AN ULTRASTRUCTURAL STUDY OF THE GLAND OF LEIBLEIN OF MURICID AND NASSARIID NEOGASTROPODS IN RELATION TO FUNCTION, WITH A DISCUSSION ON ITS HOMOLOGIES IN OTHER CAENOGASTROPODS

The gland of Leiblein of the muricid Nucella lapillus and thenassariid Hinia reticulata has been examined by scanning andtransmission electron microscopy. The origin and functionalsignificance of its complex organization and its relationshipwith the rest of the mid-oesophagus in Nucella are discussed.It is absorptive as well as secretory, and a mechanism is proposedby which solute-rich fluids may enter the gland. Its epitheliumis composed of occasional mucous cells and two major cell types:ciliated cells engaged in protein metabolism and unciliatedcells responsible for uptake and storage of lipids and carbohydrates,both of which show evidence of pinocytotic uptake of solutesand intracellular digestion in lysosomes. Some enzyme activitypersists in the residual bodies they shed by apocrine secretion,but they remain intact in a mucous string until they reach thestomach. Preliminary ultrastructural examination indicates thatthe gland absorbs cadmium not only from the blood but also directlyfrom its lumen and that it may have the capacity to sequestera wide range of toxins. The same types of cell occur in Hiniain which their cyclical activity has been correlated with feeding.Similar cells have been identified in the oesophageal glandsof other prosobranchs. The foregut glands of carnivorous caenogastropodsare compared with the gland of Leiblein. There is an inversecorrelation between the role of the mid-oesophagus in digestionand absorption and the complexity of the stomach. (Received 16 August 2004; accepted 24 January 2005)     

Intercellular Transport and Cytoplasmic Streaming in Chara hispida

The correlation between the velocities of cytoplasmic streamingand of translocation of ¹⁴C-photosynthate and ³²P-phosphateassociated radioactivity has been investigated in whole plantsof the green freshwater alga Chara hispida L. Tracer was suppliedto the plant's rhizoid system in a split-chamber. The velocityof cytoplasmic streaming of 52±3.3 µm s^–1compares with 57±10 µm s^–1 found for ¹⁴C-transportand 32±20 µm s^–1 found for ³²P-transport.There was no indication of intercellular translocation at avelocity faster than visible streaming. Cytochalasin B inhibitedthe translocation of ³²P and cytoplasmic streaming. CytochalasinB becomes fully effective in inhibiting streaming and transportafter an incubation time of at least 5 h. Key words: Chara hispida, Cytoplasmic streaming, Intercellular transport     

Rhacophyton from the Upper Devonian of West Virginia

A new species of Rhacophyton, R. ceratangium , is described from Upper Devonian rocks of West Virginia, U.S.A.; this is synonymous with R. incertum (Dawson) Krausel and Weyland but reasons are cited to indicate that the latter species name is not appropriate.
The collections include: stems up to 2 cm in diameter bearing bipinnate, non-laminate vegetative fronds; abundant well preserved fertile fronds that show clearly the distinctive morphology of their sterile and fertile pinnae; fragments of axes with woody tissues petrified.
The sporangia are particularly distinctive with their long slender tip; they dehisced longitudinally and contained several hundred spores; all available evidence indicates that the plant was homosporous. All petrified axes have a slender bar-shaped strand of primary wood swollen at either end and surrounded by strongly developed secondary wood consisting of scalariform tracheids and rays.
R. ceratangium is closely related to the Belgian R. zygopteroides Leelercq. A comparison with other Devonian and Carboniferous pteridophytes suggests that Rhacophyton is probably a primitive member of the Progymnospermopsida or immediately ancestral to that group.     

Germination of Erysiphe gratninis f.sp. hordei conidia on barley leaves

Germination of Erysiphe graminis f.sp. hordei conidia on leaves of several barley cultivars was studied in the laboratory. On both detached leaves and intact plants, within 48 h of inoculation a higher proportion of conidia had germinated on the basal and middle portions of the adaxial leaf surface than on the corresponding portions of the abaxial surface. Such differences between surfaces were not observed near the leaf tip. Similar results were obtained with all the cultivars and growth stages tested, and with five isolates of E. graminis, and are consistent with the observation that there is usually less powdery mildew on the abaxial than the adaxial surface of barley leaves. With most of the barley genotype/mildew isolate combinations tested, within 48 h of inoculation higher proportions of conidia germinated on seedlings and juvenile plants than on older plants. Inherited characteristics which affect spore germination on the leaf surface may be important factors in the development of adult-plant resistance of barley to powdery mildew, particularly in certain genotypes.     

