Using Lidar Data to Analyse Sinkhole Characteristics Relevant for Understory Vegetation under Forest Cover—Case Study of a High Karst Area in the Dinaric Mountains

In this article, we investigate the potential for detection and characterization of sinkholes under dense forest cover by using airborne laser scanning data. Laser pulse returns from the ground provide important data for the estimation of digital elevation model (DEM), which can be used for further processing. The main objectives of this study were to map and determine the geomorphometric characteristics of a large number of sinkholes and to investigate the correlations between geomorphology and vegetation in areas with such characteristics. The selected study area has very low anthropogenic influences and is particularly suitable for studying undisturbed karst sinkholes. The information extracted from this study regarding the shapes and depths of sinkholes show significant directionality for both orientation of sinkholes and their distribution over the area. Furthermore, significant differences in vegetation diversity and composition occur inside and outside the sinkholes, which indicates their presence has important ecological impacts.     

Collembola,the biological species concept and the underestimation of global species richness

Despite its ancient origin, global distribution and abundance in nearly all habitats, the class Collembola is comprised of only 8000 described species and is estimated to number no more than 50 000. Many morphologically defined species have broad geographical ranges that span continents, and recent molecular work has revealed high genetic diversity within species. However, the evolutionary significance of this genetic diversity is unknown. In this study, we sample five morphological species of the globally distributed genus Lepidocyrtus from 14 Panamanian sampling sites to characterize genetic diversity and test morphospecies against the biological species concept. Mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequence data were analysed and a total of 58 molecular lineages revealed. Deep lineage diversification was recovered, with 30 molecular lineages estimated to have established more than 10 million years ago, and the origin almost all contemporary lineages preceding the onset of the Pleistocene (~2 Mya). Thirty‐four lineages were sampled in sympatry revealing unambiguous cosegregation of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequence variation, consistent with biological species. Species richness within the class Collembola and the geographical structure of this diversity are substantially misrepresented components of terrestrial animal biodiversity. We speculate that global species richness of Collembola could be at least an order of magnitude greater than a previous estimate of 50 000 species.     

Subcellular Distribution of Two Spin Trapping Agents in Rat Heart: Possible Explanation for Their Different Protective Effects Against Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiotoxicity

Previous investigations, performed on isolated rat atria, showed that the lipophylic spin-trapping agent N-tert-butyl-alpha-phenylnitrone (PBN) is able to prevent the acute cardiotoxic effects produced by doxorubicin (DXR), whereas the hydrophylic compound 5,5-dimethyl-pyrroline-N-oxide (DMPO) is inactive. The present study was designed to ascertain whether differences in the pharmacological effects of the two spin traps are related to their different subcellular distribution. Langendorff rat hearts were perfused for 60 minutes with [^I4C]-DXR and either PBN or DMPO. The subcellular mapping of the three compounds was performed by measuring DXR by liquid scintillation counting, PBN by GC/MS, and DMPO by HPLC in the following isolated fractions: nuclei, mitochondria, sarcoplasmic reticulum, sarcolemma, cytosol. DMPO was shown to accumulate in the cytosolic compartment; both PBM and DXR are taken up by nuclei and mitochondria, while only trace amounts of DXR were detected in the sarcoplasmic reticulum. These results suggest that mitochondrial (and not sarcoplasmic) enzymes are mainly involved in DXR-induced free radical production, which is thought to cause the acute cardiotoxic effects of DXR. An involvement of DXR-induced free radical generation in the nuclear compartment seems unlikely in the short-term “in vitro” effects observed with the experimental model adopted for these studies, although it may play a role in the delayed pathology.     

Leaf damage by herbivore feeding guilds along gradients of elevation and plant species richness

The proportion of leaves damaged by specialist guilds such as miners and sap-feeders decreased at locations with higher species richness and at higher elevation in four subtropical forest seedling communities in south China. The effect of elevation was stronger in winter. Patterns of the generalist guild chewers were weaker.     

