Bird and insect pollinators differ in specialization and potential pollination services along disturbance and resource gradients

Combined studies of the communities and interaction networks of bird and insect pollinators are rare, especially along environmental gradients. Here, we determined how disturbance by fire and variation in sugar resources shape pollinator communities and interactions between plants and their pollinating insects and birds. We recorded insect and bird visits to 21 Protea species across 21 study sites and for 2 years in Fynbos ecosystems in the Western Cape, South Africa. We recorded morphological traits of all pollinator species (41 insect and nine bird species). For each site, we obtained estimates of the time since the last fire (range: 2–25 calendar years) and the Protea nectar sugar amount per hectare (range: 74–62 000 g/ha). We tested how post-fire age and sugar amount influence the total interaction frequency, species richness and functional diversity of pollinator communities, as well as pollinator specialization (the effective number of plant partners) and potential pollination services (pollination service index) of insects and birds. We found little variation in the total interaction frequency, species richness and functional diversity of insect and bird pollinator communities, but insect species richness increased with post-fire age. Pollinator specialization and potential pollination services of insects and birds varied differently along the environmental gradients. Bird pollinators visited fewer Protea species at sites with high sugar amount, while there was no such trend for insects. Potential pollination services of insect pollinators to Protea species decreased with increasing post-fire age and resource amounts, whereas potential pollination services of birds remained constant along the environmental gradients. Despite little changes in pollinator communities, our analyses reveal that insect and bird pollinators differ in their specialization on Protea species and show distinct responses to disturbance and resource gradients. Our comparative study of bird and insect pollinators demonstrates that birds may be able to provide more stable pollination services than insects.     

Direct selective techniques for the isolation of pyrimidine auxotrophs in yeast

Summary Selective techniques have been developed to obtain auxotrophic mutants in four of the five loci controlling the enzymes involved in Yeast pyrimidine biosynthesis. These loci are thus available for mutagenic studies requiring numerous forward as well as backward mutations.     

Non-Mendelian Mutation Allowing Ureidosuccinic Acid Uptake in Yeast

Mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae capable of growth on a minimal medium supplemented with ureidosuccinic and glutamic acids have been isolated from a pyrimidineless strain. One of these mutants consistently yielded a non-Mendelian meiotic segregation. Moreover, the mitotic transmission of the mutation was very high. It is suggested that the mutation is nonchromosomal and could be mitochondrial. However, this mutation behaves very differently from other mitochondrial mutations.     

‘Twisted plywood’ structure and mineralization in the scales of a primitive living fish Amia calva

The basal plate of the scales of Amia calva is composed of regular double twisted plywood, as in Latimeria and Dipnoan scales. However, the progressive rotation of the fibrils direction is left-handed in Amia and right-handed in the ‘Sarcopterygians’. So, the similarity between these peculiar plywoods is probably the result of convergence. The basal plate of Amia scales is incompletely mineralized. There are numerous calcified ovoid corpuscles which look very like the Mandl's corpuscles of Teleost scales. The mineralization probably progresses essentially by the fusion of these corpuscles, as in Teleost scales, and would be inotropic rather than spheritic.     

Comparative study of the milk fat globule membrane and the mouse mammary tumour virus prepared from the milk of an infected strain of Swiss albino mice.

Milk fat globule membranes and mammary tumour virus particles (d=1.17 g/cm3) have been obtained from the milk of a Swiss albino mice strain. Comparative biochemistry shows that these two structures differ significantly in the phospholipid, polypeptide and glycopolypeptide patterns and enzymatic activities. However, the lipid profile and the morphology of both structures suggest a filiation with the plasma membrane. Density fractions obtained from the crude virus preparation have been thoroughly investigated. The results suggest that most of these fractions represent degraded virus and/or atypical virus assembly.     

Effects of mutations in the central helix of troponin C on its biological activity

To investigate the role of the central helix of skeletal muscle troponin C (TnC), five deletion mutants (Dobrowolski, Z., Xu, G.Q., and Hitchcock-DeGregori, S.E. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 5703-5710) of chicken TnC in the D/E linker region (K87EDAKGKSEEE97), dEDA, dKG, dKGK, dSEEE, and dKED-AKGK, were assayed for their ability to regulate muscle contraction by testing their effectiveness in restoring force and Ca2+ regulation to TnC-depleted rabbit skinned skeletal muscle fibers. By comparison with rabbit skeletal TnC, wild-type TnC, and chicken TnC, all mutants except dKG equally restored force development and Ca2+ regulation to TnC-depleted skinned muscle fibers. In contrast, approximately 4 times more dKG than rabbit skeletal TnC was required to reach 50% force restoration. Also, the pCa50 for dKG activation of force was significantly decreased. Thus, most of the TnC mutants that we studied did not have significantly altered biological activity in the skinned fiber assay. However, the 2-residue deletion in the central helix (dKG) significantly affected TnC activity. This deletion would be expected to produce a 160 degree rotation in the alpha-helix versus 60 degrees for dKGK and dEDA, 40 degrees in dSEEE, and 20 degrees in dKEDAKGK. Therefore, the change in orientation of the two Ca2(+)-binding domains appears to be a major parameter affecting TnC activity. The shift in the Ca2+ dependence in force activation may result from the inability of the Ca2(+)-specific domain to properly interact with its binding site on troponin I, an interaction which is known to increase the affinity of TnC for Ca2+ (Potter, J.D., and Gergely, J. (1975) J. Biol. Chem. 250, 4628-4633). In addition, the length of the central helix of TnC, Gly92, and the negatively charged cluster, EEE, appear not to be crucial for TnC activity.     

