Systematics of Serinus canaries and the status of Cape and Yellow-crowned Canaries inferred from mtDNA and morphology

The taxonomy of, and phylogenetic relationships among, African canaries typically assigned to the genus Serinus sensu lato (including the putative genera Alario, Pseudochloroptila, Serinops, Ochrospiza, Dendrospiza and Crithagra) were investigated, based on 823bp of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Two clades emerged: (1) Palaearctic and Afrotropical taxa, including Serinus serinus, S. canaria, A. alario and the S. canicollis complex (S. c. canicollis, thompsonae and flavivertex), and (2) taxa endemic to the Afrotropics comprising Pseudochloroptila, Serinops, Ochrospiza, Poliospiza, Dendrospiza, Poliospiza and Crithagra spp. However, only clade one has jackknife and bootstrap support values above 50. The two clades were separated by Carduelis taxa, suggesting that Serinus sensu lato is not monophyletic. As it stands, the phylogeny does not support the recognition of Alario and Serinops and possibly Ochrospiza, Dendrospiza and Pseudochloroptila (Cape siskins) as distinct genera. Alario is sister to Serinus canicollis whereas the others are intermingled in a clade comprised primarily by Crithagra spp. The use of Serinus is confined to the Palaearctic canaries and allied species, and Crithagra for the strictly Afrotropical clade. Since the cytochrome b sequence divergence between the allopatric Cape (S. [c.] canicollis) and Yellow-crowned (S. [c.] flavivertex) canaries (2.8%) was similar to differences between other closely-related species and there are marked plumage differences between these taxa, we suggest that they be elevated to full species rank.     

Toxicity and accumulation of thallium in bacteria and yeast

Thallium sulphate inhibited microbial growth, withBacillus megaterium KM, more sensitive to the metal thanSaccharomyces cerevisiae andEscherichia coli. Inhibition ofB. megaterium KM andS. cerevisiae, but not ofE. coli, was alleviated by increasing the potassium concentration of the medium; inhibition of respiration ofS. cerevisiae, but not ofE. coli, was similarly alleviated. Thallium was rapidly bound, presumably to cell surfaces, byS. cerevisiae andE. coli, and was progressively accumulated by energy-dependent transport systems (probably concerned primarily with potassium uptake) with both organisms. Thallium uptake kinetics suggested more than one transport system operated in yeast, possibly reflecting a multiplicity of potassium transport systems. ApparentK _m andK _i values for competitive inhibition of thallium uptake by potassium indicatedS. cerevisiae to have a higher affinity for thallium uptake than for potassium, whileE. coli had a transport system with a higher affinity for potassium than for thallium. The likely systems for thallium transport are discussed. A mutant ofE. coli with tenfold decreased sensitivity to thallium was isolated and apparently effected surface binding of thallium in amounts equivalent to the wild type organism, but showed no subsequent uptake and accumulation of the metal from buffer, even though it was able to accumulate potassium to normal intracellular concentrations during growth. Abbreviations: Metal are referred to by their recognised atomic symbols (e.g. TI = Thallium; K = potassium; Co = cobalt)     

Assessment of genomic and species relationships in Triticum and Aegilops by PAGE and by differential staining of seed albumins and globulins

Summary Endosperm protein components from common bread wheats (Triticum aestivum L.) and related species were extracted with aluminum lactate, pH 3.2, and examined by electrophoresis in the same buffer. Electrophoretic patterns of the albumins and globulins were compared to evaluate the possibility that a particular species might have contributed its genome to tetraploid or hexaploid wheat. Together with protein component mobilities, differential band staining with Coomassie Brilliant Blue R250 was employed to test the identity or non-identity of bands. Eight species and 63 accessions, representative of Triticum and Aegilops were tested. Considerable intraspecific variation was observed for patterns of diploid but not for tetraploid or hexaploid species. Patterns of some accessions of Triticum urartu agreed closely with major parts of the patterns of Triticum dicoccoides and T. aestivum. A fast-moving, green band was found in all accessions of T. urartu and of Triticum boeoticum, however, that was not found in those of T. dicoccoides or T. aestivum. This band was present in all accessions of Triticum araraticum and Triticum zhukovskyi. Patterns of Aegilops longissima, which has been suggested as the donor of the B genome, differed substantially from those of T. dicoccoides and T. aestivum. Finally, two marker proteins of intermediate mobility were also observed and may be used to discriminate between accessions of T. araraticum/T. zhukovskyi and those of T. dicoccoides/T. aestivum.     

