Untersuchungen über das Vorkommen der Laufkäfer [Col.: Carabidae] auf Europäischen Getreidefeldern

Zusammenfassung Mit Bodenfallen wurde das Auftreten der Laufk?fer vorwiegend in Winterweizenfeldern in der Zeit von Ende Mai bis Anfang August 1973 und 1974 in Belgien, Deutschland, den Niederlanden und Schweden festgestellt. Unter den h?ufigsten Arten tratenPterostichus vulgaris undBembidion lampros in allen,Agonum dorsale in fast allen Untersuchungsgebieten gemeinsam auf. Sechzehn weitere Arten konnten als allgemein für die meisten Weizenfelder der Untersuchungsgebiete genannt werden. In fast allen Gebieten waren (gemessen an der Artenzahl) die Frühlingstiere mit Herbstbestand in der überzahl Die durchschnittliche Anazahl der pro Falle und Tag gefangenen Laufk?fer variierte von 1 bis 13 und lag im Mittel aller Gebiete bei 6 K?fern. Mit der Quadratmenthode wurden in einem norddeutschen Gebiet 6000 bis 11000 Individuen der ArtAgonum dorsale pro ha festgestellt. Es wird darauf hingewiesen, dass es lohnenswert ist, die Laufk?fer bei der Erstellung integrierter Pflanzenschutzprogramme zu berücksichtigen.

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Summary The occurrence ofCarabidae was investigated by pitfall trapping mainly on fields of winter wheat from the end of May to the beginning of August 1973 and 1974 in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden. Among the most common speciesPterostichus vulgaris andBembidion lampros were found in all,Agonum dorsale in nearly all regions. Furthermore the following 16 species could be regarded as common for most of the wheat fields in the regions of investigation:Trechus quadristriatus, T. discus, Pterostichus cupreus, P. niger, Asaphidion flavipes, Clivina fossor, Loricera pilicornis, Nebria brevicollis, Harpalus pubescens, H. aeneus, Agonum mülleri, Bembidion ustulatum, Amara familiaris, Calathus fuscipes, Carabus cancellatus ardC. granulatus. In most of the regions, if numbers of species were regarded, spring breeders with an autumn generation were more numerous than spring breedens without an autumn generation, and autumn breeders. The average number of ground beetles per pitfall trap and day varied from 1 to 13 and averaged 6, if all regions were regarded. By using the square method in a Northern German region there was stated a number of 6,000 up to 11,000 individuals ofAgonum dorsale per hectare. Where a comparison was possible, no distinct difference could be stated concerning the number of carabid species between the present investigations and those having taken place ca. 20 years ago. It is emphasized, that it is worth while taking into account the ground beetles, too, when establishing integrated control programs in cereal growing.

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West-Pal?arktisch Regionale Sektion der O.I.L.B., Arbeitsgruppe Integrierte Bek?mpfung im Getreidebau

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Dem Andenken unseres Freundes und KollegenThyge Thygesen (1923–1974) gewidmet, deran der Gründung der Arbeitsgruppe beteiligt vor Abschluss der Untersuchungen verstorben ist.     

Dietary zinc deficiency has no effect on auditory brainstem responses in the rat

Zinc has been shown to effect--in vitro--a number of processes associated with neurotransmission. We have tested whether the rate of impulse conduction--in vivo--as measured from the latencies of auditory brainstem responses (ABR), is influenced by dietary zinc deficiency in the rat. Dietary zinc deficiency for up to 26 wk had no effect on the wave I-IV interval compared to zinc-adequate fed animals. The results are discussed in relation to the observed constancy of brain overall and extracellular fluid zinc concentrations under conditions of dietary zinc deficiency.     

The gut microbiota of the pine weevil is similar across Europe and resembles that of other conifer‐feeding beetles

The pine weevil (Hylobius abietis, Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is an important pest of conifer seedlings in Europe. Despite its economic importance, little is known about the composition of its gut microbial community and the role it plays in mediating the weevil's ability to utilize conifers as a food source. Here, we characterized the gut bacterial communities of different populations of H. abietis across Europe and compared them to those of other beetles that occupy similar ecological niches. We demonstrate that the microbial community of H. abietis is similar at higher taxonomic levels (family and genus) across locations in Europe, with Wolbachia as the dominant microbe, followed by Enterobacteria and Firmicutes. Despite this similarity, we observed consistent differences between countries and locations, but not sexes. Our meta‐analysis demonstrates that the gut bacterial community of the pine weevil is very similar to that of bark beetles that also exploit conifers as a food source. The Enterobacteriaceae symbionts of both host taxa are especially closely related phylogenetically. Conversely, the microbiota of H. abietis is distinct from that of closely related weevils feeding on nonconifer food sources, suggesting that the microbial community of the pine weevil is determined by the environment and may be relevant to host ecology. Furthermore, several H. abietis‐associated members of the Enterobacteriaceae family are known to contain genes involved in terpenoid degradation. As such, we hypothesize that the gut microbial community is important for the utilization of conifer seedlings as a food source, either through the detoxification of plant secondary metabolites or through the supplementation of essential nutrients.     