Absorption and metabolism of oral zinc gluconate in humans in fasting state,during, and after a meal

The absorption and metabolism of zinc in a commercial form for oral use (Rubozinc^®, 15 mg zinc as gluconate) were investigated in 10 subjects by a kinetic study of the serum zinc profile after administration of 45 mg zinc under three conditions: after an overnight fast, during a standardized breakfast, and 2 h after this meal. The pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated by a method suitable to the characterization of rebound effects (recycling of the element in the gastrointestinal tract). In fasting state, the parameters were comparable to those previously collected in the same subjects with oral 45 mg zinc as sulfate, except with very significantly higherC _max and area under curve (AUC), showing a better bioavailability for zinc in the commercial form. The light meal perturbed the absorption process as evidenced by the significant increases in the lag time (+180%), thet _max (+57%), and the lag times for the first two cycles during the meal. However, the parameters returned to normal values 2 h after the meal. TheC _max only moderately decreased during the meal (31%) as did the AUC (?28%). An important delay in the absorption of zinc in the commercial form when taken during a meal was therefore demonstrated, but the effect on zinc bioavailability was only moderate.     

Gas exchange and photosynthesis of Eucalyptus camaldulensis seedlings inoculated with different ectomycorrhizal symbionts

Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh. seedlings inoculated with Pisolithus tinctorius (Pers.) Coker & Couch and Thelephora terrestris Ehrl. per Fr. were grown in well watered soil (_s –0.03 MPa) or subjected to a long-term soil water stress of up to –1.0 MPa over 13-week period in a glasshouse. After 13 weeks, all seedling containers were watered to field capacity and then water was withheld from the E. camaldulensis seedlings to induce a short-term drought. Diurnal measurements of seedling photosynthesis rate (A), leaf stomatal conductance (g) and leaf water potential (_p) were completed before, during, and after the short term drought. Although they were growing in an equal soil volume, photosynthesis rate (A), leaf stomatal conductance and leaf water potential (_p) of larger seedlings with P. tinctorius ectomycorrhizae were similar to those of smaller seedlings colonized with T. terrestris during the short-term drought period. Seedlings inoculated with Pisolithus tinctorius maintained higher photosynthesis rates over the course of the short-term drought. Thus, P. tinctorius ectomycorrhizae appear to be more efficient than those of T. terrestris in assisting seedlings to maintain gas exchange and photosynthesis under limited soil moisture conditions.     

The importance of initial seed size in wheat plant response to salinity

Large initial seed size frequently confers distinct advantages on cereal crops in terms of seedling vigor, hardiness, improved stand establishment, and higher productivity. This study was conducted to determine if these advantages inherent in the plants grown from large seeds persist when the crop is subjected to salinity stress. Two hard red spring wheat cultivars, Yecora Rojo and Anza were grown in greenhouse sand cultures from seed of two size classes that differed in weight by a factor of 2. The cultures were irrigated four times daily with complete nutrient solutions to which NaCl and CaCl₂ (2:1 molar ratio) were added to achieve osmotic potentials of –0.05. –0.55, and –0.70 MPa with electrical conductivities of 1.8, 12.8, and 15.8 dS m^-1, respectively. In response to both salinity and small initial seed size, the following plant characteristics decreased: leaf appearance rate, blade area, tillers per plant, spikelets per spike and seeds per spike. Plants grown from large seeds out-yielded those from small seeds by 8, 37, and 27% for Yecora Rojo and by 15, 30, and 23% for Anza at osmotic potentials of –0.05, –0.55 and –0.70 MPa, respectively. Compared to the corresponding nonsaline controls, the yield of Yecora Rojo grown at –0.55 MPa was 51% for the plants from large seed and 35% from the small seeds. For Anza salinized at –0.55 MPa, these values were 49 and 40%, respectively. Exploitation of the benefits derived from large initial seed size may be a cost-effective management strategy for improving wheat productivity in salt-affected areas.