Dynamics of Cultural Transmission in Native Americans of the High Great Plains

Culture is a phenomenon shared by all humans. Attempts to understand how dynamic factors affect the origin and distribution of cultural elements are, therefore, of interest to all humanity. As case studies go, understanding the distribution of cultural elements in Native American communities during the historical period of the Great Plains would seem a most challenging one. Famously, there is a mixture of powerful internal and external factors, creating-for a relatively brief period in time-a seemingly distinctive set of shared elements from a linguistically diverse set of peoples. This is known across the world as the “Great Plains culture.” Here, quantitative analyses show how different processes operated on two sets of cultural traits among nine High Plains groups. Moccasin decorations exhibit a pattern consistent with geographically-mediated between-group interaction. However, group variations in the religious ceremony of the Sun Dance also reveal evidence of purifying cultural selection associated with historical biases, dividing down ancient linguistic lines. The latter shows that while the conglomeration of “Plains culture” may have been a product of merging new ideas with old, combined with cultural interchange between groups, the details of what was accepted, rejected or elaborated in each case reflected preexisting ideological biases. Although culture may sometimes be a “melting pot,” the analyses show that even in highly fluid situations, cultural mosaics may be indirectly shaped by historical factors that are not always obvious.     

Effects of stream size on taxa richness and other commonly used benthic bioassessment metrics

Benthic macroinvertebrate samples were collected from natural substrates in disturbed and undisturbed South Carolina upper coastal plain streams to determine if taxa richness and other bioassessment metrics were significantly related to stream size as predicted by the River Continuum Concept (RCC). Linear, quadratic, and lognormal regression models indicated that stream width was positively related to total number of taxa; number of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT) taxa; and total number of organisms. Linear regression showed that the expected number of taxa at undisturbed sites ranged from 35 in 2.0 m wide streams to 64 in 16.0 m streams. Comparable values were 8–20 for EPT and 109–261 for number of organisms. Stream width was inversely related to biotic index values indicating a decrease in average organism tolerance with increasing stream size. ANCOVA showed that the effects of stream size were similar for disturbed and undisturbed sites. Rank correlations and multidimensional scaling (MDS) showed that Lepidoptera and Trichoptera were more abundant in larger streams and Annelida in smaller streams. Stream size related changes in benthic macroinvertebrate community composition are often ignored in bioassessment protocols; however, failure to adjust metrics for stream size can lead to erroneous conclusions. Adjustments are possible by analyzing regression residuals stripped of stream size related variance, dividing the area beneath the maximum taxa richness line into equal size units for metric scoring, or scaling metrics based on predicted reference values. Electronic supplementary material Electronic supplementary material is available for this article at and accessible for authorised users.     

Seabirds drive plant species turnover on small Mediterranean islands at the expense of native taxa

The analysis of long-term floristic changes was conducted on nine west-Mediterranean limestone islands (size range: 2–95 ha) which have recently undergone a severe demographic explosion in their yellow-legged gull Larus cachinnans colonies. A comparison of past and present plant inventories was used to quantify extinction-colonization events, both from a classical biogeographical perspective (per island approach) and a metapopulational perspective (per species approach). In the first approach, floristic turnover intensity was negatively related to island area and positively to gull nesting density, but was independent of island isolation. In the second, species turnover rate was compared with a set of plant species life history traits (dispersal mode, Grime CSR strategy, growth form, biogeographical type). Plants which exhibited the highest turnover rate were primarily ruderal, annual, wind-dispersed species with a wide geographic range. The severe disturbance induced by seabird activities has tended to select and favour some adapted plant species groups at the expense of indigenous island taxa. The relationships between specific turnover intensity and plant life history traits justify using the metapopulation approach and point to the importance of interspecific variations in extinction-colonization patterns. Received: 21 September 1998 / Accepted: 8 October 1999     

Pilot study on binding of bovine salivary proteins to grit silicates and plant phytoliths

Mostly fed with grass in fresh or conserved form, cattle and other livestock have to cope with silicate defence bodies from plants (phytoliths) and environmental silicates (grit), which abrade tooth enamel and could additionally interact with various salivary proteins. To detect potential candidates for silicate-binding proteins, bovine whole saliva was incubated with grass-derived phytoliths and silicates. Interactions of salivary proteins with pulverized bovine dental enamel and dentine were additionally analysed. After intense washing, the powder fractions were loaded onto 1D-polyacrylamide gels, most prominent adhesive protein bands were cut out and proteins were identified by mass spectrometry within three independent replicates. All materials were mainly bound by bovine odorant-binding protein, bovine salivary protein 30×103 and carbonic anhydrase VI. The phytolith/silicate fraction showed additional stronger interaction with haemoglobin β and lactoperoxidase. Conceivably, the binding of these proteins to the surfaces may contribute to biological processes occurring on them.     

