Biology and predatory efficiency of two phytoseiid mites as affected by long-term pollen feeding

The predatory mites,Amblyseius gossypi Elbadry andPhytoseius plumifer (Canestrini & Fanzago) successfully went through three generations on a diet of castor-oil pollen and were able to return to their natural prey,Tetranychus arabicus Attiah, apparently unaffected in a way except for a reduction in the predatory efficiency of adultA. gossypi.     

The effect of prey density on the functional and numerical reponses of three species of predatory mites

Functional and numerical responses of the predators:Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot,Metaseiulus occidentalis (Nesbitt), andAmblyseius chilenensis (Dosse) [Acarina, Phytoseiidae] were observed at prey (Tetranychus urticae Koch [Acarina, Tetranychidae]) densities up to 300 prey/6.45 cm². Neither functional nor numerical response curves revealed any prey-predator interference effects, i.e.: the dome-shaped response curves (Holling, 1961), did not occur.     

ClassAsteretea tripolium on the territory of the former USSR and Mongolia

Higher syntaxa of the classAsteretea tripolium are reviewed. This class covers plant communities of the Euro-Asian continent on low- and medium-salinized soils with medium moisture conditions where perennial herbaceous plants (hemicryptophytes) of non-succulent character prevail. On the territory of the former USSR and Mongolia, the classAsteretea tripolium is represented by the following orders:Glauco-Puccinellietalia Beeftink etWesthoff inBeeftink 1962,Cirsietalia esculenti Mirkin etV. Golub exV. Golub ord. novus,Scorzonero-Juncetalia gerardii Vicherek 1973,Halerpestetalia Mirkin et al. exV. Golub ord. novus,Artemisio santonicae-Limonietalia gmelinii V. Golub etV. Solomakha 1988,Suaedetalia corniculatae V. Golub ord. novus. Superspecies and aggregations of species are used for the diagnosis of higher syntaxa.     

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.     

The effect of some environmental factors on the production of L-DOPA by alginate-entrapped cells of Mucuna pruriens

In-vitro-grown cells of Mucuna pruriens, immobilized in calcium-alginate gels, were able to transform the precursor L-tyrosine into L-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA). After the immobilization in alginate the plant cells released 90% of the produced L-DOPA into the medium; supplementation of the medium with calcium inhibited both the transformation of L-tyrosine into L-DOPA and the release of L-DOPA into the medium. Continuous illumination of the beads had a slight beneficial effect on the synthesis of L-DOPA. A simple production medium for the transformation of L-tyrosine into L-DOPA was designed. This medium contained only sucrose and sodium chloride as osmotic stabilizers, a low concentration of calcium chloride for stabilization of the alginate beads, and L-tyrosine as the precursor.     

Effect of sugars on the morphogenesis ofAureobasidium pullulans

The dominance of individual elements of the vegetative fructification of five selected strains of the polymorphic organismAureobasidium pullulans (de Baby)Arnaud was studied in media with basic assimilable sugars,d-glucose,d-galactose,d-xylose, maltose, sucrose, lactose and a mixture ofl -arabinose andd-mannitol. Pronounced differences between cultures grown in the presence of monosaccharides and those cultivated in the presence of disaccharides were detected.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

A revision of the genusOlpitrichum Atk

A revision of the genusOlpitrichum Atk. was undertaken, revealing three species:O. macrosporum (Farlow exSacc.)Sumstine,O. patulum (Sacc etBerl.)Hol.-Jech. andO. tenellum (Berk. etCurt)Hol.-Jech.O. macrosporum andO. tenellum occur on decayed cotton bolls,O. patulum on dead rotten wood and bark. Aspergilliform phialosporous state has been found inO. macrosporum andO. patulum.     

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).     

Parasites of bark beetles [Col.: Scolytidae] on pine and cypress in Israel

Ten species of hymenopterous parasites were reared from logs of pine and cypress, naturally infested with 5 species of bark beetles,viz., Orthotomicus erosus Woll.,Pityogenes calcaratus Eichh., andTomicus destruens Woll. — on pine;Phloeosinus armatus Reitt. andP. aubei Perris — on cypress, in Israel. The parasites were:Dendrosoter chaenopachoides Rusch,D. hartigii (Ratz.),D. middendorfi (Ratz.),D. protuberans Nees (Braconidae), Eurytoma morio Boheman (Eurytomidae), Cerocephala eccoptogastri Masi,Heydenia pretiosa F?rster,Metacolus unifasciatus F?rster,Rhaphitelus maculatus Walker andRoptrocerus xylophagorum (Ratz.) (Pteromalidae). The most common wereM. unifasciatus on pine and cypress,D. chaenopachoides andR. xylophagorum on pine, andD. protuberans on cypress, occurring in samples collected during most seasons. Less common wasE. morio, which was reared from both conifers.D. middendorfi was found on pine, and only during winter. The other species were found only occasionally.     

