Polysaccharide Synthesis from GDP-Glucose in Pea Epicotyl Slices

Pea epicotyl slices were incubated with GDP-[¹⁴C]glucose (1µM), and the incorporation of radioactivity into productsinsoluble in hot 0·5 M NaOH was measured. All the radioactivityin the alkali-insoluble product was present as ß-(14)-linkedglucose residues. The following tests suggest that the productwas not cellulose: 88% of it was soluble in hot 4·4 MNaOH, it was shown to be of relatively low molecular weightby gel filtration in cadoxen, and its synthesis was not inhibitedby inhibitors of cellulose synthesis. When non-radioactive GDP-mannose(10 µM) was included in incubation medium, the incorporationcontinued for a longer period, but its initial rate was notincreased. This suggests that the product was a glucomannan.Incubation of pea epicotyl slices with 50 µM GDP-[¹⁴C]glucosehowever, gave products which appeared to include a significantproportion of cellulose: 25% of the product was insoluble inhot 4·4 M NaOH, the incorporation continued up to atleast 90 min of incubation, and the product was of higher molecularweight than that from 1 µM GDP-glucose. The tests describedpermit positive evidence for cellulose biosynthesis in in vitrosystems to be obtained.     

Effects of Extreme Acceleration on the Germination, Growth and Cell Wall Composition of Pea Epicotyls

Pea (Pisum sativum) seedlings were germinated and grown in darknessfor 5 d whilst being subjected to continuous accelerations ofbetween 1 ? g and 1054 ? g. Increased acceleration retardedthe elongation of both epicotyls and roots, and inhibited lateralroot growth. Changes in the cell wall carbohydrate and lignincomponents were also recognized. Nevertheless, increasing accelerationfrom 1 ? g to 1054 ? g had no effect on germination and peaswere able to germinate and grow successfully at up to approximately10 000 ? g. Key words: Acceleration, cell walls, Pisum     

The Effect of pH on the Binding of Calcium to Pea Epicotyl Cell Walls and its Implications for the Control of Cell Extension

Cell walls were prepared from the epicotyls of dark-grown pea(Pisum sativum L.) seedlings. The walls were found to bind externally-added⁴⁵Ca²⁺, with a binding constant of 4 ? 10^–4 mol dm^–3and a maximum capacity of 1.5 ? 10^–8 g-ions of Ca²⁺ perg fresh weight of epicotyl. The binding capacity decreased asthe pH of the medium was decreased below 6.0, suggesting thatthe calcium was bound by an anionic group with an apparent pKof 4.7. More than half the calcium binding was due to polygalacturonicacid in the wall, since up to 60% of the calcium binding capacitywas removed by pre-incubation of the cell walls with polygalacturonase(E.C.3.2.1.15). Only small decreases in calcium binding wereseen following pre-incubation with protease, nucleases, phospholipaseand hemicellulase. These results indicate that calcium willbe displaced from the cell wall at hydrogen ion concentrationswhich are known to occur in the wall during wall extension.They are consistent with a mechanism by which calcium inhibitswall extension by forming ionic bridges between polygalacturonicacid molecules, and also with the hypothesis that calcium andhydrogen ions exert opposing influences on cell wall extensionby competing for the same binding sites on the polygalacturonicacid. Key words: Pea epicotyl, Cell wall, Calcium, pH     

Differential and delayed response of two ant species to habitat fragmentation via the introduction of a pine matrix

1. Ants are a ubiquitous and crucial component of Australian Eucalyptus forests, but responses to long‐term habitat fragmentation remain poorly understood. Two ant species were followed across a 21‐year history of pine plantation establishment and maturation in a southeast Australian Eucalyptus forest. 2. At Wog Wog in southeastern Australia, a Native Eucalyptus forest was clear‐cut to make way for plantation establishment and 12 remnant patches of forest were left intact and subsequently surrounded by a pine matrix. Pitfall traps were placed in the continuous native forest, remnant Eucalyptus patches, and the pine matrix between fragments, and were stratified based on proximity to remnant patch edges and habitat type. Two ant species are focused on that represent the only remaining data for the early years of the experiment. 3. While Leptomyrmex erythrocephalus (Fabricius), the rarer of the two species, was not affected by fragmentation in the short term, 21 years after fragmentation, it was less likely to occur in both the mature pine matrix and fragments than in continuous forest controls. Aphaenogaster longiceps (Smith F.) was equally likely to occur in the fragments, continuous forest, and pine matrix early in the experiment but by year 21 post‐fragmentation was less likely to occur in the pine matrix than fragments or controls. 4. Importantly, we only detected negative impacts of fragmentation on ant occurrence as the pine plantation matrix matured and isolated ant populations on fragments. 5. It is concluded that changes in matrix suitability and specific habitat characteristics influence ant persistence in Eucalyptus fragments.     

Badger Meles meles setts–architecture, internal environment and function

Badger setts vary considerably in size, ranging from simple single-entrance burrows to complex tunnel systems hundreds of metres long with multiple entrances and underground chambers. Data from 19 excavated setts show that main setts are larger than other setts in terms of area and volume, and contain more chambers, nests and latrines; but setts of different sizes and types are built according to the same basic architectural principles. Little is known about the environmental conditions within setts, other than that temperature and humidity are constant in parts of a sett that are at least 7 m from the nearest entrance. Setts are used for breeding and as sleeping places and refuges, but a question remains as to the functional value of large setts. It is suggested that large main setts allow members of a social group to avoid one another underground, especially when breeding. Little is known about the use of other types of sett.     

