Diversity and trophic structure of insects associated with grains of three maize landraces in San Agustín Loxicha,Oaxaca, Mexico

Diversity and trophic structure of grain insect communities were examined in Olotillo, Nal‐Tel and Comiteco maize landraces cultivated within a milpa agroecosystem by Zapotec ethnic groups in Mexico. Higher insect diversity was expected in Olotillo, whose cultivation comprises a wide variety of agroecosystems, and low insect abundance in Nal‐Tel with small grains and thick testa. Forty Olotillo cobs were collected at low, medium and high elevations, and 40 each of Nal‐Tel at low elevation and Comiteco at high elevation. Cobs were monitored for 30 days under controlled laboratory conditions until all insects emerged. Thickness of testa of 400 grains from each landrace was measured. Community composition and trophic structure were described and standard diversity indices were estimated. A total of 9,708 insects, corresponding to five orders, 24 families and 36 species, were recorded, with six species not previously reported in this region. Insect guilds were composed of 70% phytophages, 22% parasitoids and 8% predators. Species richness was S = 27, 16 and 8 in Olotillo, Comiteco and Nal‐Tel, respectively. Nal‐Tel and Olotillo had the highest diversity index values (H′ = 1.32 and 1.2, respectively) and no significant differences; Comiteco had the lowest value (H′ = 0.65) and differed significantly from the other landraces. Comiteco and Olotillo, which have large grains and thin testa, showed higher insect abundance than Nal‐Tel, which has small grains and thick testa and showed lower abundance. Results support our hypotheses and highlight the role of traditional crop management in insect agrobiodiversity maintenance and conservation.     

Fischerella thermalis: a model organism to study thermophilic diazotrophy,photosynthesis and multicellularity in cyanobacteria

Extremophiles - The true-branching cyanobacterium Fischerella thermalis (also known as Mastigocladus laminosus) is widely distributed in hot springs around the world. Morphologically, it has been...     

Rapid colour changes in Euglena sanguinea (Euglenophyceae) caused by internal lipid globule migration

The accumulation of red pigments, frequently carotenoids, under chronic stress is a response observed in diverse kinds of eukaryotic photoautotrophs. It is thought that red pigments protect the chlorophyll located underneath by a light-shielding mechanism. However, the synthesis or degradation of carotenoids is a slow process and this response is usually only observed when the stress is maintained over long periods of time. In contrast, rapid colour changes have been reported in the euglenophyte Euglena sanguinea. Here we study the ecophysiological process behind this phenomenon through chlorophyll fluorescence, and pigment, colour and ultrastructural analyses. Reddening in E. sanguinea was due to the presence of a large amount of free and esterified astaxanthin (representing 80% of the carotenoid pool). The process was highly dynamic, shifting from green to red in 8 min (and vice-versa in 20 min). This change was not due to de novo carotenogenesis, but to the relocation of cytoplasmic lipid globules where astaxanthin accumulates. Thus, red globules were observed to migrate from the centre of the cell to peripheral locations when exposed to high light. Globule migration seems to be so efficient that other classical photoprotective mechanisms are not operative in this species. Despite the presence and operation of the diadino-diatoxanthin cycle, non-photochemical quenching was almost undetectable. Since E. sanguinea forms extensive floating colonies, reddening can be observed at a much greater scale than at the cellular level and the mechanism described here is one of the fastest and most dramatic colour changes attributable to photosynthetic organisms at cell and landscape level. In conclusion E. sanguinea shows an extremely dynamic and efficient photoprotective mechanism, based more on organelle migration than on carotenoid biosynthesis, which prevents excess light absorption by chlorophylls reducing the need for other protective processes related to energy dissipation.     

Core-shell encapsulation formulations to stabilize desiccated Bradyrhizobium against high environmental temperature and humidity

Engineered materials to improve the shelf-life of desiccated microbial strains are needed for cost-effective bioaugmentation strategies. High temperatures and humidity of legume-growing regions challenge long-term cell stabilization at the desiccated state. A thermostable xeroprotectant core and hydrophobic water vapour barrier shell encapsulation technique was developed to protect desiccated cells from the environment. A trehalose core matrix increased the stability of desiccated Bradyrhizobium by three orders of magnitude over 20 days at 32°C and 50% relative humidity (RH) compared to buffer alone; however, the improvement was not deemed sufficient for a shelf-stable bioproduct. We tested common additives (skim milk, albumin, gelatin and dextran) to increase the glass transition temperature of the desiccated product to provide further stabilization. Albumin increased the glass transition temperature of the trehalose-based core by 40°C and stabilized desiccated Bradyrhizobium for 4 months during storage at high temperature (32°C) and moderate humidity (50% RH) with only 1 log loss of viability. Although the albumin-trehalose core provided exceptional protection against high temperature, it was ineffective at higher humidity conditions (75%). We therefore incorporated a paraffin shell, which protected desiccated cells against 75% RH providing proof of concept that core and shell encapsulation is an effective strategy to stabilize desiccated cells.     