Interaction between two ubiquitin-protein isopeptide ligases of different classes,CBLC and AIP4/ITCH

In metazoans, CBL proteins are RING finger type ubiquitin-protein isopeptide (E3) ligases involved in the down-regulation of epidermal growth factor tyrosine kinase receptors (EGFR). Among the three CBL proteins described in humans, CBLC (CBL3) remains poorly studied. By screening in parallel a human and a Caenorhabditis elegans library using the two-hybrid procedure in yeast, we found a novel interaction between Hsa-CBLC and Hsa-AIP4 or its C. elegans counterpart Cel-WWP1. Hsa-AIP4 and Cel-WWP1 are also ubiquitin E3 ligases. They contain a HECT (homologous to E6-AP C terminus) catalytic domain and four WW domains known to bind proline-rich regions. We confirmed the interaction between Hsa-CBLC and Hsa-AIP4 by a combination of glutathione S-transferase pull-down, co-immunoprecipitation, and colocalization experiments. We show that these two E3 ligases are involved in EGFR signaling because both become phosphorylated on tyrosine following epidermal growth factor stimulation. In addition, we observed that CBLC increases the ubiquitination of EGFR, and that coexpressing the WW domains of AIP4 exerts a dominant negative effect on EGFR ubiquitination. Finally, coexpressing CBLC and AIP4 induces a down-regulation of EGFR signaling. In conclusion, our data demonstrate that two E3 ligases of different classes can interact and cooperate to down-regulate EGFR signaling.     

Effects of dietary fat source and subtherapeutic levels of antibiotic on the bacterial community in the ileum of broiler chickens at various ages

The effect of dietary fat source (soy oil or a mixture of lard and tallow) and dietary supplementation with antibiotics (a combination of avilamycin at 10 mg kg of feed(-1) and salinomycin at 40 mg kg of feed(-1)) on the bacterial community in the ileum of broiler chickens at different ages (7, 14, 21, and 35 days) was studied using PCR with denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis and bacteriological culture. The bacterial origin of fragments in DGGE profiles was identified by sequencing. Bacterial enumeration results, together with PCR-DGGE profiles, showed that the composition of the microflora was age dependent and influenced by dietary fat source and antibiotic supplementation. An increased incidence of streptococci, enterobacteria, and Clostridium perfringens with age of the chickens was demonstrated. Lactobacilli and C. perfringens were the bacterial groups most strongly affected by the dietary treatments. Moreover, different strains (clonal variants of the alpha-toxin gene) of C. perfringens type A were detected in response to age, dietary fat source, and dietary supplementation with antibiotics.     

Integration from proteins to organs: the Physiome Project

The Physiome Project will provide a framework for modelling the human body, using computational methods that incorporate biochemical, biophysical and anatomical information on cells, tissues and organs. The main project goals are to use computational modelling to analyse integrative biological function and to provide a system for hypothesis testing.     

Design and construction of a uniaxial cell stretcher

In vitro mechanical cell stimulators are used for the study of the effect of mechanical stimulation on anchorage-dependent cells. We developed a new mechanical cell stimulator, which uses stepper motor technology and computer control to achieve a high degree of accuracy and repeatability. This device also uses high-performance plastic components that have been shown to be noncytotoxic, dimensionally stable, and resistant to chemical degradation from common culture laboratory chemicals. We show that treatment with glow discharge for 25 s at 20 mA is sufficient to modify the surface of the rubber to allow proper adhesion for polymerization of aligned collagen. We show through finite element analysis that the middle area of the membrane, away from the clamped ends, is predictable, homogeneous, and has negligible shear strain. To test the efficacy of the mechanical stretch, we examined the effect of mechanical stimulation on the production of beta(1)-integrin by neonatal rat cardiac fibroblasts. Mechanical stimulation was tested in the range of 0-12% stretch and 0-10-cycles/min stretch frequency. The fibroblasts respond with an increase in beta(1)-integrin at 3% stretch and a decrease at 6 and 12% stretch. Stretch frequency was found to not significantly effect the concentration of beta(1)-integrin. These studies yield a new and improved mechanical cell stimulator and demonstrate that mechanical stimulation has an effect on the expression of beta(1)-integrin.