Simple Measurement of Blood NADP and Blood Levels of NAD and NADP in Humans

The tryptophan synthase genes, trpA and trpB, of Bacillus stearothermophilus IFO13737 were cloned by transformation of tryptophan auxotrophic mutations of the trp genes into Escherichia coli. The genes are located in the order of trpB and trp A, according to their coding orientation, in a 2.5 kb EcoRy-Hindlll DNA fragment. The complete nucleotide sequence of this DNA was determined. The trp A and trpB genes consist of 810bp (269 amino acid residues) and 1215bp (404 amino acid residues), respectively. The 5′-proximal portion of the trpB gene was found to overlap 20 nucleotides of the upstream coding region of the trpA gene. The homology of the amino acid sequences of the trp gene products of trp A and trpB of B. stearothermophilus is 35 and 50 %, respectively, to those of E. coli, and 55 and 70 %, respectively, to those of B. subtilis.     

Morphological and molecular examination of relationships and epitype establishment of Phacus pleuronectes,Phacus orbicularis,and Phacus hamelii1

Verification of morphological diagnostic features and the establishment of three epitypes for three species of Phacus Dujardin—Phacus pleuronectes (O. F. Müll.) Dujardin, Phacus orbicularis Hübner, and Phacus hamelii Allorge et Lefèvre—was performed based on literature studies and analysis of morphological (cell shape, cell size, and periplast ornamentation) as well as molecular (18S rDNA) characters. Periplast ornamentation was recognized as a main diagnostic character, distinguishing P. orbicularis from P. pleuronectes and P. hamelii. Phacus orbicularis has struts running perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the strips, while P. pleuronectes and P. hamelii do not. On the SSU rDNA tree, obtained by the Bayesian method, P. orbicularis, P. pleuronectes, and P. hamelii belong to three distinct clades. Some of the phylogenetic relationships are not resolved, but there are at least three Phacus species (P. hamatus, P. platyaulax, P. longicauda; for taxonomic authors, see Introduction) that are more closely related to P. orbicularis than is P. pleuronectes. Phacus hamelii is more closely related to P. ranula and the assemblage of several species of Phacus, which have small cells, than to P. orbicularis or P. pleuronectes.     

Significance of the rdar and bdar morphotypes in the hydrophobicity and attachment to abiotic surfaces of Salmonella Sofia and other poultry-associated Salmonella serovars

Aims: To investigate the relative role of the red dry and rough (rdar) and brown dry and rough (bdar) morphotypes on hydrophobicity and ability to attach to abiotic surfaces of poultry‐associated Salmonella strains with a focus on S. Sofia. Methods and Results: Cellulose synthase gene null mutants were constructed in five Salmonella strains converting them from rdar to bdar morphotypes. One S. Sofia null mutant displayed reduced hydrophobicity and attachment to Teflon^® relative to its parent strain. The S. Virchow and S. Infantis null mutants attached less well to glass relative to their parent strains. Conclusions: The rdar or bdar morphotype may influence S. Sofia persistence but did not explain why bdar strains predominate in this serotype. Significance and Impact of the Study: This work provides some insight into why some Salmonella strains survive in poultry environments and may ultimately contribute to their control.     