Rhizobitoxine: A phytotoxin of unknown function which is commonly produced by bradyrhizobia

Summary Fifty-six percent of 93 strains ofBradyrhizobium japonicum andBradyrhizobium sp. (various hosts) from diverse geographical areas were found to produce a chlorosis-inducing toxin. Toxin production was common among bradyrhizobia originating from the USA, Africa, Central America, and South America. Toxin produced by West African strains was compared with rhizobitoxine by cation exchange chromatography, paper chromatography, and soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) bioassay. The comparison suggested that the chlorosis-inducing toxin produced by West African bradyrhizobia is rhizobitoxine. Purified toxin from a West AfricanBradyrhizobium sp. (Vigna) strain inhibited the growth ofBacillus subtilis on minimal medium. The growth inhibition was reduced by addition of yeast-extract or casamino acids but not by any of 21 individual amino acids, including methionine. The same toxin did not inhibit the growth of 14 Bradyrhizobium strains, including eight strains that did not produce toxin. Mixed inoculum experiments revealed that a toxin-producing West African strain could not assist toxin non-producingB. japonicum strains in nodulating non-nodulating (rj₁ rj₁) soybeans.     

A simple microwave extraction method for the isolation and identification of plant opal phytoliths

We present a new extraction method for opal phytoliths, which has high potential to support qualitative analyses of the unaltered properties of single opal phytoliths. Opal phytoliths have to remain in their original solution or an equivalent to protect their amorphous (SiO₂ nH₂O) molecular structure. Fresh leaf material was heated in distilled water in a microwave oven for 3–4 hours, stirred and then strained through a plankton sieve (50-μm mesh). After purification, the plant tissue matrix was successfully degraded. Single opal phytoliths of Phragmites australis and Arundo donax as well as cell debris were isolated.     

Root plasticity of native and invasive Great Basin species in response to soil nitrogen heterogeneity

Soil nutrients are heterogeneously distributed in natural systems. While many species respond to this heterogeneity through root system plasticity, little is known about how the magnitude of these responses may vary between native and invasive species. We quantified root morphological and physiological plasticity of co-occurring native and invasive Great Basin species in response to soil nitrogen heterogeneity and determined if trade-offs exist between these foraging responses and species relative growth rate or root system biomass. The nine study species included three perennial bunchgrasses, three perennial forbs, and three invasive perennial forbs. The plants were grown in large pots outdoors. Once a week for 4 weeks equal amounts of ¹⁵NH₄ ¹⁵NO₃ were distributed in the soil either evenly through the soil profile, in four patches, or in two patches. All species acquired more N in patches compared to when N was applied evenly through the soil profile. None of the species increased root length density in enriched patches compared to control patches but all species increased root N uptake rate in enriched patches. There was a positive relationship between N uptake rate, relative growth rate, and root system biomass. Path analysis indicated that these positive interrelationships among traits could provide one explanation of how invasive forbs were able to capture 2 and 15-fold more N from enriched patches compared to the native grasses and forbs, respectively. Results from this pot study suggest that plant traits related to nutrient capture in heterogeneous soil environments may be positively correlated which could potentially promote size-asymmetric competition belowground and facilitate the spread of invasive species. However, field experiments with plants in different neighbor environments ultimately are needed to determine if these positive relationships among traits influence competitive ability and invader success.     

Oxygen radicals produced by plant plasma membranes: an EPR spin-trap study

Plant plasma membranes are known to produce superoxide radicals, while the production of the hydroxyl radical, previously detected in complex plant tissues, is thought to occur in the cell wall. The mechanism of production of superoxide radicals by plant plasma membranes is, however, under dispute. It is shown, using electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy with a 5-diethoxyphosphoryl-5-methyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide spin-trap capable of differentiating between radical species, that isolated purified plasma membranes from maize roots produce hydroxyl radicals besides superoxide radicals. The results argue in favour of superoxide production through an oxygen and diphenylene iodonium-sensitive, NADH-dependent superoxide synthase mechanism, as well as through other unidentified mechanism(s). The hydroxyl radical is produced by an oxygen-insensitive, NADH-stimulated mechanism, which is enhanced in membranes in which the superoxide synthase is incapacitated by substrate removal or inhibition.     

Effect of allelopathic compounds produced by Cistus ladanifer on germination of 20 Mediterranean taxa

