Do tracheid microstructure and the presence of minute crystals link Nymphaeaceae,Cabombaceae and Hydatellaceae?

Original scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations are presented for stems of Brasenia schreberi and Cabomba caroliniana of Cabombaceae and three species of Trithuria of Hydatellaceae. End walls of stem tracheids of Brasenia have the same peculiar microstructure that we have reported in Barclaya, Euryale, Nuphar, Nymphaea (including Ondinea) and Victoria of Nymphaeaceae. This feature unites Cabombaceae with Nymphaeaceae. The minute rhomboidal crystals on the surfaces of stellate parenchyma cells of Brasenia reported by Solereder (1906. Oxford: University Press), but not noticed since, are figured. They are like the minute crystals of the often‐mentioned astrosclereids of Nymphaeaceae. Neither of these two features has been observed in Hydatellaceae. If the absence of these two features can be confirmed, the reason may be more related to ecology, development, habit and anatomical organization than to degree of phylogenetic relationship as shown by molecular studies. Anatomical observations on the stem anatomy of Trithuria are offered on the basis of paraffin sections prepared for a paper by Cheadle & Kosakai (1975. American Journal of Botany 62: 1017–1026); that study is notable for a discrepancy between an illustration of a specialized vessel element on the one hand and tabular data indicating long scalariform perforation plates on the other. Long scalariform perforation plates are mostly found in scalariformly pitted vessels of monocots, whereas the tracheary elements of Trithuria mostly have helical or annular thickenings. We were unable to demonstrate the presence of vessels in Hydatellaceae. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 159 , 572–582.     

FRIENDS OF WILDLIFE SOUND AT NSA

ABSTRACT

The problem of categorization arises in any classification system because classes should be discrete while the characteristics of most natural objects and aspects of nature are more or less gradual. In systematics, this problem usually is solved by creating several levels of categories, such as class, order, family, genus and species. In the existing killer whale discrete call classification, only two levels occur—call type and call subtype. In this paper we describe structural categories at a broader level than call type in the discrete sounds of killer whales and compare these categories between and within vocal clans in a community of resident killer whales from Southeast Kamchatka, Russian Far East, and also with killer whales outside this community. We found four main classes of discrete calls in the repertoire of resident killer whales from Southeast Kamchatka. The calls of Southeast Kamchatka transient killer whales and Sakhalin killer whales do not fall into these classes. This suggests that the resident killer whale community from Southeast Kamchatka has some rules defining the structure of calls which are typical for this community. Consequently, all resident killer whales from Southeast Kamchatka can be said to share the same vocal tradition.     

Phylogeny of the Cardiidae (Mollusca, Bivalvia): Protocardiinae, Laevicardiinae, Lahilliinae, Tulongocardiinae subfam. n. and Pleuriocardiinae subfam. n.

In a preliminary cladistic analysis of the bivalve family Cardiidae (Schneider 1992), members of the subfamilies Protocardiinae, Lahilliinae, and Laevicardiinae, plus the genus Nemocardium , were found to be the least derived taxa of cardiids. A cladistic analysis is undertaken of the genera and subgenera of these cardiid taxa, plus several Mesozoic taxa which have never been assigned to any subfamily. The Late Triassic Tulongocardium , which is placed in Tulongocardiinae subfam. n., is the sister taxon to all other cardiids. Protocardiinae is restricted to the genus Protocardia. Most other Mesozoic taxa which have been placed in the Protocardiinae are found to be members of the Lahilliinae. Nemocardium is placed in the Laevicardiinae. Incacardium, Pleuriocardia , and Dochmocardia form a monophyletic group, Pleuriocardiinae subfam. n. Pleuriocardiinae, Laevicardiinae, and the remaining members of the Cardiidae (herein informally termed "cucardiids") form a monophyletic group.     

