L.,C. murale L.,C. ficifolium Sm.,C. opulifolium Schrader ex DC. inLam. et DC.,C. strictum Roth [subsp.strictum, subsp.glaucophyllum (Aellen)Aellen inJust etAellen, subsp.striatiforme Uotila],Arenaria grandiflora L.,Illecebrum verticillatum L.,Spergula morisonii Boreau inDuchartre,Spergularia marginata (DC. inLam. et DC.)Kittel S. marina (L.)Griseb.,S. rubra (L.) J. etC. Presl,Silene conica L.,Sisymbrium loeselii L.,S. volgense Bieb. exE. Fourn.,S. orientale L. [subsp. orientale, subsp.macroloma (A. Pomel)Dvo?ák],S. officinale (L.)Scop.,Descurainia sophia (L.)Webb exPrantl inEngler etPrantl,Nasturtium officinale R. Br. inAiton,Barbarea arcuata (Opiz inPresl J. et C.)Reichenb.,Lunaria annua L.,Soldanella montana Willd.,S. carpatica Vierh. inUrban etGraebner,Lotus tenuis Waldst. etKit. exWilld.,L. uliginosus Schkuhr,Trigonella monspeliaca L.,Geranium sibiricum L.,Lactuca tatarica (L.)C. A. Meyer.     

Studien über dieJungermannioideae (Hepaticae) 6.Jungermannia Subg.Solenostoma: Europäische und nordamerikanische Arten

Dersechste Beitrag aus der Serie der vorbereiteten Studien über die SubfamilieJungermannioideae (Jungermanniaceae, Hepaticae) enthält die taxonomische Bearbeitung des Subg.Solenostoma (Mitt.)Amak. (GattungJungermannia L. emend.Dum.) in Europa (inkl. Kaukasus und Kleinasien) und Nordamerika. Im genannten Gebiet kommen 10 Arten vor, u. zw.J. caespiticia Lindenb.,J. caucasica Váňa,J. confertissima Nees,J. gracillima Sm.,J. handelii (Schiffn.)Amak.,J. jenseniana Grolle,J. lignicola (Schiffn.)Grolle,J. pyriflora Steph.,J. rubra Gott. exUnd. undJ. sphaerocarpa Hook. Die ArtJ. confertissima Nees (bisher alsSolenostoma levieri (Steph.)Steph. bezeichnet) gehört zu der SektionDesmorhiza Amak., alle anderen Arten gehören zu der SektionSolenostoma.     

Chromosome counts of some Cuban Angiosperms

Chromosome numbers are reported for 14 species collected in Cuba. The first chromosome records are reported forAlbizzia cubana Britton etWilson (2n=26),Atkinsia cubensis (Britton etWilson)Howard (2n=26),Caesalpinia violacea (Mill.)Standl. (2n=24),Colubrina ferruginosa Brongn. (2n=24). Chromosome numbers of the following species were confirmed:Albizzia lebbeck (L.)Benth. (2n=26),Canavalia maritima (Aubl.)Thouars (2n=22),Casuarina equisetifolia Forst. (2n=18),Cedrela mexicana M.J. Roem. (2n=56),Delonix regia (Bojer)Raf. (2n=28),Guazuma tomentosa H.B.K. (2n=16),Lysiloma bahamense Benth. (2n=26),L. latisiliqua (L.)Benth. (2n=26),Samanea saman (Jacq.)Merrill (2n=26),Thespesia populnea (L.)Soland (2n=26).     

A revision ofTaraxacum sect.Piesis (Compositae)

On the basis of allozyme and cultivation data, and of additional herbarium material, a taxonomic and nomenclatural revision ofTaraxacum sect.Piesis A.J. Richards exKirschner et?těpánek is provided. The section is made up of halophilous, sexually reproducing taxa. InT. stenocephalum Boiss. etKotschy,T. pindicum Kirschner et?těpánek, sp. nov., andT. perenne Kirschner et?těpánek, sp. nov., a tetraploid chromosome number has been recorded, representing the only known case of sexuality at the tetraploid level in the genus. The complex ofT. stenocephalum, includes some geographically and morphologically extreme populations treated as subspecies: subsp.gumusanicum (Soest)Kirschner et?těpánek, comb. nov., subsp.magnum Kirschner et?těpánek, subsp. nov., and subsp.daralagesicum (Schischk.)Kirschner et?těpánek, comb. nov. In addition toT. bessarabicum (Hornem.)Hand.-Mazz., a widely distributed Eurasian species,T. stenocephalum, a complex centred in Transcaucasia and Anatolia, andT. pachypodum H. Lindb., a North African endemic, four new species are described:T. salsum Kirschner et?těpánek, sp. nov., a diploid endemic confined to E Crimea,T. perenne Kirschner et?těpánek, sp. nov., a tetraploid sexual species known only from SW Crimea,T. pindicum Kirschner et?těpánek, sp. nov., a remarkable tetraploid endemic to the Pindos Mts., Greece, andT. salsitatis Kirschner, ?těpänek etYirdirimli, sp. nov., an Anatolian diploid species. Furthermore, a hybrid betweenT. salsum andT. bessarabicum from Crimea (documented on the basis of allozyme data elsewhere) is given a binomial,T. xmesohalobium Kirschner et?těpánek, nothosp. nov.     

