Pigeons as seed predators and dispersers of figs in a Malaysian lowland forest

Seven pigeon species fed on figs from at least 22 Ficus taxa at a lowland forest site in Peninsular Malaysia. Forest pigeons of the genus Treron are fig-eating specialists. Although these are important fig-seed predators, at least some of the population, and pigeons from other genera, potentially disperse Ficus seeds to distant sites.     

The NADP-linked Aldehyde Reductase of Leishmania donovani

ABSTRACT. An enzyme that oxidizes ethanol to acetaldehyde in the presence of NADP (but not NAD) and reduces acetaldehyde to ethanol in the presence of NADPH (but not NADH) is present in Leishmania donovani promastigotes. The activity is present only in the supernatant fraction obtained from sonication of the cells and high speed centrifugation. The Km and Vm values were evaluated for propanol and propionaldehyde as well as for ethanol and acetaldehyde in cells obtained from late log and 3-day stationary phase cultures. There was no significant change in Km or Vm values for any of these four substrates with culture age. Since the Km values for ethanol and propanol are much higher than for the corresponding aldehydes and higher than any physiological range of alcohol concentration likely to be encountered, this enzyme is considered to function as an aldehyde reductase.