A seven-day volumetric spore trap for use within buildings

The Burkard Volumetric spore trap, designed to operate for seven days continuously in the field, was modified to sample still air within buildings. The efficiency with which spores of Lycopodium clavatum and Agaricus bisporus were trapped at two rates of suction was determined. Spore distribution within traces and deposition on surfaces not beneath the orifice were assessed. In an appendix catches of four spore types by the Hirst and Burkard (field model) spore traps operating over mown grass were compared.     

ULTRASTRUCTURAL STUDY ON SPORE WALL MORPHOGENESIS IN LYCOPODIUM CLAVATUM (LYCOPODIACEAE)

Spore wall morphogenesis of Lycopodium clavatum was observed by transmission electron microscopy. The spore plasma membrane indicates the reticulate spore sculpture shortly after meiosis. The mature spore wall of this species consists of two layers, inner endospore and outer exospore. There is no perispore in the sporoderm of this species. The exospore formation begins during the tetrad stage; and this layer is divided into two distinct sublayers, an outer lamellar layer and an inner granular layer. The lamellar layer is formed on the sculptured spore plasma membrane. Additional lamellae attach to this layer in a centripetal direction. For that reason, this layer may be derived from spore cytoplasm. The granular layer is formed only in the proximal region following lamellar layer formation, and it also may be derived from spore cytoplasm. The endospore is formed lastly and seems to be derived from spore cytoplasm as well. Accordingly, the spore sculpture of this species may be under the genetic control of the spore nucleus.     

瓶囊碘泡虫成熟孢子的显微及亚显微结构研究

应用光镜、透射电镜和扫描电镜观察,瓶囊碘泡虫Myxobolus ampullicapsulatus Zhao et al.,2008成熟孢子由孢壳、极囊和孢质3部分组成.其孢子壳面观呈梨形,缝面观呈凸透镜形,囊间突明显;2片孢壳厚而均匀且表面凹凸不平.极囊瓶形,位于孢子前端,约占整个孢子长度的2/3;极囊壁由"暗-明"2部分组成;极丝呈双"S"形缠绕并沿极囊纵轴逆时针向上螺旋8～11圈.孢质均匀而稠密,近球形的2个胚核大小不一;孢质中除了可观察到丰富的线粒体、粗面内质网、核糖体、高尔基体、嗜碘泡等细胞器及脂滴等泡状结构外,还可于孢质中观察到有一些数目不等的球状电子致密物质,其中2个分布于极囊周围.     

A route for the passage of substances through the developing pteridophyte exine

Summary The developing exine ofLycopodium gnidioides is traversed from the outer to the inner surface by a series of anastomosing channels filled or lined with fibrillar glycoprotein. When living sporangia are incubated in colloidal iron, particles of ferric iron can be detected in the exine channels, the intine and the spore cytoplasm, and some iron is retained by the surface coatings on the spore. Although there is some diffuse iron staining of the exine between the channels, the main concentration of particles is associated with these structures. This, together with the fact that the proximal lasurae of the spore are closed during development, is taken as evidence that the iron has passed from the locular fluid to the surface of the protoplast principally by way of the exine channels. Results obtained from fixation in a glutaraldehyde-lanthanum nitrate mixture support this interpretation. While the exine channels are in existence, therefore, the spore protoplast is in open communication with the locular environment. The study provides no evidence to suggest that the iron which entered the spore cytoplasm did so by endocytosis. It is possible that iron altered the permeability of the plasma membrane by damaging its structure; entry of iron to the cytoplasm being effected through the damaged membrane.     

Chemical Oxidation (Using Ozone) of the Spore Wall of Lycopodium Clavatum

Spore walls of Lycopodium clavatum, after oxidation using ozone for varying times and treatment with dilute alkali, showed a striking loss of the outer layer (muri) of the exine. Almost all trace of the muri and undetermined portions of the remaining exine wall were removed after 20 hours' oxidation. The exine wall material seems to be evenly removed. The only degradation patterns observed are rare pits after 20 hours oxidation. A degradation-related colour change of the spore wall occurs after 11 to 16 hours' oxidation.     

鲫寄生碘泡虫属一新种

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AN AUTOMATIC VOLUMETRIC SPORE TRAP

A suction trap has been made in which the spores entering a narrow orifice, directed into the wind, are impacted on a Vaseline-coated microscope slide moved across the orifice at 2 mm./hr. Estimates of spore content of the air can be made, with higher efficiency than by previous traps, at different times of day and thus be more closely correlated with variations in weather.
Wind-tunnel tests with spores of Lycopodium clavatum showed maximal and minimal efficiencies of 93.8 and 62.4% respectively, with a suction rate of 10.0 1./min., in the range of wind speeds from 1.5 to 9.3 m./sec.     

