Tritrichomonas foetus: Fine Structure of Freeze-Fractured Membranes1

ABSTRACT. Freeze-fracture techniques reveal differences in fine structure between the anterior three flagella of Tritrichomonas foetus and its recurrent flagellum. The anterior flagella have rosettes of 9–12 intramembranous particles on both the P and E faces. The recurrent flagellum lacks rosettes but has ribbon-like arrays of particles along the length of the flagellum, which may be involved in the flagellum's attachment to the cell body. This flagellum is attached to the membrane of the cell body along a distinct groove that contains few discernible particles. Some large intramembranous particles are visible on the P face of the cell body membrane at the point where the flagellum emerges from the cell body. The randomly distributed particles on the P and E faces of the plasma membrane have a particle density of 919/μm² and 468/μm² respectively, and there are areas on both faces that are devoid of particles. Freeze-fracture techniques also reveal numerous fenestrations in the membrane of the Golgi complex and about 24 pores per μm² in the nuclear. membrane.     

Factors influencing the distributional abundance of two trophic guilds of Peruvian cricetid rodents

The distributional abundance of 13 species of southern Peruvian rodents is significantly correlated with altitude and patterns of vegetation but vegetation is a better predictor than altitude. Coincidental reversals in the altitudinal trends of both vegetation and rodents demonstrate that rodents are responding to vegetation patterns. Abundance and diversity of rodents are greatest around 4000 m elevation which coincides with the region of greatest vegetational abundance and seasonally heavy rainfall.
The rodent communities consist of two separate feeding guilds, omnivores and insectivores and these guilds show distinctly different distributional patterns. Insectivorous species are strongly associated with the zone of seasonally heavy rainfall (4000 m) whereas omnivorous rodents are relatively abundant over a broader spectrum of elevations and habitats. In a previous study of these same communities, we showed a correspondence between rodent morphology and their diets. This study reveals a correspondence between distributional abundance of the various species and their diets. We conclude that the distributional abundance of southern Peruvian rodents is related to the physiological constraints imposed by altitude (climate) and the distributional abundance of food resources.     

Morphogenesis in the Heterotrich Ciliate Climacostomum virens. I. Oral Development During Cell Division

The principal characteristics of stomatogenesis during division in Climacostomum virens are: (A) Kinetosomal proliferation on the left side of a variable number of kineties in the ventral somatic cortex forms an oral primordium consisting of several kinetosomal fields, which then fuse to form a single anarchic field. (B) A constant topographical relationship exists between the primordium and a well defined cortical pattern, the zone of discontinuity. (C) The anarchic field primordium divides into 2 unequal parts—to the left, the AZM primordium, and to the right, the paroral primordium, which differentiates into the apical membranelles, the peristomial field, and the buccal tube. (D) Preoral and oblique kineties of the somatic cortex form along the right side of the paroral primordium. (E) Parental oral structures are partially dedifferentiated. Stomatogenesis in C. virens and other heterotrichs is compared.     

Light and Electron Microscopic Observations on the Heterotrich Ciliate Climacostomum virens

SYNOPSIS. Alveolar membranes and an epiplasm exist under the cell membrane of the noncontractile heterotrich ciliate Climacostomum virens. Postciliary microtubular ribbons join at the right of each somatic kinety to form a Km fiber. Two transverse microtubular fibers occur per kinetosomal pair. A myonemal network interconnects the kinetosomal bases intrakinetally and interkinetally. Ultrastructural comparisons are made between the contractile and noncontractile heterotrichs.
The buccal cortex consists of an adoral zone of membranelles, a peristomal field, a buccal tube, the apical membranelles, and a haplokinety. The kineties of the peristomal field and buccal tube are rows of paired kinetosomes, with a postciliary ribbon of microtubules arising from the posterior kinetosome of each pair, and a transverse ribbon and an oblique ribbon from the anterior kinetosome. No Km fibers exist in this region. The haplokinety is a collar of paired kinetosomes surrounding the cytostome; a postciliary microtubular ribbon descends from each kinetosomal pair into the cytostomal region. Ultrastructural details of the buccal cortex of C. virens and other heterotrichs are compared. The nemadesmata which lie under the membranelles are implicated in the body bending of C. virens.
Algae endosymbiotic in the cytoplasm of C. virens are described.     