Leaf Decomposition in a Dry Season Irrigation Experiment in Eastern Amazonian Forest Regrowth

Leaf-litter decomposition is a major component of carbon and nutrient dynamics in tropical forest ecosystems, and moisture availability is widely considered to be a major influence on decomposition rates. Here, we report the results of a study of leaf-litter decomposition of five tree species in response to dry-season irrigation in a tropical forest regrowth stand in the Brazilian Amazon; three experiments differing in the timing of installation and duration allowed for an improved resolution of irrigation effects on decomposition. We hypothesized that decomposition rates would be faster under higher moisture availability in the wet season and during dry-season irrigation periods in the treatment plots, and that decomposition rates would be faster for species with higher quality leaves, independent of treatment. The rates of decomposition ( k ) were up to 2.4 times higher in irrigated plots than in control plots. The highest k values were shown by Annona paludosa (0.97 to 1.26/yr) while Ocotea guianensis (0.73 to 0.85/yr) had the lowest values; intermediate rates were found for Lacistema pubescens (0.91 to 1.02/yr) and Vismia guianensis (0.91 to 1.08/yr). These four tree species differed significantly in leaf-litter quality parameters (nitrogen, phosphorus, lignin, and cellulose concentrations, as well as lignin:nitrogen and carbon:nitrogen ratios), but differences in decomposition rates among tree species were not strictly correlated with leaf-litter quality. Overall, our results show that dry-season moisture deficits limit decomposition in Amazonian forest regrowth.     

Attraction of Fruit-Eating Bats with Essential Oils of Fruits: A Potential Tool for Forest Restoration

Previous tests with essential oils from ripe chiropterochoric fruits suggested they can be used to attract and capture fruit-eating bats inside forest remnants. Here we evaluated the efficiency of these oils to attract frugivorous bats to open areas. We performed field tests with artificial fruits impregnated with essential oils of the genera Piper or Ficus that were attached to two groups of mist-nets set 50 m outside the border of a forest remnant. One group of artificial fruits received the corresponding oil isolated through hydrodistillation and the other received water only. Fruits with oils attracted significantly more fruit-eating bats, especially Artibeus lituratus that regularly crosses open habitats to reach other forest remnants. The highly significant attraction of A. lituratus by the oil of Piper was unexpected, since this bat is a specialist on Ficus fruits. We hypothesize that in habitats with no fruit available it is possible to attract frugivorous bats with the odor of several ripe fruit species. Furthermore, we verified that almost half of the individuals captured defecated seeds, indicating that the oils also attract recently fed bats, even when their preferred food is available nearby. This technique potentially may increase seed rain at specific locations, being particularly promising to restoration projects.     

Foraging Association between Coatis (Nasua nasua) and Birds of the Atlantic Forest, Brazil

Two bird species, Leucopternis polionota and Dendrocincla fuliginosa , frequently follow coatis ( Nasua nasua) while they forage in the Atlantic forest of southeastern Brazil. Two other avian species, Trogon rufus and Habia rubica , have also been observed following coatis. This "following foraging behavior" is more frequent during the dry season when coatis forage in trees. For the birds, this can represent a coping strategy with the reduced resource availability during the drier season.     

Extensive unfolding of the C-LytA choline-binding module by submicellar concentrations of sodium dodecyl sulphate

We have investigated the stability of the choline-binding module C-LytA against sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS)-induced unfolding at pH 7.0 and 20 degrees C. A major intermediate with an unfolded N-terminal region accumulates at around 0.75 mM SDS, whereas 2.0 mM SDS was sufficient for a complete unfolding. This might be the first report of a protein being extensively unfolded by submicellar concentrations of SDS, occurring through formation of detergent clusters on the protein surface. All transitions were reversible upon SDS complexation with beta-cyclodextrin, allowing the calculation of thermodynamic parameters. A model for the unfolding of C-LytA by SDS is presented and compared to a previous denaturation scheme by guanidine hydrochloride.     

Calpastatin simultaneously binds four calpains with different kinetic constants

Calpastatin is the endogenous, specific protein inhibitor of the calcium-dependent protease, calpain. Using an active site knock-out m-calpain mutant we have studied the enzyme's calcium-dependent binding to calpastatin by surface plasmon resonance without the complication of proteolysis. Calpastatin was capable of simultaneously binding four molecules of calpain. Its four inhibitory domains (CAST1, 2, 3, and 4) were individually expressed in Escherichia coli and the kinetics of their interaction with calpain was separately compared. Their K(d) values ranged from picomolar to nanomolar in the order CAST1>4>3>2. They have similar k(on) values but the k(off) values ranged over three orders of magnitude and can account for the differences in affinity.     

Escherichia coli AspP activity is enhanced by macromolecular crowding and by both glucose-1,6-bisphosphate and nucleotide-sugars

Escherichia coli ADP-sugar pyrophosphatase (AspP) is a "Nudix" hydrolase that catalyzes the hydrolytic breakdown of ADP-glucose linked to glycogen biosynthesis. Moderate increases of AspP activity in the cell are accompanied by significant reductions of the glycogen content. In vitro analyses showed that AspP activity is strongly enhanced by macromolecular crowding and by both glucose-1,6-bisphosphate and nucleotide-sugars, providing a first set of indicative evidences that AspP is a highly regulated enzyme. To our knowledge, AspP is the sole bacterial enzyme described to date which is activated by both G1,6P(2) and nucleotide-sugars.