Fern spore fall in the ‘Parque Estadual das Fontes do Ipiranga (PEFI)’, São Paulo,Brazil

Studies related to spore production and dispersal are scarce but extremely important, as they allow colonisation of new sites and gene flow among different populations. The aim of this study was to investigate fern spore fall in the Parque Estadual das Fontes do Ipiranga (PEFI), a natural reserve in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. The analyses were performed every month for one year, using an Oldfield pollen trap, 30 cm above the ground, at four different sites. The method included introducing Lycopodium clavatum tablets, adding hydrofluoric acid and sulphuric acid, and finally adopting the acetolysis method. A total of 17 types of spores were identified. The canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) did not demonstrate regular patterns of dispersal for each site. Wind influences the spore dispersal process minimally, but there was no significant association between dispersal and the remaining environmental variables. Spores of species uncommon to the area were recorded, perhaps contributing to the colonisation of new areas and helping to understand studies on regeneration and recomposition of ferns and lycophytes in areas undergone anthropic impacts.     

EXTERNAL SPORE MORPHOLOGY AND TAXONOMIC AFFINITIES OF PHYLLOGLOSSUM DRUMMONDII KUNZE (LYCOPODIACEAE)

The external spore morphology of Phylloglossum drummondii was studied with the scanning electron microscope and shown to share a number of features with spores in the subgenus Urostachys in Lycopodium. Within Urostachys the affinities of P. drummondii were less evident: the foramino-fossulate distal face, pyramidal proximal surface, and subcircular outline of its spores are similar to spores in the section Phlegmaria while the weakly foveolate proximal surface and raised laesurae are characteristic of spores in the section Selago.     

烟气对泥炭藓孢子萌发影响的模拟研究

适量烟气能促进种子萌发,但对苔藓植物孢子的作用尚不清楚.选取采自长白山区泥炭地的粗叶泥炭藓和中位泥炭藓的孢蒴为试验材料,通过燃烧泥炭地植物产生烟气,制备烟溶液,分别与不同大小(大:直径为2.10～2.50 mm;小:直径为1.50～1.90 mm)以及不同保存时长(旧:4.3和6.3年;新:0.3年)的孢蒴进行两组双因素试验,经不同时长的烟溶液浸泡和萌发试验,模拟研究烟气、孢蒴大小和保存时长对苔藓植物孢子萌发的影响.结果表明: 烟溶液浸泡影响孢子萌发,培养10 d时,不同时长的烟溶液浸泡均可使孢子的萌发率提高5倍以上,小孢蒴孢子的萌发率高;培养21 d时,仅适度浸泡(3 d)表现出促进萌发的作用,孢蒴大小对孢子萌发率无影响;烟溶液浸泡对长时间保存(4.3和6.3年)的孢蒴孢子萌发无促进作用.研究表明,适量烟气可加速新泥炭藓孢子以及小孢蒴孢子的萌发.在存在不定期火烧干扰的泥炭地中,与对种子植物的作用类似,烟气可能在苔藓植物种群的有性更新和种群维持中发挥重要作用.     

一种雷氏放射孢子虫的鉴定及其特征描述

放射孢子虫(Actinosporean)是黏体动物在其中间宿主水生无脊椎动物体内的一个生活阶段。研究鉴定并描述了一种雷氏放射孢子虫的形态和分子特征。该放射孢子虫的主要形态结构是: 由三个极囊、内含孢原质的孢子体和三个尾突组成, 无孢柄。极囊位于孢子体顶端, 呈梨形, 长5.2 μm, 宽2.9 μm; 孢子体侧面观呈长椭圆形, 长16.4 μm, 宽9.5 μm; 三个尾突基本等长, 呈锚状, 平均长度102.6 μm, 宽9.54 μm, 尾突末端轻微的上翘。每个尾突远侧端表面有许多形状不规则的棘状小刺。18S rDNA序列比对表明, 该雷氏放射孢子虫与国外已报道的Myxobolus cultus 18S rDNA序列一致性最高, 达98.41%, 由此推测该雷氏放射孢子虫可能为M. cultus的对应放射孢子虫阶段。研究丰富了国内放射孢子虫的基础研究。     