24-Stunden-Aktivitätszyklus freilebender Nutrias (Myocastor coypus) in der Camargue (Südfrankreich)

Observations and telemetry-surveys of feral Camargue coypus showed dusk- and night-activity. Start and end of activity were correlated with sunset and sunrise respectively but influenced by climate and animals' individual history. A comparison with captive coypus in Britain showed differences caused by the stable social and abiotic environment, food-quality and proximity of feeding- and resting-places in the cage. Resting in close body-contact — frequent in a stable environment — occurred very seldom in Camargue coypus. In this species, two behaviours of the two-oscillator-model for activity-control could occur in different activities.     

The Rest Period of Rhododendron Flower Buds: III. CYTOLOGICAL STUDIES ON THE ACCUMULATION AND BREAKDOWN OF PROTEIN BODIES AND AMYLOPLASTS DURING FLOWER DEVELOPMENT

Rhododendron flower development occurs in three easily definedstages: a pre-rest stage, during which petal growth is mainlyby cell elongation; an indeterminate rest period; and an after-reststage, that begins when the flowers resume growth and ends atanthesis. Early in the pre-rest stage of development, protein bodies andamyloplasts accumulate in the petals. The epidermal cells accumulateonly protein bodies and the mesophyll cells accumulate amyloplaststhat have a few small protein bodies around the periphery. Thesubepidermal cells and the cells around the vascular bundlesaccumulate both large protein bodies and amyloplasts. Duringthe rest period there is a cessation of cell elongation andthe reserve protein bodies and amyloplasts remain intact. The protein bodies in all of the cells including those aroundthe amyloplasts are proteolized early in the after-rest stageof development. Digestion of the starch granules occurs whenthe petals are about one-half their final size. Epidermal-cell expansion during after-rest is relatively uniform;the walls between adjacent epidermal cells remain attached toeach other. The mesophyll cells elongate irregularly and thewalls of adjacent cells separate giving rise to large intercellularspaces. At anthesis the petal cells consist of a cell wall, a parietalcytoplasm, and a large central vacuole.     

Hormonal factors controlling the initiation and development of lateral roots

The decapitated primary root of 3-day-old Alaska pea seedlings has been used as a test system to determine the activities on lateral root formation of six auxins, six cytokinins and several other naturally-occurring compounds. Their effects were assessed on (1) the initiation of lateral root primordia, (2) the emergence of visible lateral roots, and (3) the elongation of these laterals. All the auxins, at the optimum concentration of 10^-4M, promoted the initiation of lateral root primordia, and all except 3-indolylpropionic acid inhibited the elongation of the resulting lateral roots. Their effects on the emergence of laterals were small and varied. All the cytokinins, at 10^-6M and above, inhibited both the initiation and the emergence of lateral roots, zeatin being the most powerful inhibitor. The emergence process was about twice as sensitive as the initiation of primordia to the presence of cytokinins. The cytokinin ribosides were generally less active than the free bases. Abscisic acid and xanthoxin inhibited both emergence and elongation, the concentration for 50% decrease of emergence being about 10^-4M. Gibberellic acid had little clear effect on any of the three criteria. Nicotinic acid and thiamine at 10^-3M promoted both the initiation of primordia and their emergence: pyridoxal phosphate stimulated both emergence and elongation but did not influence the initiation of primordia. Adenine and guanine had little effect but decreased root elongation some 25%. The strong inhibiting effect of the cytokinins may well be the basis for the marked inhibition exerted by the root-tip on lateral root formation, while the promoting effects of auxins may explain the previously observed promotion of lateral root formation by the young shoot and cotyledons.     

Nociceptive Response to Prostaglandins and Analgesic Actions of Aspirin and Morphine

VANE et al.^1–3 have proposed that aspirin and allied antiinflammatory drugs act by inhibiting the production of prostaglandins in the tissues. Because, however, prostaglandins E₁ and E₂ (PGE₁ and PGE₂) had been reported not to elicit pain in human skin at doses inducing inflammation^{4, 5}, Vane did not suggest that the inhibition of prostaglandin production fully explains the analgesic action of aspirin-like drugs. Nonetheless, PGE₁ PGE₂ or PGF_2α irritates pulmonary^{6, 7} or ocular⁸ mucous membrane and, when injected by the subcutaneous or intramuscular route, PGE₂ or PGF_2α causes pain⁹.