Spatial Variation in Lesser Prairie-Chicken Demography: A Sensitivity Analysis of Population Dynamics and Management Alternatives

ABSTRACT The lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) is currently considered a candidate for protection under the Endangered Species Act. To identify potential limiting factors for lesser prairie-chicken populations, we developed an age-based matrix model of lesser prairie-chicken population dynamics to compare the relative importance of components of reproduction and survival, and determine if various management alternatives stabilize or increase rates of population change. We based our analyses on an intensive 6-year population study from which demographic rates were estimated for each age class in Kansas. We used deterministic models and elasticity values to identify parameters predicted to have the greatest effect on the rate of population change (λ) at 2 study sites. Last, we used life-stage simulation analysis to simulate various management alternatives. Lambda was <1 for both populations (site 1: λ = 0.54, site 2: λ = 0.74). However, we found differences in sensitivity to nest success and chick survival between populations. The results of the simulated management scenarios complemented the lower-level elasticity analysis and indicated the relative importance of female survival during the breeding season compared with winter. If management practices are only capable of targeting a single demographic rate, changes to either nest success or chick survival had the greatest impact on λ at site 1 and 2, respectively. Management that simultaneously manipulated both nest success and chick survival was predicted to have a greater effect on λ than changes in survival of adult females. In practice, our demographic analyses indicate that effective management should be based on habitat conservation measures to increase components of fecundity.     

Method of predicting reference condition biota affects the performance and interpretation of ecological indices

1. The statistical rigour and interpretability of ecological assessments is strongly affected by how well we predict the biological assemblages expected to occur in the absence of human‐caused stress, i.e. the reference condition. In this study, we examined how the specific method used to predict the reference condition affected the performance of two commonly used types of ecological index: RIVPACS‐based O/E indices and multimetric indices (MMIs). 2. These two types of index have generally relied on different approaches to predicting the reference condition. For MMIs, some type of regionalisation is typically used to describe the range of metric values among reference sites and hence the expected range at assessed sites. For O/E indices, continuous modelling is used to predict how the biota varies among sites both among and within regions. Because the prediction method differs for these two types of index, it has been impossible to judge if differences in index performance (accuracy, precision, responsiveness and sensitivity) are caused by differences in the way reference condition biota are predicted or by differences in what the indices measure. 3. We used a common data set of 94 reference sites and 255 managed sites and the same potential set of predictor variables to compare the performance of five different MMIs and three O/E indices that were derived from different prediction methods: null models, multiple linear regression (MLR), classification and regression trees, Random Forests (RF) and linear discriminant functions models (LDM). We then calculated values of these indices for samples collected from the managed catchments as well as samples collected from 13 reference sites that were progressively altered in known ways by a simulation programme. 4. Both the type of predictor used and the type of index affected overall index performance. Modelled indices generally had the greatest sensitivity in assessing managed sites as biologically different from reference. Index sensitivity was determined by both an aspect of index precision (10th percentile of reference condition values) and responsiveness. The O/E indices showed the best scope of response to known biological alteration. All three O/E indices decreased linearly in response to simulated alteration in both overall assemblage structure (Bray‐Curtis dissimilarity) and taxa loss. The MMIs declined linearly from low to intermediate levels of assemblage alteration but were less responsive between intermediate and high levels of biological alteration. 5. Insights gained from simulations can aid in testing assumptions regarding index response to stress and help ensure that we select indices that are ecologically interpretable and most useful to resource managers.     

Biofuels agriculture: landscape‐scale trade‐offs between fuel,economics, carbon,energy, food,and fiber

First‐generation biofuels are an existing, scalable form of renewable energy of the type urgently required to mitigate climate change. In this study, we assessed the potential benefits, costs, and trade‐offs associated with biofuels agriculture to inform bioenergy policy. We assessed different climate change and carbon subsidy scenarios in an 11.9 million ha (5.48 million ha arable) region in southern Australia. We modeled the spatial distribution of agricultural production, full life‐cycle net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and net energy, and economic profitability for both food agriculture (wheat, legumes, sheep rotation) and biofuels agriculture (wheat, canola rotation for ethanol/biodiesel production). The costs, benefits, and trade‐offs associated with biofuels agriculture varied geographically, with climate change, and with the level of carbon subsidy. Below we describe the results in general and provide (in parentheses) illustrative results under historical mean climate and a carbon subsidy of A$20 t^?1 CO₂^?e. Biofuels agriculture was more profitable over an extensive area (2.85 million ha) of the most productive arable land and produced large quantities of biofuels (1.7 GL yr^?1). Biofuels agriculture substantially increased economic profit (145.8 million $A yr^?1 or 30%), but had only a modest net GHG abatement (?2.57 million t CO₂^?e yr^?1), and a negligible effect on net energy production (?0.11 PJ yr^?1). However, food production was considerably reduced in terms of grain (?3.04 million t yr^?1) and sheep meat (?1.89 million head yr^?1). Wool fiber production was also substantially reduced (?23.19 kt yr^?1). While biofuels agriculture can produce short‐term benefits, it also has costs, and the vulnerability of biofuels to climatic warming and drying renders it a myopic strategy. Nonetheless, in some areas the profitability of biofuels agriculture is robust to variation in climate and level of carbon subsidy and these areas may form part of a long‐term diversified mix of land‐use solutions to climate change if trade‐offs can be managed.