Experimental evidence for a persistent spore bank in Sphagnum

Spore capsules of four Sphagnum species were buried at different depths in peat on a bog. Spore viability was determined after 0, 1, 2 and 3 yr. Viability generally declined with time, but viable spores were still found at all depths after 3 yr. The light-coloured spores of S. balticum and S. tenellum retained their viability better than the darker spores of S. fuscum and S. lindbergii . Survival was highest under wet but aerobic conditions, but was also high under humid or periodically desiccated conditions. By contrast, most spores stored under wet, anaerobic conditions died within 2–3 yr. These results, and predictions from them, are not consistent with earlier results for spores of long-lived and dominant bryophytes, or for seeds of phanerogams of undisturbed wetlands and forests. There was no correlation between spore size and longevity across species, but the small spores from small capsules of S. balticum and S. tenellum generally showed higher viability than those from the medium-sized and large capsules of the same species. This suggests a positive intraspecific relationship between longevity and dispersal distance. There was an indication of conditional dormancy, controlled by weather, in Sphagnum spores. The experiments indicate that Sphagnum spores can form a long-term persistent spore bank under suitable conditions, with a half-life of between 1 and 20 yr (mean across species of 2.6 and 5.0 yr at two depths studied), and with potential values in individual spore capsules of several decades, or even of centuries. Sphagnum spores kept refrigerated showed 15–35% viable spores after 13 yr. The capacity to form a persistent spore bank that can be activated whenever favourable conditions occur might help explain the wide geographical distribution of many Sphagnum species in the boreal and temperate zones, where they have managed to colonize almost every suitable patch of acidic, nutrient-poor wetland.     

Two new species of Myxozoa, Myxobolus inaequus sp. n. and Henneguya theca sp. n. from the brain of a South American knife fish, Eigemannia virescens (V.)

Two new species of Myxozoa from the brain of the green knife fish Eigemannia virescens are described: Myxobolus inaequus sp. n. has an unusually large spore body and extremely unequal polar capsules, and Henneguya theca sp. n. has an attenuated spore encased in a sheath not previously described in other Myxozoa . Only spores of the two species were observed, and infections caused no obvious pathological changes in the brain.     

Two New Species of Myxozoa, Myxobolus inaequus sp. n. and Henneguya theca sp. n. from the Brain of a South American Knife Fish, Eigemannia virescens (V.)

Two new species of Myxozoa from the brain of the green knife fish Eigemannia virescens are described: Myxobolus inaequus sp. n. has an unusually large spore body and extremely unequal polar capsules, and Henneguya theca sp. n. has an attenuated spore encased in a sheath not previously described in other Myxozoa. Only spores of the two species were observed, and infections caused no obvious pathological changes in the brain.     

Wind tunnel comparison of the collection efficiency ofthree Hirst-type volumetric sampler drum coatings

A large number of sites worldwide measure airbornepollen and fungal spore concentrations using aHirst-type volumetric impaction sampler. In Europe anumber of adhesive drum coatings are routinely used.The drum coating routinely used in the UK, V/P,consisting of 90% petroleum Jelly (Vaseline)/10%paraffin wax, has not previously been compared withother coatings, for fungal spores or pollens. Thecollection efficiency of different coatings wascompared in a wind tunnel, at IACR-Rothamsted. Sporesof different species were released and trapped inidentical miniature suction traps which reproduce theaerodynamic features of a full size Hirst-type sporetrap. The trapping surfaces were coated in one ofthree commonly used drum coatings: (1) V/P; (2) SiliconeFluid; (3) Glycerol Jelly. These are all used in Europeand both V/P and Glycerol Jelly are used the UK.Four spore types, Lycopodium clavatum (moss);Alternaria alternata; Botrytis cinerea;and Calvatia excipuliformis, which represent thesize range of spores most frequently found in the air,were used. With the exception of B cinerea, thenumbers of spores collected on Glycerol Jelly weresignificantly smaller than on the other two coatings.For all spore types, the numbers caught on the V/P andSilicone Fluid were not significantly different.     

Suspension and settlement of particles in flowing water: comparison of the effects of varying water depth and velocity in circulating channels

SUMMARY. 1. An experimental study is described, designed to test the hypothesis that the loss of particles from suspension in flowing water follows an exponential decay function, the exponent of which is influenced more by water depth than water velocity. Successive experiments employed suspensions of Lycopodium spores which were introduced into one of the FBA's circulating channels maintained at its Watcrston site, Dorset, under different combinations of water depth and pumping rate.
2. In each experiment, the concentration of introduced spores indeed declined exponentially through time. The bulked, transformed data-set also conformed well to a single regression against a common time scale and which explained over 94% of the accumulated variances.
3. The variance unexplained by the regression was apportioned among components distinguishing between experiments, experimental differences in starting concentration, water depth and pumping rate (velocity). This analysis revealed that, after elimination of different initial concentrations, only water depth produced a significant effect, through its relation to the settling velocity of the Lycopodium . Thus, the hypothesis was not invalidated: water depth and not Row velocity proved to be the main controlling variable determining the rale of sinking loss in these experiments. Flow velocity is, nevertheless, an important component only in the sense that it influences the horizontal distance travelled by the residual spore suspension through the time period required for complete settlement.
4. The consequences of experimental findings are applied to the maintenance of planktonic diatoms in rivers: both the survival of a potential growth inoculum and its downstream dispersion are strongly time-dependent and are enhanced by greater channel depths.     

