Effects of flower removal on abundance and behaviour of honeyeaters in heathland near Sydney

Removal of almost all honeyeater nectar sources from a 5.6 ha area during February to July had no apparent effect on honeyeater nesting or total abundance. Behaviour in the experimental area was also generally unaffected except for the extent of nectar-feeding which was significantly reduced for the most commonly observed species. The honeyeaters must have compensated for the nectar removal by flying to nearby productive areas to feed on nectar. Nectar-removal had no significant effect on the species composition of resident honeyeaters but did affect the species composition of all observed honeyeaters. Nectar removal resulted in a decrease in the abundance of the large and dominant Little Wattlebirds (Anthochaera chrysoptera) and an increase in the abundance of the other, smaller species.     

National mammal guides: a review of references to Recent faunas

Over four hundred reference guides to the mammalian faunas of almost one hundred and fifty countries, dependencies, and well known, geographically isolated areas are listed, including approximately 60% of the total number of countries found in a current atlas.
Although guides to national mammalian faunas have served as useful synopses for large countries and a useful sub-division for large physiographic/ecological areas, most countries either lack a comprehensive reference to the identity, distribution, behaviour, and local literature on mammals, or the existing work has long required revision. Included in this report is a reference list of some important supra-national areas, preceeding a cross-referenced national listing (by current names, with a chronological listing of references within the country).
National mammal guides are not only an invaluable reference source for the professional, but are also an important stimulus to the layman and government at all levels to take an interest in and appreciate the faunal heritage of mammals found within a country.     

An axis for risk management in classificatory sys-tems as a contribution to efficient clinical practice

Comprehensive clinical assessment and patient management plans have been enhanced by the development of multiaxial classificatory systems. Assessment of risk is an essential clinical task for which the conclusions are not currently reflected in the multiaxial diagnostic schemata. Developments in the understanding of risk and its management make possible consideration of its place in multiaxial systems. The structure and principles of a potentially workable axis, summarizing current knowledge of risk in the domains of suicide, self-neglect and violence to others, are described. Clinicians are more likely to use this axis than the multiple, emerging, risk assessment guidelines. Incorporating risk management would be a practical addition to presently available axes and be very widely clinically applicable.     

Riboprinting: A Tool for the Study of Genetic Diversity in Microorganisms1

ABSTRACT. Classical morphology-based methods of taxonomic and phylogenetic analysis are inadequate in many groups of structurally simple eukaryotes. Molecular methods can generate data independently of the complexity of the organisms’ morphology. Riboprinting is one such technique, and involves restriction enzyme analysis of polymerase chain reaction amplified small subunit ribosomal RNA genes. The utility of the method is illustrated with examples from several genera of intestinal and bloodstream parasites. Among the applications of riboprinting are the detection of cryptic genetic variation within species, organism misidentifications and culture mix-ups, independent verification of DNA sequences, and the rapid generation of data useful in phylogenetic analyses.     

Regulation of basal and oxidative stress‐triggered jasmonic acid‐related gene expression by glutathione

Glutathione is a determinant of cellular redox state with roles in defence and detoxification. Emerging concepts suggest that this compound also has functions in cellular signalling. Here, we report evidence that glutathione plays potentially important roles in setting signalling strength through the jasmonic acid (JA) pathway. Firstly, we show that basal expression of JA‐related genes is correlated with leaf glutathione content when the latter is manipulated either genetically or pharmacologically. Secondly, analyses of an oxidative stress signalling mutant, cat2, reveal that up‐regulation of the JA pathway triggered by intracellular oxidation requires accompanying glutathione accumulation. Genetically blocking this accumulation in a cat2 cad2 line largely annuls H₂O₂‐induced expression of JA‐linked genes, and this effect can be rescued by exogenously supplying glutathione. While most attention on glutathione functions in biotic stress responses has been focused on the thiol‐regulated protein NPR1, a comparison of JA‐linked gene expression in cat2 cad2 and cat2 npr1 double mutants provides evidence that glutathione acts through other components to regulate the response of this pathway to oxidative stress. Our study provides new information implicating glutathione as a factor determining basal JA gene expression and suggests novel glutathione‐dependent control points that regulate JA signalling in response to intracellular oxidation.