The Effects of Aging on Conflict Detection

Several cognitive changes characterize normal aging; one change regards inhibitory processing and includes both conflict monitoring and response suppression. We attempted to segregate these two aspects within a Go/No-go task, investigating three age categories. Accuracy, response times and event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded. The ERP data were analyzed, and the Go and No-go trials were separated; in addition, the trials were organized in repeat trials (in which the subjects repeated the action delivered in the previous trial) and switch trials (in which the subjects produced a response opposite to the previous response). We assumed that the switch trials conveyed more conflict than the repeat trials. In general, the behavioral data and slower P3 latencies confirmed the well-known age-related speed/accuracy trade-off. The novel analyses of the repeat vs. switch trials indicated that the age-related P3 slowing was significant only for the high conflict condition; the switch-P3 amplitude increased only in the two older groups. The ‘aging switch effect’ on the P3 component suggests a failure in the conflict conditions and likely contributes to a generalized dysfunction. The absence of either a switch effect in the young group and the P3 slowing in middle-aged group indicate that switching was not particularly demanding for these participants. The N2 component was less sensitive to the repeat/switch manipulation; however, the subtractive waves also enhanced the age effects in this earlier time window. The topographic maps showed other notable age effects: the frontal No-go N2 was nearly undetectable in the elderly; in the identical time window, a large activity in the posterior and prefrontal scalp regions was observed. Moreover, the prefrontal activity showed a negative correlation with false alarms. These results suggest that the frontal involvement during action suppression becomes progressively dysfunctional with aging, and additional activity was required to reach a good level of accuracy.     

Phenotypic Changes Across a Geographic Gradient: The Case of Three Sympatric Dolphin Species

Phenotypic changes in the mammalian mandible can occur at different spatial and temporal scales. We investigated mandibular size and shape variation in three extant closely related dolphins (Cetacea, Odontoceti): Tursiops truncatus, Stenella coeruleoalba and Delphinus delphis in order to test the hypothesis that similar phenotypic changes occur across the same geographical gradient. Our data included 219 specimens representative of the following geographic locations: the Mediterranean Sea, the eastern north Atlantic and the North Sea. Each mandibula was photographed laterally and spatial positioning of eight homologous 2D landmarks was recorded. After applying generalised Procrustes analysis (GPA), intraspecific variation was first investigated between sexes and among populations to allow further pooling of samples. Size and shape differences among populations and species were investigated through multivariate ordination techniques (PCA), Procrustes ANOVA and allometric analyses. In all three species, Mediterranean populations clearly differed in mandible shape from the extra-Mediterranean ones. Among the three, the direction of geographic phenotypic changes was significantly similar in the striped and common dolphin, while the bottlenose dolphin was the most divergent species, differing both in size and allometric trajectory. Shape variation of the two former species highlighted a morphological convergence in the Atlantic, and a phenotypic divergence in the Mediterranean. Shape differences among the three dolphin species were interpreted in the light of different prey preferences, feeding strategies and habitat partitioning to avoid direct competition.     

Novel sulfenamides and sulfonamides based on pyridazinone and pyridazine scaffolds as CB1 receptor ligand antagonists

A series of sulfenamide and sulfonamide derivatives was synthesized and evaluated for the affinity at CB₁ and CB₂ receptors. The N-bornyl-S-(5,6-di-p-tolylpyridazin-3-yl)-sulfenamide, compound 11, displayed good affinity and high selectivity for CB₁ receptors (K_i values of 44.6?nM for CB₁ receptors and >40?μM for CB₂ receptors, respectively). The N-isopinocampheyl-sulfenamide 12 and its sulfonamide analogue 22 showed similar selectivity for CB₁ receptors with K_i values of 75.5 and 73.2?nM, respectively. These novel compounds behave as antagonists/inverse agonists at CB₁ receptor in the [³⁵S]-GTPγS binding assays, and none showed adequate predictive blood–brain barrier permeation, exhibiting low estimated LD₅₀. However, testing compound 12 in a supraspinal analgesic test (hot-plate) revealed that it was as effective as the classic CB₁ receptor antagonist rimonabant, in reversing the analgesic effect of a cannabinoid agonist.