Leptotheca sparidarum n. sp. (Myxosporea: Bivalvulida), a parasite from cultured common dentex (Dentex dentex L.) and gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata L.) (Teleostei: Sparidae)

A new myxosporean, Leptotheca sparidarum n. sp., is described from the trunk kidney of two sparid fish, Sparus aurata and Dentex dentex, in several culture facilities from the Western Mediterranean coasts. It is distinguished from all the previously described species by spore morphometrics. Spores with two equal polar capsules and one binucleated sporoplasm. Spore measurements from D. dentex were 5-7.1 micron long x 8.8-12.3 micron thick x 5.88-6.18 micron wide; polar capsules 2.6-3.5 micron in diam. Spore measurements from S. aurata were 5.1-8.24 micron long x 9.41-11.76 micron thick; polar capsules 2.4-3.2 micron in diam. No significant differences were detected between either host. Prevalence could reach 21.4% in D. dentex and 19% in some stock of S. aurata. Renal tubules were the typical site of infection, which was also found in ureters and glomeruli, but seldom in the epiepithelial position of the gut. Spores were formed in disporous sporoblasts, and spore maturation seemed to proceed from the host epithelium towards the lumen. Trophozoites were attached to the host epithelial cells of renal tubules by pseudopodial-like projections, which were inserted into gaps between epithelial cells. Also, cell junctions were observed between primary cells and between neighboring spores.     

Kudoa prunusi n. sp. (Myxozoa: Multivalvulida) from the brain of Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis (Temminck & Schlegel, 1844) cultured in Japan

Kudoa prunusi n. sp. (Myxozoa; Multivalvulida) is described from the brain of Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis cultured in Japan. Numerous white cysts, up to 0.5mm in size, were found on and in the brain. Spores having typically five spore valves and five polar capsules resembled a five-petal cherry blossom in apical view and were conical shape with a round bottom in side view. Average spore size was 9.63 (8.5-10.3) μm in width and 7.50 (6.7-8.6) μm in length. The spore dimensions of K. prunusi overlapped with those of Kudoa yasunagai ex Sillago ciliata having five to six spore valves, but they were clearly distinct in spore shape, 18S rDNA and 28S rDNA sequences (0.3% and 1.7% differences, respectively). Phylogenetic analysis of 18S rDNA revealed that K. prunusi grouped with the brain-infecting multivalvulid species, K. yasunagai, K. chaetodoni, K. lethrini and K. neurophila, rather than five-valved Kudoa spp. Combined with morphological, molecular and biological differences, K. prunusi was proven to be a new species.     

Lyconadins D and E, and complanadine E, new Lycopodium alkaloids from Lycopodium complanatum

Three new Lycopodium alkaloids, lyconadins D (1) and E (2), and complanadine E (3), were isolated from the club moss Lycopodium complanatum. Lyconadin D (1) was the first example of fastigiatine-type alkaloid isolated from Lycopodium complanatum. The structures and relative stereochemistry of 1-3 were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data. Complanadine E (3) enhanced mRNA expression for NGF.     

Factors affecting the development of Botrytis cinerea (grey mould) on linseed (Linum usitatissimum) buds, flowers and capsules

A key was produced to describe 10 stages of development of linseed buds, flowers and capsules. Botrytis cinerea conidia germinated more rapidly and germ tubes grew longer on linseed stigmas, petals and mature senescing capsules than on green leaves, sepals and immature capsules. The proportion of conidia which germinated increased and the germ tubes continued growing for longer in the presence of linseed pollen and flower petal extracts. In controlled environment and field experiments, the response of buds, flowers and capsules to inoculation with B. cinerea changed with stage of development; few pre‐flowering buds developed symptoms (brown lesions, then grey mould), but high proportions of flowering and post‐flowering buds did so. Few immature green capsules developed symptoms and the proportion of capsules which developed symptoms increased as they matured. The presence of linseed pollen decreased the incubation period from inoculation with spore suspensions to appearance of B. cinerea symptoms on buds. A disease cycle was produced to suggest the changes in susceptibility of linseed to infection by B. cinerea conidia during bud, flower and capsule development.