Impacts of light and temperature on shoot branching gradient and expression of strigolactone synthesis and signalling genes in rose

Light and temperature are two environmental factors that deeply affect bud outgrowth. However, little is known about their impact on the bud burst gradient along a stem and their interactions with the molecular mechanisms of bud burst control. We investigated this question in two acrotonic rose cultivars. We demonstrated that the darkening of distal buds or exposure to cold (5 °C) prior to transfer to mild temperatures (20 °C) both repress acrotony, allowing the burst of quiescent medial and proximal buds. We sequenced the strigolactone pathway MAX‐homologous genes in rose and studied their expression in buds and internodes along the stem. Only expressions of RwMAX1, RwMAX2 and RwMAX4 were detected. Darkening of the distal part of the shoot triggered a strong increase of RwMAX2 expression in darkened buds and bark‐phloem samples, whereas it suppressed the acropetal gradient of the expression of RwMAX1 observed in stems fully exposed to light. Cold treatment induced an acropetal gradient of expression of RwMAX1 in internodes and of RwMAX2 in buds along the stem. Our results suggest that the bud burst gradient along the stem cannot be explained by a gradient of expression of RwMAX genes but rather by their local level of expression at each individual position.     

Strain-specific Influence of Microcystis Aeruginosa on Food Ingestion and Assimilation of some Cladocerans and Copepods

Ingestion rates where estimated for daphnids, Cyclops spp. and Bosmina (Eubosmina) coregoni thersites fed hepatotoxic and non-toxic M. aeruginosa either separate or mixed with the readily available food alga Ankistrodesmus falcatus. The ingestion rates of hepatotoxic strains of M. aeruginosa are very low compared with those of A. falcatus or non-toxic M. aeruginosa HUB 5-3 fed to Daphnia magna or D. longispina. However, a close relationship between ingestion rate of different M. aeruginosa strains and their toxicity could not be observed. Addition of the toxic strain M. aeruginosa HUB 5-2-4 reduces the ingestion rates of A. falcatus progressively due to increased food rejection by D. magna. Additionally, the assimilation efficiency of M. aeruginosa HUB 5-2-4 is two times lower compared with A. falcatus and M. aeruginosa HUB 5-3 leading to strong starvation.     

A genetic and biochemical study of streptomycin- and spectinomycin-resistance in Salmonella typhimurium

Summary In Salmonella typhimurium, streptomycin resistance can occur by mutation at the strA or the strB mutants have altered ribosomes which are refractory to the drug in cell-free amino acid incorporation systems, and in ³H-dihydrostreptomycin binding studies. StrB mutants, unlike the strA mutants, are resistant to several aminoglycoside antibiotics and resistance is not due to a mutational change in the cell's protein synthetic machinery. Spectinomycin resistant mutants of S. typhimurium also fall into two classes, only one of which is ribosomal in mechanism. The spcA and spcB loci are closely linked to strA, aroC, and argG on the S. typhimurium linkage map.     

Co-occurrence of Arum- and Paris-type morphologies of arbuscular mycorrhizae in cucumber and tomato

Colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi was investigated in cucumber (Cucumis sativus), tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) and Clethra barbinervis (Ericales) grown in field-collected soil known from previous studies to generate Paris-type arbuscular mycorrhizae in C. barbinervis. Spores of Paraglomus, Acaulospora, Glomus, and Gigaspora were found in the soil. Formation of hyphal coils and arbusculate coils of Paris-type mycorrhizae and of arbuscules of Arum-type mycorrhizae in roots raised in this soil in the growth chamber were compared with the detection of DNA of AM fungi from the same root systems using Glomales-specific primers. Only Paris-type mycorrhizae with extensive arbusculate coils developed in C. barbinervis, but cucumber and tomato developed both Paris- and Arum-types in the same root systems. Glomaceae and Archaeosporaceae and/or Paraglomaceae were detected strongly in the DNA from both cucumber and tomato roots, in which Arum-type mycorrhizae were observed. In contrast, DNA of Glomaceae was detected more sparingly in C. barbinervis, in which Paris-type mycorrhizae dominated. Acaulosporaceae and Gigasporaceae were strongly detected in the DNA from both C. barbinervis and tomato, whereas they were more weakly detected in cucumber. These results indicate that the morphology of colonization is strongly influenced by the selection of fungi to colonize the host plant from among those in the soil environment.     

