Spatial patterns in cushion‐dominated plant communities of the high Andes of central Chile: How frequent are positive associations?

Question: In stressful abiotic environments positive plant interaction is expected to be a frequent and an important process driving community composition and structure. In the high Andes in central Chile, the cushion plant Azorella madreporica dominates plant communities and appears to benefit the assemblage of species that grows within it. However, there are also many other species that grow outside this nurse cushion plant, which may or may not interact with this species. What is the prevailing type of spatial associations among the plant species that are not growing inside the nurse plant? What is the type of interactions between cushion plants and those species growing outside them? Location: Molina River basin (33°20'S, 70°16’ W, 3600 m a.s.l.), in the Andes of central Chile, ca. 50 km east of Santiago. Methods: Two accurate mapping plots of individual plants of different species were located at two summits (Franciscano and Tres Puntas sites). The spatial distributions and associations between species growing outside cushions and within cushions at each site were estimated by point‐pattern analyses using the univariate and bivariate transformations of Ripley's K‐functions. Results: We found both positive and, especially, negative spatial associations (8 out of 12 species in Franciscano site) between A. madreporica cushions and plants growing outside them. However, most of the species showed positive spatial associations among them. The variation in spatial association was site‐specific and also depended on the type of plants involved. Adesmia spp., the second most abundant non‐cushion species, displayed negative associations with cushions and positive associations with other species growing outside cushions. Conclusions: Our study suggests very complex interactions among species, which ranged from positive to negative, and are also affected by abiotic environmental conditions.     

Functional role of bacterial multidrug efflux pumps in microbial natural ecosystems

Multidrug efflux pumps have emerged as relevant elements in the intrinsic and acquired antibiotic resistance of bacterial pathogens. In contrast with other antibiotic resistance genes that have been obtained by virulent bacteria through horizontal gene transfer, genes coding for multidrug efflux pumps are present in the chromosomes of all living organisms. In addition, these genes are highly conserved (all members of the same species contain the same efflux pumps) and their expression is tightly regulated. Together, these characteristics suggest that the main function of these systems is not resisting the antibiotics used in therapy and that they should have other roles relevant to the behavior of bacteria in their natural ecosystems. Among the potential roles, it has been demonstrated that efflux pumps are important for processes of detoxification of intracellular metabolites, bacterial virulence in both animal and plant hosts, cell homeostasis and intercellular signal trafficking.     

Phylogeography of pipistrelle-like bats within the Canary Islands,based on mtDNA sequences

Evolution of three Canary Island Vespertilionid bat species, Pipistrellus kuhlii, Pipistrellus maderensis, and Hypsugo savii was studied by comparison of approximately 1 kbp of mtDNA (from cytochrome b and 16S rRNA genes) between islands. mtDNA reveals that both P. kuhlii and P. maderensis exist in sympatry on Tenerife (and possibly other islands). Their morphological similarity explains why their co-occurrence had not been detected previously. Levels of sequence divergence are quite low within P. maderensis. Haplotypes were either identical or separated by /=12 mutational steps) indicating colonization of the latter from the former sometime during the last approximately 1.2 Ma, with low subsequent gene flow. Unlike P. maderensis the El Hierro population alone appears to represent an ESU. The H. savii haplotypes detected in Gran Canaria and Tenerife are identical or separated by 1 mutational step.     

A genetic variant in osteoprotegerin is associated with progression of joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis

Introduction

Progression of joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is partly heritably; 45 to 58% of the variance in joint destruction is estimated to be explained by genetic factors. The binding of RANKL (Receptor Activator for Nuclear Factor κ B Ligand) to RANK results in the activation of TRAF6 (tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor associated factor-6), and osteoclast formation ultimately leading to enhanced bone resorption. This bone resorption is inhibited by osteoprotegerin (OPG) which prevents RANKL-RANK interactions. The OPG/RANK/RANKL/TRAF6 pathway plays an important role in bone remodeling. Therefore, we investigated whether genetic variants in OPG, RANK, RANKL and TRAF6 are associated with the rate of joint destruction in RA.

