Evidence of Intergenomic Relationships in Triploid Hybrids of Coffee (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Coffea sp.)</Emphasis> as Revealed by Meiotic Behavior and Genomic in Situ Hybridization

Interspecific hybrids involving the cultivated C. arabica (2n = 4x = 44, E^aE^aC^aC^a) and two related diploid species (2n = 2x = 22), C. eugenioides (EE) and C. liberica (LL), were produced and analyzed for their relative genome affinity using different complementary approaches, including chromosome association analysis, genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) and pollen fertility. The mean arm pairing frequency (c) and the relative affinity index (x) of triploid hybrids with known genome combinations were used as a measure of chromosome homology. Triploid hybrids were highly sterile as a result of meiotic abnormalities (fertility ranged from 1 to 15 %). Nevertheless, all hybrids exhibited a significant occurrence of genome affinities (x = 0.96 for E^aC^aE and 0.81 for E^aC^aL). Further analysis using the GISH approach revealed that C. eugenioides was more closely related to C. arabica than to C. liberica, which was in agreement with the ancestral history of the allotetraploid C. arabica. The absence of incompatibility barriers at the stylar level in the flowers of the triploid hybrids indicates the possibility of desirable gene transfer through breeding strategies.     

Flying lemurs – The 'flying tree shrews'? Molecular cytogenetic evidence for a Scandentia-Dermoptera sister clade

Background  

Flying lemurs or Colugos (order Dermoptera) represent an ancient mammalian lineage that contains only two extant species. Although molecular evidence strongly supports that the orders Dermoptera, Scandentia, Lagomorpha, Rodentia and Primates form a superordinal clade called Supraprimates (or Euarchontoglires), the phylogenetic placement of Dermoptera within Supraprimates remains ambiguous.     

Areas of endemism in the Espinhaço Range in Minas Gerais, Brazil

The Espinhaço Range, a mountain chain located in the Brazilian states of Minas Gerais and Bahia, contains one of the richest floras in Brazil, with a high frequency of endemic species. Since 2005 it is designated as UNESCO biosphere reserve and is situated at the joint border of two global hotspots for biodiversity conservation. Endemic species with congruent occurrence patterns were identified in order to establish areas of higher endemism within the Espinhaço Range. Taxonomic reviews were analyzed in order to identify endemic taxa and a dataset was elaborated containing 1765 records from 178 endemic species of vascular plants, representing 17 families and including the geographic coordinates for each record. Two maps were produced showing species richness and collection effort in 15′ quadrats. The congruent occurrences were identified and a third map was provided, delimiting 10 candidate areas of endemism for a “parsimony analysis of endemicity” (PAE). One most parsimonious cladogram is then retrieved, evidencing three major clades corresponding to the northern, central and southern portions of the Espinhaço, in addition to four subclades included into the central clade. We finally identified six major areas of endemism. Furthermore, there is a strong correlation between species richness and collector effort, revealing which areas are in need of further field inventories.     

Metabolomics Reveals Phospholipids as Important Nutrient Sources during Salmonella Growth in Bile In Vitro and In Vivo

During the colonization of hosts, bacterial pathogens are presented with many challenges that must be overcome for colonization to occur successfully. This requires the bacterial sensing of the surroundings and adaptation to the conditions encountered. One of the major impediments to the pathogen colonization of the mammalian gastrointestinal tract is the antibacterial action of bile. Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium has specific mechanisms involved in resistance to bile. Additionally, Salmonella can successfully multiply in bile, using it as a source of nutrients. This accomplishment is highly relevant to pathogenesis, as Salmonella colonizes the gallbladder of hosts, where it can be carried asymptomatically and promote further host spread and transmission. To gain insights into the mechanisms used by Salmonella to grow in bile, we studied the changes elicited by Salmonella in the chemical composition of bile during growth in vitro and in vivo through a metabolomics approach. Our data suggest that phospholipids are an important source of carbon and energy for Salmonella during growth in the laboratory as well as during gallbladder infections of mice. Further studies in this area will generate a better understanding of how Salmonella exploits this generally hostile environment for its own benefit.     

Characterization and Anaerobic Pretreatment of the Effluent from a Wine Cooperative

The wastewater from a modern Portuguese wine producing cooperative has been characterized by an automatic sampler which allowed for the collection of daily and hourly averaged samples in two distinct representative situations: the vintage and non‐vintage periods of the year. Continuous data of room and wastewater temperatures, pH and flow rate were stored in a data logging system. The winery sells most of the husk and settled sour vine to distilleries, which reduces the quantity of waste and the wastewater pollution load as well as providing an additional source of income. However, the concentration values were higher than the limits allowed by the local authority for discharge into the municipal sewage system; therefore, lab‐scale tests were carried out using an anaerobic hybrid filter, to get comparative data on the feasibility of such an anaerobic process to pre‐treat this wastewater. The main results, obtained during 7 months of experimentation, indicate that satisfactory COD removals (0.65–0.90) can be ensured by this reactor configuration at relatively low hydraulic retention times (2–3 d), which makes this solution simple and favorable for application in this case study.