Experimental uptake and retention of pathogenic and nonpathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus in two species of clams: Ruditapes decussatus and Ruditapes philippinarum

Aims: To describe uptake and retention of pathogenic and nonpathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus in Ruditapes decussatus and Ruditapes philippinarum. Methods and Results: Ruditapes decussatus accumulated greater concentrations of pathogenic and nonpathogenic V. parahaemolyticus than R. philippinarum. These concentrations decreased earlier in R. decussatus. Nonpathogenic V. parahaemolyticus reached higher concentrations (approx. 1 log CFU g^?1 in tissues of R. decussatus and more than 1 log CFU g^?1 in R. philippinarum) than pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus at similar times. It also persisted longer in both species of clams (72 h in R. decussatus and 96 h in R. philippinarum), while pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus persisted 48 h in R. decussatus and 72 h in R. philippinarum. Conclusions: Ruditapes decussatus incorporated both isolates of V. parahaemolyticus faster than R. philippinarum and it eliminated both isolates earlier than R. philippinarum. Under same conditions, nonpathogenic V. parahaemolyticus might survive better than pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus within both species of clam. Significance and Impact of the Study: Pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus is an important cause of foodborne illnesses. This study shows it may be possible to use nonpathogenic V. parahaemolyticus to perform experimentation to evaluate bacterial evolution in clams, developing an in vivo model useful for risk analysis.     

Divergence of brain and retinal anatomy and histology in pelagic antarctic notothenioid fishes of the sister taxa Dissostichus and Pleuragramma

The neutrally buoyant Antarctic fishes of the sister taxa Dissostichus (D. eleginoides and D. mawsoni) and Pleuragramma antarcticum diverged early in the notothenioid radiation and filled different niches in the pelagic realm of the developing Southern Ocean. To assess the influence of phylogenetic and ecological factors in shaping neural morphology in these taxa, we studied the anatomy and histology of the brains and retinae, and determined the proportional weights of brain regions. With the brain of the non‐Antarctic sister taxon Eleginops maclovinus as plesiomorphic, statistically significant departures in the brains of the two Antarctic taxa include reduction of the corpus cerebelli and expansion of the mesencephalon and medulla. Compared to Eleginops, both species also have a relatively smaller telencephalon, although this is significant only in Dissostichus. There are a number of apomorphic features in the brain of Pleuragramma including reduced olfactory nerves and bulbs, an extremely small corpus cerebelli and an expanded mesencephalon. Although there is not a significant difference in the relative weights of the medulla in the two taxa, the prominence of the eminentia granularis and bulging cap‐like appearance of the crista cerebellaris are distinctive in Pleuragramma. Brain histology of Dissostichus and Pleuragramma reflects typical perciform patterns and the two species of Dissostichus are histologically identical. Lateral compression in Pleuragramma and notable lobation in Dissostichus also contribute to differences between the taxa. Compression in Pleuragramma is attributable to convergence on an anchovy/herring body shape and to the relatively large brain in this small fish. The less prominent pattern of lobation of the telencephalon, inferior lobes and corpus cerebelli in Pleuragramma probably reflects underlying histology, specifically a reduction in cellularity of the neuropil in the nuclei and lobes. The retinal histology of Dissostichus and Pleuragramma encompasses the extremes seen in Antarctic notothenioids. Dissostichus has a thin scotopic retina with few cones and a high degree of summation. The retina of Pleuragramma is thick and cellular with many small single cones and rods and resembles that of Eleginops. Pedomorphy has not influenced brain morphology in these species but Pleuragramma has superficial neuromasts that are pedomorphic. Although Dissostichus and Pleuragramma are sympatric in the water column, their brains and retinae are highly divergent and reflect the influences of both phylogeny and ecological partitioning of the pelagic realm. Compared to Eleginops, the relatively smaller corpus cerebelli but relatively larger medulla probably indicates, respectively, reduced activity levels of notothenioids in subzero temperatures and expansion of the mechanosensory lateral line system as a supplement to vision under conditions of reduced light. Compared to Dissostichus, Pleuragramma has reduced olfactory bulbs and corpus cerebelli and an expanded mesencephalon. The reduction of the corpus to a small round knob is consistent with physiological parameters and video observations suggesting that, although pelagic, it is relatively inactive. Because mesencephalic weights also include the valvula cerebelli, the relatively large value for Pleuragramma may be attributable to its role in integration and sensorimotor coordination of information from the highly cellular duplex retina and to integration of signals from thewell‐developed octavolateralis system. The brain of Dissostichus displays considerable persistent morphology in its overall resemblance to that of Eleginops, especially the large olfactory bulbs and the relatively large caudally projecting corpus, and Dissostichus exhibits olfactory tracking ability and migratory behavior in common with Eleginops. J. Morphol., 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Inoculated Host Range and Effect of Host on Morphology and Size of Macroconidia Produced by Claviceps africana and Claviceps sorghi