New insights on the role of free d-aspartate in the mammalian brain

Free d-aspartate (d-Asp) occurs in substantial amounts in the brain at the embryonic phase and in the first few postnatal days, and strongly decreases in adulthood. Temporal reduction of d-Asp levels depends on the postnatal onset of d-aspartate oxidase (DDO) activity, the only enzyme able to selectively degrade this d-amino acid. Several results indicate that d-Asp binds and activates N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs). Accordingly, recent studies have demonstrated that deregulated, higher levels of d-Asp, in knockout mice for Ddo gene and in d-Asp-treated mice, modulate hippocampal NMDAR-dependent long-term potentiation (LTP) and spatial memory. Moreover, similarly to d-serine, administration of d-Asp to old mice is able to rescue the physiological age-related decay of hippocampal LTP. In agreement with a neuromodulatory action of d-Asp on NMDARs, increased levels of this d-amino acid completely suppress long-term depression at corticostriatal synapses and attenuate the prepulse inhibition deficits produced in mice by the psychotomimetic drugs, amphetamine and MK-801. Based on the evidence which points to the ability of d-Asp to act as an endogenous agonist on NMDARs and considering the abundance of d-Asp during prenatal and early life, future studies will be crucial to address the effect of this molecule in the developmental processes of the brain controlled by the activation of NMDARs.     

Holocene anthropogenic landscapes in the Balkans: the palaeobotanical evidence from southwestern Bulgaria

Palaeoecological reconstructions from the region of southwestern Bulgaria were used for inferring the human impact on the vegetation and landscape during the last 8 millennia. They are based on data from pollen analyses of lakes and peat-bogs, plant macrofossils, archaeobotanical finds and radiocarbon dating. During the early Holocene, after 7900?cal. b.p. (5950?cal. b.c.) the climate changed to cooler summers, milder winters and higher precipitation resulting in the formation of a coniferous belt dominated by Pinus sp. and Abies alba. These favorable environmental pre-conditions had a positive influence on the Neolithisation of the Balkans after the 8200?cal. b.p. (6250?cal. b.c.) cold event, which caused drought in the Eastern Mediterranean. Direct evidence from wood charcoal records from the Neolithic settlement layers in the study area shows a slight modification of the surrounding woodlands and an increase of the light-demanding components, probably expressed through larger forest border zones and thinning out of the wood stands. The increase in the number of settlements in the valleys of southwestern Bulgaria intensified the human activity visible in the palaeobotanical record from 6950?cal. b.p. (5000?cal. b.c.) onwards. Between ca. 5700–5100?cal. b.p. (3800–3200?cal. b.c.) signs of anthropogenic influence on the vegetation are virtually absent. The intensity of human impact increased notably after 3200?cal. b.p. (1400–1250?cal. b.c., approx. Late Bronze Age), documented by a rise of pollen anthropogenic indicators. The final transformations in the natural forest cover after 2750?cal. b.p. (800?cal. b.c. onset of the Iron Age) marked the reduction of the coniferous forests dominated by Abies alba and Pinus sp. and the expansion of Fagus sylvatica and Picea abies. These vegetation changes are contemporaneous with increase of the palaeofire activities and the next peak of anthropogenic indicators. The changes in the landscape during the Roman period and the medieval period reflect regional environmental features and were forced by the diversification of anthropogenic activity.     

Bucania (Gastropoda) from the Ordovician of Estonia

Seven species ofBucania Hall 1847 from the Ordovician of Estonia are presented, also taking into consideration Pleistocene drift material from Germany, and their stratigraphical and geographical distributions are revised. The Middle Ordovician speciesBucania latissima Koken 1897 andBucania salpinx Koken 1897 are tentatively assigned toMegalomphala Ulrich inUlrich &Scofield 1897, while the Lower Ordovician speciesBucania macera Koken inKoken &Perner 1925 is placed inSalpingostoma Roemer 1876. The Middle OrdovicianBucania czekanowskii (Schmidt 1858) and the Upper OrdovicianBucania radiata (d’Eichwald 1856) were earlier considered conspecific, but based on study of the type material they are here considered distinct species.Salpingostoma cornu (Koken 1897), commonly referred to this genus because of the trema, is here transferred toBucania. Two Upper Ordovician specimens ofBucania display wide and abruptly flaring apertures morphologically far removed from other species of the genus.     

Notes on the genusOenothera subsect.Oenothera (Onagraceae) in the Czech Republic

Up-to-date results of taxonomic and phytogeographic studies ofOenothera subsect.Oenothera in the eastern part of the Czech Republic (Moravia and Silesia) are presented. A new hybridogenous species,Oe. moravica Jehlík etRostański (=Oe. fallax × Oe. victorini), is described from S Moravia. Several taxa and hybrids are reported for the first time for the Czech Republic:Oe. victorini Gates etCatcheside (=Oe. rostanskii Jehlík),Oe. × wienii Renner exRostański,Oe. acutifolia × Oe. victorini. Other taxa are recorded from the eastern part of the Czech Republic for the first time:Oe. acutifolia Rostański,Oe. hoelscheri Renner exRostański,Oe. parviflora L.,Oe. subterminalis Gates. The taxonomy ofOe. pycnocarpa Atkinson etBartlett is discussed. A survey of species and hybrids ofOenothera subsect.Oenothera in the Czech Republic is added.