LignicolousHyphomycetes from Czechoslovakia 1.Brachysporium

Four species of the genusBrachysporium Sacc. emend.Mason etHughes are treated in this paper from Czechoslovakia:B. nigrum (Link)Hughes,B. obovatum (Berk.)Sacc. and two new species,B. abietinum Hol.-Jech. andB. brevius Hol.-Jech.     

Nomenklatorische Anmerkungen zur GattungPotentilla

Für folgende inkorrekte Epitheta schlägt der Autor richtige Namen vor, die in Klammern angeführt sind:Potentilla opizii Dom. (=P. lindackeri Tausch),P. dealbata Bunge (=P. virgata Lehm.),P. poterioides Franch. (=P. limprichtii J. Krause),P. fulgens Wall. exHook. (=P. siemersiana Lehm.),P. labradorica Lehm. (=P. flexuosa Raf.),P. ambigua Camb. (=P. cuneifolia Bertol.),P. anserina ssp.egedii (Wormsk.) Hitt. (=P. anserina ssp.groenlandica Tratt.),P. raddeana (Wolf) Juz. (=P. bertramii Aznav.) undP. bipinnatifida Dougl. exHook. (=P. normalis Bess. exSpreng.). FürP. nudicaulis Boiss. etBal.,P. eremica Wolf undP. sericata Wolf werden nomina nova veröffentlicht. Es werden einige neue Kombinationen angeführt:P. supina L. ssp.paradoxa (Nutt. exTorr. etGray) c.n.,P. hispanica Zimm. ssp.oreodoxa (Soják) c. n. undP. h. ssp.ibrahimiana (Maire) c. n. Strauchige Arten, oft in die GattungPotentilla eingereiht, betrachtet der Autor als eine selbständige GattungPentaphylloides und in dieser Gattung führt er einige neue Kombinationen (5 für Arten, 4 für Hybriden) an.     

Scanning electron microscopic study of anamorphs of someBasidiomycetes in culture

The anamorphs in cultures ofLepista nuda (Bull.:Fr.)Cooke,Coprinus comatus (Müll.:Fr.)S.F. Gray,Fistulina hepatica Sohaeff.:Fr.,Pholiota adiposa (Fr.)Kumm. andAsterophora lycoperdoides (Bull.)S.F. Gray, an imperfect state ofNyctalis lycoperdoides (Bull.)Schroet., were studied by scanning electron microscopy. Arthroconidia were described inLepista nuda for the first time. Examination of the fine structure of dendroid forms inCoprinus comatus revealed why those structures were not propagative.     

Characterization of a recombinant l-rhamnose isomerase from Bacillus subtilis and its application on production of l-lyxose and l-mannose

The gene of an l-rhamnose isomerase (RhaA) from Bacillus subtilis was cloned to the pET28a(+) and then expressed in the E. coli ER2566. The expressed enzyme was purified with a specific activity of 3.58 U/mg by His-Trap affinity chromatography. The recombinant enzyme existed as a 194 kDa tetramer and the maximal activity was observed at pH 8.0 and 60°C. The RhaA displayed activity for l-rhamnose, l-lyxose, l-mannose, d-allose, d-gulose, d-ribose, and l-talose, among all aldopentoses and aldohexoses and it showed enzyme activity for l-form monosaccharides such as l-rhamnose, l-lyxose, l-mannose, and l-talose. The catalytic efficiency (k _cat/K _m) of the recombinant enzyme for l-rhamnose, l-lyxose, and l-mannose were 7,460, 1,013, and 258 M/sec. When l-xylulose 100 g/L and l-fructose 100 g/L were used as substrates, the optimum concentrations of RpiB were determined with 6 and 15 U/mL, respectively. The l-lyxose 40 g/L was produced from l-xylulose 100 g/L by the enzyme during 60 min, while l-mannose 25 g/L was produced from l-fructose 100 g/L for 80 min. The results suggest that RhaA from B. subtilis is a potential producer of l-form monosaccharides.     

The systematic significance of seed morphology and anatomy in thePortulacaceae (Centrospermae)

Nyananyo B. L. (1988): The systematic significance of seed morphology and anatomy in thePortulacaceae (Centrospermae).—Folia Geobot. Phytotax., Praha, 23: 275–279.—The seeds of 115 species in eighteen genera of the familyPortulacaceae were examined with the scanning electron microscope. Longitudinal sections of seeds of representatives of all the genera were examined with the light microscope. Two broad groups based on shape of the seeds, ornamentation of the external surface of their testa, and the position of the embryo relative to the endosperm were recognised. The first group comprising three genera:Anacampseros L.,Grahamia Gillies andTalinopsis A. Gray, have seeds which are pyriform with wings and trichomes, and an embryo that is more or less parallel to the endosperm, while the second of fifteen genera:Calandrinia H.B.K.,Calyptridium Nuttall,Calyptrotheca Gilg,Ceraria Pearson etStephens,Claytonia L.,Lenzia Philippi,Lewisia Pursh,Lyallia Hooker fil.,Montia L.,Portulaca L.,Portulacaria Jacquin,Silvaea Philippi,Talinella Baillon,Talinum Adanson, andWangerinia Franz, are reniform without wings and with an embryo that is horse-shoe shaped around the endosperm.     

Bemerkungen zur Variabilität vonSaxifraga marginata

Saxifraga marginata Sternb. is divided into three subspecies:S. m. subsp.marginata, S. m. subsp.bubakii (Rohlena)Chrtek etSoják,S. m. subsp.karadzicensis (Degen etKo?anin)Chrtek etSoják (environments of Skopje, Macedonia).