Endothelin-1 Up-Regulates p115RhoGEF in Embryonic Rat Cardiomyocytes During the Hypertrophic Response

In cardiomyocytes, certain extracellular stimuli that activate heterotrimeric G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) can induce hypertrophy by regulating gene expression and increasing protein synthesis. We investigated if rat embryonic cardiomyocytes (H9c2) underwent variations in the expression levels and subcellular distribution of key components of GPCR-activated signaling pathways during endothelin-1 (ET-1)-induced hypertrophic response. A significant increase of p115RhoGEF protein level was evident in ET-1-treated cells. Real-time quantitative PCR showed RhoGEF mRNA levels were significantly increased. Inhibition of the Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) caused a significant decrease of p115RhoGEF protein in the nuclear fraction, whereas an inhibitor of PKC induced a redistribution of the protein between membrane/organelle and nuclear fractions. The ROCK inhibitor also decreased H9c2 cell hypertrophic response. These results indicate that ROCK and its downstream target molecules, which are involved in inducing the hypertrophic response, are also implicated in signaling the up-regulation of the p115RhoGEF protein.     

An ethological framework for animal bioerosion trace fossils upon mineral substrates with proposal of a new class, fixichnia

Animal bioerosion trace fossils upon mineral substrates are analyzed from the point of view of the Seilacherian ethological classification. Several of the currently accepted ethological classes: cubichnia, fugichnia, repichnia, fodinichnia, agrichnia, calichnia and aedificichnia are not represented in these substrates. This fact points out a lower behavioral diversity of hard substrate trace fossils when compared with soft sediment trace fossils. Bioerosion traces can be classified in just five classes: domichnia, pascichnia, equilibrichnia, praedichnia and fixichnia. Fixichnia is here erected to gather superficial etching scars resulting from the anchoring of fixation of sessile epiliths by means of a soft or skeletal body part. Praedichnia and fixichnia are exclusive of the bioerosion realm.     

A cryptic invasion within an invasion and widespread introgression in the European water frog complex: consequences of uncontrolled commercial trade and weak international legislation

In Western Europe, many pond owners introduce amphibians for ornamental purposes. Although indigenous amphibians are legally protected in most European countries, retailers are circumventing national and international legislation by selling exotic nonprotected sibling species. We investigated to what extent non‐native species of the European water frog complex (genus Pelophylax) have become established in Belgium, using morphological, mitochondrial and nuclear genetic markers. A survey of 87 sampling sites showed the presence of non‐native water frogs at 47 locations, mostly Marsh frogs (Pelophylax ridibundus). Surprisingly, at least 19% of all these locations also harboured individuals with mitochondrial haplotypes characteristic of Anatolian water frogs (Pelophylax cf. bedriagae). Nuclear genotyping indicated widespread hybridization and introgression between P. ridibundus and P. cf. bedriagae. In addition, water frogs of Turkish origin obtained through a licensed retailer, also contained P. ridibundus and P. cf. bedriagae, with identical haplotypes to the wild Belgian populations. Although P. ridibundus might have invaded Belgium by natural range expansion from neighbouring countries, our results suggest that its invasion was at least partly enhanced by commercial trade, with origins as far as the Middle East. Also the invasion and rapid spread of Anatolian lineages, masked by their high morphological similarity to P. ridibundus, is likely the result of unregulated commercial trade. We expect that Anatolian frogs will further invade the exotic as well as the native range of P. ridibundus and other Pelophylax species elsewhere in Western and Central Europe, with risks of large‐scale hybridization and introgression.