Twenty graminaceous plant species were evaluated for their susceptibility to the two sorghum ergot pathogens Claviceps sorghi and Claviceps africana. Five species viz., Sorghum arundinaceum, Sorghum halepense, Sorghum versicolor, Sorghum virgatum and Pennisetum glaucum were found to become infected by both pathogens via inoculation with 10⁶ conidia/ml. Species which did not become infected under these conditions included Pennisetum pedicellatum, Zea mays, and species of Panicum, Brachiaria, Cenchrus, Andropogon, Dichanthium, Chrysopogon, Iseilema, Bothriochloa and Chloris. Honeydew secretions were observed from infected flowers of susceptible plant species. There was marked variation in size of macroconidia of both C. sorghi and C. africana on different hosts on which the pathogens were able to establish symptoms. Dimorphism was observed for macroconidia produced on P. glaucum, as elliptical and spindle shaped macroconidia were observed. Based on inoculation under greenhouse conditions, we conclude that C. sorghi and C. africana may have similar host ranges.     

The locomotion of Babakotia radofilai inferred from epiphyseal and diaphyseal morphology of the humerus and femur

Palaeopropithecids, or “sloth lemurs,” are a diverse clade of large‐bodied Malagasy subfossil primates characterized by their inferred suspensory positional behavior. The most recently discovered genus of the palaeopropithecids is Babakotia, and it has been described as more arboreal than Mesopropithecus, but less than Palaeopropithecus. In this article, the within‐bone and between‐bones articular and cross‐sectional diaphyseal proportions of the humerus and femur of Babakotia were compared to extant lemurs, Mesopropithecus and Palaeopropithecus in order to further understand its arboreal adaptations. Additionally, a sample of apes and sloths (Choloepus and Bradypus) are included as functional outgroups composed of suspensory adapted primates and non‐primates. Results show that Babakotia and Mesopropithecus both have high humeral/femoral shaft strength proportions, similar to extant great apes and sloths and indicative of forelimb suspensory behavior, with Babakotia more extreme in this regard. All three subfossil taxa have relatively large femoral heads, also associated with suspension in modern taxa. However, Babakotia and Mesopropithecus (but not Palaeopropithecus) have relatively small femoral head surface area to shaft strength proportions suggesting that hind‐limb positioning in these taxa during climbing and other behaviors was different than in extant great apes, involving less mobility. Knee and humeral articular dimensions relative to shaft strengths are small in Babakotia and Mesopropithecus, similar to those found in modern sloths and divergent from those in extant great apes and lemurs, suggesting more sloth‐like use of these joints during locomotion. Mesopropithecus and Babakotia are more similar to Choloepus in humerofemoral head and length proportions while Palaeopropithecus is more similar to Bradypus. These results provide further evidence of the suspensory adaptations of Babakotia and further highlight similarities to both extant suspensory primates and non‐primate slow arboreal climbers and hangers. J. Morphol. 277:1199–1218, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Morphology and development of anthers and ovules in Croton and Astraea (Euphorbiaceae)