Uptake and Transport of Calcium and the Possible Causes of Blossom-end Rot in Tomato

The possible causes of blossom-end rot (BER) in tomato fruitwere investigated by comparing the uptake of calcium by theroots, the distribution of ⁴⁵Ca within the fruit and the vascularbundle network in the fruit of susceptible cultivars (Calypsoand Spectra) with those of a less susceptible cultivar (Counter)grown in a range of salinities (electrical conductivity of 5,10 and 15 mS cm^–1). The daily calcium uptake rates at5 mS cm^–1 as estimated from the xylem exudation of thedecapitated stem stump in young plants of Calypso and old plantsof Spectra, were lower than that of Counter. The uptake of ⁴⁵Caby, and the transport to, the distal part of the detached fruitof susceptible cultivars, especially Calypso, were less thanin Counter at 10 mS cm^–1. The number of vascular bundlesin both proximal and distal fruit tissues was similar in allcultivars and was only slightly reduced by salinity. However,the number of bundles containing lignified xylem vessels, asdetected by safranin staining, was reduced substantially bysalinity, particularly in Calypso. The estimated area of thefruit tissue served by individual xylem bundles in the BER susceptiblefruit grown at high salinity was greater than in Counter. Theincidence of BER in all trusses was linearly related to theproduct of average daily irradiance and daily temperature throughoutthe year. Temperature appears to be the major environmentalfactor which induces BER, regardless of cultivars and salinitytreatment. The most likely causes of BER in susceptible cultivarsare the interactions of (a) light and temperature on fruit enlargement,(b) inadequate xylem tissue development in the fruit and (c)competition between leaves and fruit for the available Ca. Key words: Lycopersicon esculentum, calcium transport, susceptibility to blossom-end rot, root exudation, xylem     

The effects of different external nitrate concentrations on growth of Avena sativa cv. Amuri treated with diclofop-methyl

Avena sativa cv. Amuri fed either low or high nitrate was sprayed with diclofop-methyl (1 kg a.i. ha^-1) at the three leaf stage. The short term effects of the herbicide on chlorophyll concentration of leaves (laminae) and short and long term effects on d.wt of the component plant parts were determined by comparison with unsprayed plants. For unsprayed and sprayed plants, total leaf d.wt approximately doubled during the first twelve days after commencing treatments. Growth was substantially greater at high nitrate than low nitrate. For unsprayed plants, the increase in total leaf d.wt was due primarily to growth of leaf 3 but for sprayed plants it was due to growth of leaves 1 and 2. Twelve days after commencing treatments, d.wt of leaves 1 and 2 was substantially greater for sprayed plants than for unsprayed plants given similar nitrate, while chlorophyll concentration was substantially less. Leaf 3 d.wt and chlorophyll concentration were substantially greater in unsprayed plants than in sprayed plants given similar nitrate. For unsprayed plants, values were greater at high nitrate than low nitrate, for sprayed plants the converse was the case. Forty nine days after commencing treatments, unsprayed plants had a greater total plant d.wt than sprayed plants given similar nitrate. Total plant d.wt for unsprayed plants was greater at high nitrate than low nitrate, the opposite was the case for sprayed plants. Unsprayed plants at both nitrate levels and sprayed plants given low nitrate produced seed heads but sprayed plants given high nitrate did not. Diclofop-methyl at a rate of 0.3 kg a.i. ha^-' stopped seed head production at high nitrate. Retention and uptake of diclofop-methyl were not significantly different at low and high nitrate. At 1 kg a.i. ha-^l diclofop-methyl, plants switched from low to high nitrate at spraying showed damage similar to that shown by plants given high nitrate throughout. Addition of 200 μg GA into the leaf sheaths two days prior to spraying increased the efficacy of diclofop-methyl at low nitrate. It is proposed that increased efficiency of diclofop-methyl at high nitrate is due to increased leaf damage caused by a greater rate of leaf expansion.     

Gold climates and the evolution of viviparity in reptiles: cold incubation temperatures produce poor-quality offspring in the lizard, Sceloporus virgatus

Evolutionary origins of viviparity among the squamate reptiles are strongly associated with cold climates, and cold environmental temperatures are thought to be an important selective force behind the transition from egg-laying to live-bearing. In particular, the low nest temperatures associated with cold climate habitats are thought to be detrimental to the developing embryos or hatchlings of oviparous squamates, providing a selective advantage for the retention of developing eggs in utero, where the mother can provide warmer incubation temperatures for her eggs (by actively thermoregulating) than they would experience in a nest. However, it is not entirely clear what detrimental effects cold incubation temperatures may have on eggs and hatchlings, and what role these effects may play in favouring the evolution of viviparity. Previous workers have suggested that viviparity may be favoured in cold climates because cold incubation temperatures slow cmbryogenesis and delay hatching of the eggs, or because cold nest temperatures are lethal to developing eggs and reduce hatching success. However, incubation temperature has also been shown to have other, potentially long-term, effects on hatchling phcnotypcs, suggesting that cold climates may favour viviparity because cold incubation temperatures produce offspring of poor quality or low fitness. We experimentally incubated eggs of the oviparous phrynosomatid lizard, Sceloporus virgatus, at temperatures simulating nests in a warm (low elevation) habitat, as is typical for this species, and nests in a colder (high elevation) habitat, to determine the effects of cold incubation temperatures on embryonic development and hatchling phenotypes. Incubation at cold nest temperatures slowed embryonic development and reduced hatching success, but also affected many aspects of the hatchlings' phenotypes. Overall, the directions of these plastic responses indicated that cold-incubated hatchlings did indeed exhibit poorer quality phenotypes; they were smaller at hatching (in body length) and at 20 days of age (in length and mass), grew more slowly (in length and mass), had lower survival rates, and showed greater fluctuating asymmetry than their conspecifics that were incubated at warmer temperatures. Our findings suggest that cold nest temperatures are detrimental to S. virgatus, by delaying hatching of their eggs, reducing their hatching success, and by producing poorer quality offspring. These negative effects would likely provide a selective advantage for any mechanism through which these lizards could maintain warmer incubation temperatures in cold climates, including the evolution of prolonged egg retention and viviparity.     