In order to analyze the extent to which allelopathic action of Cistus ladanifer may influence the successional progression towards Mediterranean sub-climacic shrublands and the geographical distribution of other species, the inhibitory effect of Cistus ladanifer extracts on the germination of 20 Mediterranean species was analyzed. Five of the species tested were characteristic of maquis sub-climacic shrublands: Arbutus unedo, Adenocarpus argyrophyllus, Phillyrea angustifolia, Phillyrea latifolia, and Rhamnus alaternus. Tests were also carried out on 6 Cistaceae species in order to evaluate the auto-toxicity rate of allelopathic extracts: Halimium umbellatum subsp. viscosum, Halimium ocymoides, Cistus ladanifer, Cistus salvifolius, Cistus monspeliensis, and Cistus populifolius. Nine herbaceous species sharing the natural habitat with C. ladanifer were also examined. Results confirmed a clear inhibitory and delaying effect of aqueous C. ladanifer-leaf extracts on the germination of P. angustifolia, P. latifolia, R. alaternus, H. ocymoides, C. populifolius, Erysimum lagascae, Brassica barrelieri, Silene tridentata, and Moricandia moricandioides. Assays with soil collected below the canopy of the C. ladanifer community showed more pronounced inhibitory effect on sub-climacic shrub species than the aqueous extracts. In contrast, the opposite pattern was detected when analyzing the allelopathic effect of natural soil on Cistaceae and herbaceous species. Allelopathic compounds produced by C. ladanifer showed little auto-toxicity. The inhibitory effect of phytotoxic compounds accumulated in the jaral soil upon germination of A. unedo, B.␣barrelieri, and M. moricandioides was eliminated by heating soil at 150 °C for 10 min. Phenolic compounds (i.e. ferulic, p-hydroxybenzoic, vanillic, p-coumaric, and caffeic acids) and terpenes (i.e. α and β-pinene) with allelopathic documented effect were detected in the aqueous extracts and soil samples used in the analyses. We suggest that the allelopathic effect of C. ladanifer may influence the composition and structure of Mediterranean communities where the species is present, since it hinders the establishment of some sub-climacic species and may reduce the area occupied by numerous herbaceous species.     

A chemotaxonomical study of Sideritis massoniana taxa

Two varieties of Sideritis massoniana from Madeira (Madeira archipelago) and one from Fuerteventura (Canary Islands) have been examined. Diterpenes, triterpenes, sterols, flavonoids, coumarins and lignans have been isolated. A new coumarin, 7-demethyl-siderin acetate, and the uncommon sterol, 7-oxo-β-sitosterol, have been obtained from S. massoniana var. crassifolia. From the chemosystematic point of view these three taxa of Sideritis belong to one of the groups of the Canarian species of this genus, and should be classified as three different species.     

A study of the catalase monomer produced by lyophilization

Lyophilization of Dounce and Mourtzikos beef liver catalase (Prep. Biochem. 11 (1981) 501-523) under specified conditions produced conformationally altered but not completely denatured catalase monomer which retained both significant catalatic activity and peroxidatic activity towards ethanol. The same lyophilization procedure used with Sigma Co. catalase produced a mixture of conformationally altered catalase monomer and conformationally altered tetramer which showed still higher catalatic and peroxidatic activities; this was attributed to the presence of the altered tetramer. The catalase monomer obtained by the use of Dounce and Mourtzikos catalase is completely reducible by dithionite, as shown by the two-banded spectrum of the reduced material, but apparently retains enough of its native conformation to show some enzymatic activity, since the fully denatured monomer shows no catalatic or peroxidatic activity towards ethanol. The conformationally altered catalase tetramer, which shows more enzymatic activity than the monomer, evidently retains a higher proportion of its native conformation than the monomer, but still appears to be fully reducible with dithionite. Horseradish peroxidase after reduction with dithionite shows spectral bands at positions close to those of reduced lyophilized catalase, but the relative band heights and contours are different. A possible explanation for the observed differences in lyophilization products depending on the starting material (Sigma Co. catalase versus catalase of Dounce and Mourtzikos) is presented.     

Characteristics of Korean native, Hanwoo, calves produced by transfer of in vitro produced embryos

The main objectives of this investigation were to monitor the birth weight of calves and gestation length following artificial insemination (AI) and transfer of in vivo or in vitro produced Korean native, Hanwoo embryos. Embryos produced in vivo were recovered from uterine flushings of superovulated cows 7 days after AI. Those embryos produced in vitro were co-cultured with cumulus cells for 7-8 days after in vitro fertilization. The birth weights of calves following the transfer of in vitro produced (IVP) embryos were heavier than calves from both of AI- and in vivo-derived embryo transferred calves in both sexes (29.6, 24.1 and 25.2kg, respectively, P<0.05). The IVP calves also had a longer gestation length (293.9, 285.8 and 283.8 days, respectively, P<0.05).     

Inhibition of selected plant systems by stereoisomers of chloramphenicol

The stereospecificity of chloramphenicol isomers on the inhibition of several plant systems was investigated. l-Threo, d-erythro, l-erythro and the antibiotic d-threo-chloramphenicol were effective inhibitors of auxin-induced elongation, ¹⁴C-leucine uptake and ¹⁴C-leucine incorporation into the protein fraction of coleoptiles from Avena sativa and Triticum vulgare. The isomers also inhibited Avena coleoptile uptake of ¹⁴C-α-aminoisobutyric acid and the de novo synthesis of α-amylase by aleurone layers from Hordeum vulgare seeds. All four compounds inhibited these processes to about the same extent and over a similar high concentration range (5 × 10⁻⁴ to 5 × 10⁻³ M). Bioassay of extracts from Avena coleoptiles treated with the non-antibiotic isomers revealed no tissue conversion into d-threo-chloramphenicol.