Methods

1,418 patients with 4,885 X-rays of hands and feet derived from four independent data-sets were studied. In each data-set the relative increase of the progression rate per year in the presence of a genotype was assessed. First, explorative analyses were performed on 600 RA-patients from Leiden. 109 SNPs, tagging OPG, RANK, RANKL and TRAF6, were tested. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) significantly associated in phase-1 were genotyped in data-sets from Groningen (Netherlands), Sheffield (United Kingdom) and Lund (Switzerland). Data were summarized in an inverse weighted variance meta-analysis. Bonferonni correction for multiple testing was applied.

Results

We found that 33 SNPs were significantly associated with the rate of joint destruction in phase-1. In phase-2, six SNPs in OPG and four SNPs in RANK were associated with progression of joint destruction with P-value <0.05. In the meta-analyses of all four data-sets, RA-patients with the minor allele of OPG-rs1485305 expressed higher rates of joint destruction compared to patients without these risk variants (P = 2.35x10⁻⁴). This variant was also significant after Bonferroni correction.

Conclusions

These results indicate that a genetic variant in OPG is associated with a more severe rate of joint destruction in RA.     

Combined Use of Systematic Conservation Planning,Species Distribution Modelling,and Connectivity Analysis Reveals Severe Conservation Gaps in a Megadiverse Country (Peru)

Conservation planning is crucial for megadiverse countries where biodiversity is coupled with incomplete reserve systems and limited resources to invest in conservation. Using Peru as an example of a megadiverse country, we asked whether the national system of protected areas satisfies biodiversity conservation needs. Further, to complement the existing reserve system, we identified and prioritized potential conservation areas using a combination of species distribution modeling, conservation planning and connectivity analysis. Based on a set of 2,869 species, including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, butterflies, and plants, we used species distribution models to represent species'' geographic ranges to reduce the effect of biased sampling and partial knowledge about species'' distributions. A site-selection algorithm then searched for efficient and complementary proposals, based on the above distributions, for a more representative system of protection. Finally, we incorporated connectivity among areas in an innovative post-hoc analysis to prioritize those areas maximizing connectivity within the system. Our results highlight severe conservation gaps in the Coastal and Andean regions, and we propose several areas, which are not currently covered by the existing network of protected areas. Our approach helps to find areas that contribute to creating a more representative, connected and efficient network.     

Azoarcus sp. CIB,an Anaerobic Biodegrader of Aromatic Compounds Shows an Endophytic Lifestyle

Background

Endophytic bacteria that have plant growth promoting traits are of great interest in green biotechnology. The previous thought that the Azoarcus genus comprises bacteria that fit into one of two major eco-physiological groups, either free-living anaerobic biodegraders of aromatic compounds or obligate endophytes unable to degrade aromatics under anaerobic conditions, is revisited here.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Light, confocal and electron microscopy reveal that Azoarcus sp. CIB, a facultative anaerobe β-proteobacterium able to degrade aromatic hydrocarbons under anoxic conditions, is also able to colonize the intercellular spaces of the rice roots. In addition, the strain CIB displays plant growth promoting traits such nitrogen fixation, uptake of insoluble phosphorus and production of indoleacetic acid. Therefore, this work demonstrates by the first time that a free-living bacterium able to degrade aromatic compounds under aerobic and anoxic conditions can share also an endophytic lifestyle. The phylogenetic analyses based on the 16S rDNA and nifH genes confirmed that obligate endophytes of the Azoarcus genus and facultative endophytes, such as Azoarcus sp. CIB, locate into different evolutionary branches.

Conclusions/Significance

This is the first report of a bacterium, Azoarcus sp. CIB, able to degrade anaerobically a significant number of aromatic compounds, some of them of great environmental concern, and to colonize the rice as a facultative endophyte. Thus, Azoarcus sp. CIB becomes a suitable candidate for a more sustainable agricultural practice and phytoremediation technology.