Does reduction of the eggshell occur concurrently with or subsequent to the evolution of viviparity in phrynosomatid lizards?

Viviparity and placentation have evolved many times within squamate reptiles, but the sequence in which the attendant morphological modifications occur remains unclear. In particular, it is unknown whether a reduction of the egg shell occurs concurrently with longer periods of egg retention (i.e. increasingly advanced stages of embryogenesis at oviposition) or whether such thinning occurs after viviparity has evolved. To investigate this question, we evaluated the prediction that shell morphology and permeability vary systematically with the capacity to support embryonic development in utero (as judged by the maximum embryonic stage attainable in utero) in five species of oviparous sccloporine lizards and one lizard species in the sister genus Urosuarus. Despite major differences among species in the capacity to support embryogenesis, shell morphology (structure, thickness) and physiology (permeability to water vapour) did not vary as predicted. These results raise the intriguing possibility that other features associated with simple placentation (e.g. increased oviductal and chorioallantoic vascular density) evolve concurrently with longer periods of egg retention and viviparity and that shell thinning may occur subsequent to the evolution of viviparity, at least in sceloporine lizards.     

Genetic Analysis of Giardia from Hoofed Farm Animals Reveals Artiodactyl-Specific and Potentially Zoonotic Genotypes

ABSTRACT. Thirty one Giardia isolates, established from six species of hoofed livestock by axenic culture or growth in suckling mice, were compared genetically by analysis of DNA amplified from loci encoding variant surface proteins or the enzyme glutamate dehydrogenase and by allozyme analysis. The isolates were heterogeneous, but all showed affinity with genetic Assemblage A-one of two major assemblages defined previously by analysis of Giardia from humans. Three distinct genotypes were evident. Ten isolates (eight axenic and two established in suckling mice) from an alpaca, pig, horse, cattle and sheep were indistinguishable from human-derived G. intestinalis belonging to a previously designated genetic group (Group I). This genotype seems to have broad host specificity, including a zoonotic potential for humans. Five isolates (two axenic and three established in suckling mice) from an alpaca, a horse and sheep had close affinity with human-derived Group I and Group I1 G. inresrinalis genotypes. The other 16 isolates (comprising both axenic and suckling mouse-propagated cultures derived from cattle, sheep, alpaca, a goat and pigs in Australia and Europe) differed from all other Giardia with "duodenalis" morphology that have been examined by these methods and they segregated as a highly distinct sublineage (referred to herein as 'Novel livestock') within genetic Assemblage A. The predominance of 'Novel livestock' genotypes in the test panel and their apparent exclusive association with artiodactyl hosts indicates that they may be confined to this group of mammals. Assemblage B genotypes, which are prevalent in humans and some other animal species, were not detected.     

Evolutionary innovations of squamate reproductive and developmental biology in the family Chamaeleonidae

The availability of molecular phylogenies has greatly accelerated our understanding of evolutionary innovations in the context of their origin and rate of evolution. Here, we assess the evolution of reproductive mode, developmental rate and body size in a group of squamate reptiles: the chameleons. Oviparity is ancestral and viviparity has evolved at least twice: Bradypodion and members of the Trioceros bitaeniatus clade are viviparous. Viviparous species are medium‐sized as a result of convergence from either small‐sized ancestors or large‐sized ancestors, respectively, but do not differ from oviparous species in clutch size, hatchling size or the trade‐off between clutch and hatchling size. Basal chameleons (Brookesia, Rhampholeon and Rieppeleon) are small‐sized and have developmental rates comparable with those of other lizards. Derived chameleons (Calumma, Chamaeleo, Trioceros and Furcifer) are mostly large‐sized and all have relatively slow developmental rates. Several clades of derived chameleons also exhibit developmental arrest (embryonic diapause or embryonic diapause plus cold torpor) and incubation periods extend to 6–10 months or more. Developmental arrest is associated with dry, highly seasonal climates in which the period favourable for oviposition and hatching is short. Long incubation periods thus ensure that hatching occurs during the favourable season following egg laying. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 100 , 656–668.