We examined the embryological development of anthers and ovules from Astraea (A. lobata and A. praetervisa) and Croton (C. floribundus, C. fuscescens, C. glandulosus, C. lundianus, C. piptocalyx, C. urucurana and C. triqueter) focusing on features with systematic significance for the group. Some of these features are common in Euphorbiaceae including: a dicotyledonous type of anther wall formation, a secretory tapetum, a mixed origin of the outer ovule integument, an epidermal origin of the inner ovule integument, the occurrence of many archesporial cells inside the ovules and a megagametophyte of the Polygonum‐type. Other features, such as the presence of styloid crystals in the tapetum, an idioblast with a druse in the endothecium, simultaneous and successive microsporogenesis, and a functional micropylar megaspore, have not previously been reported in the family. These characters appear to distinguish Croton and Astraea from other Euphorbiaceae and possibly represents autapomorphies for the tribe Crotoneae.     

Cryopreservation and storage of embryogenic callus cultures of several Citrus species and cultivars

Nucellus-derived embryogenic callus cultures of Salustiana sweet orange were subjected to cryoconservation assays. Cryoprotection with 10%(vol/vol) dimethylsulfoxide, freezing by slow cooling and thawing by fast warming was suitable to recover viable growing cultures and whole plants through embryogenesis. Evaluation of liquid phase R ₁ and solid phase R ₂ cooling rates using a programmable freezing unit indicated that 100% of embryogenic cultures survived when frozen using a range of cooling rates (R ₁ not above 0.5°C min^–1 and R ₂ not above 1°C min ¹) and thawed by fast warming. Storage up to 2 years in liquid nitrogen did not affect the growth of the cryopreserved cultures and the recovery of whole plants. Cultures of four cultivars of sweet orange (C. sinensis Osb.), three cultivars of grapefruit (C. paradisi Macf.), and one cultivar each of lemon [C. limon (L.) Burm. f.], Cleopatra mandarin (C. reshni Hort. ex Tan.), sour orange (C. aurantium L.) and Mexican lime [C. aurantifolia (Christm.) Swing.] have been successfully cryopreserved. Problems using a viability assessment using fluorescein diacetate staining are discussed. Received: 15 April 1996 / Revision received: 22 July 1996 / Accepted: 6 August 1996     

Interaction of maturation delay and nonlinear birth in population and epidemic models

 A population with birth rate function B(N) N and linear death rate for the adult stage is assumed to have a maturation delay T>0. Thus the growth equation N′(t)=B(N(t−T)) N(t−T) e⁻ d ₁ T−dN(t) governs the adult population, with the death rate in previous life stages d ₁≧0. Standard assumptions are made on B(N) so that a unique equilibrium N _e exists. When B(N) N is not monotone, the delay T can qualitatively change the dynamics. For some fixed values of the parameters with d ₁>0, as T increases the equilibrium N _e can switch from being stable to unstable (with numerically observed periodic solutions) and then back to stable. When disease that does not cause death is introduced into the population, a threshold parameter R ₀ is identified. When R ₀<1, the disease dies out; when R ₀>1, the disease remains endemic, either tending to an equilibrium value or oscillating about this value. Numerical simulations indicate that oscillations can also be induced by disease related death in a model with maturation delay. Received: 2 November 1998 / Revised version: 26 February 1999     

Structural and genetic studies of the proliferation disrupter genes of Drosophila simulans and D. melanogaster

To examine whether structural and functional differences exist in the proliferation disrupter (prod) genes between Drosophila simulans and D. melanogaster, we analyzed and compared both genes. The exon–intron structure of the genes was found to be the same – three exons were interrupted by two introns, although a previous report suggested that only one intron existed in D. melanogaster. The prod genes of D. simulans and D. melanogaster both turn out to encode 346 amino acids, not 301 as previously reported for D. melanogaster. The numbers of nucleotide substitutions in the prod genes was 0.0747 ±  per synonymous site and 0.0116 ± 0.0039 per replacement site, both comparable to those previously known for homologous genes between D. simulans and D. melanogaster. Genetic analysis demonstrated that D. simulans PROD can compensate for a deficiency of D. melanogaster PROD in hybrids. The PRODs of D. simulans and D. melanogaster presumably share the same function and a conserved working mechanism. The prod gene showed no significant interaction with the lethality of the male hybrid between these species. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.