The control of incompatibility in distylous Pulmonaria affinis Jordan (Boraginaceae)

In P. affinis, pin pollen is shorter on average than thrum pollen. Pins have more coronal hooks on stigmatic papillae than thrums, but gaps between papillae are relatively smaller for thrums. Pin stigmas receive more pollen than thrum stigmas. Thrum stigmas receive more (dissortive) pin pollen, but pin stigmas are assortively pollinated. Pollen only germinates when trapped below papilla coronas. On thrum stigmas, most trapped pollen is pin. Pollen germination is better on thrum stigmas than pin stigmas, and thrum stigmas show a close relationship between numbers of legitimate pollen grains, numbers of germinating grains, and numbers of pollen tubes in the style. There is no inhibition of illegitimate pollen germination. Illegitimate pollen tubes are inhibited in the style. Incompatibility operates by a combination of dissortive pollination, dissortive pollen trapping, and stylar pollen tube inhibition. All heteromorphic features differing between pins and thrums are implicated in the inhibition of within-morph fertilization in thrums.     

Devil inside: does plant programmed cell death involve the endomembrane system?

Eukaryotic cells have to constantly cope with environmental cues and integrate developmental signals. Cell survival or death is the only possible outcome. In the field of animal biology, tremendous efforts have been put into the understanding of mechanisms underlying cell fate decision. Distinct organelles have been proven to sense a broad range of stimuli and, if necessary, engage cell death signalling pathway(s). Over the years, forward and reverse genetic screens have uncovered numerous regulators of programmed cell death (PCD) in plants. However, to date, molecular networks are far from being deciphered and, apart from the autophagic compartment, no organelles have been assigned a clear role in the regulation of cellular suicide. The endomembrane system (ES) seems, nevertheless, to harbour a significant number of cell death mediators. In this review, the involvement of this system in the control of plant PCD is discussed in‐depth, as well as compared and contrasted with what is known in animal and yeast systems.     

Studies on the aphid, Cavariella aegopodii Scop: On secondary hosts other than carrot

Of the eleven cultivated species of Umbelliferae heavily attacked in the field by Cavariella aegopodii Scop., chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium) attracted so many alates that it was killed before a population of alienicolae developed. Carrot was next in order of alate preference and coriander (Coriandrum sativum) and caraway (Carum carvi) were last. Despite its lack of attraction, caraway proved more lastingly suitable as a host and eventually supported the largest population of alienicolae. Of the wild umbellifers tested, wild carrot, Daucus carota ssp. carota, was the species most preferred by the incoming alates and hemlock (Conium maculatum) the least. On hemlock, also, there was little colonization. Although a sequence of wild umbellifers supported C. aegopodii through most of the year, few were suitable winter hosts; the apterae hibernated largely on carrot crops. In spring, cow parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) was one of the hosts first colonized by immigrant C. aegopodii and carried winged alienicolae before the end of June. The main development of winged alienicolae on Anthriscus and other wild Umbelliferae, however, was in July. The possible role of the wild umbelliferous hosts of C. aegopodii in the spread of motley dwarf virus to carrots is discussed.     

SEM Characterization of an Extracellular Matrix Around Somatic Proembryos in Roots of Cichorium

Roots of in vitro plantlets of a hybrid Cichorium intybus L.x C. endivia L. placed for 10 d in an agitated liquid inductionmedium in darkness at 35 °C give somatic embryos of varioussizes which disrupt the epidermis. Proembryos can be observedinside the root; they show a fibrillar network linking the surfacecells. The network is observed in agitated and static liquidmedium; it is not well developed on solid medium. It is notremoved by lipid solvents and pectinase but disappears partlywith protease. Ether-methanol (1:1 v/v) for 45 min and Tris-HC1buffer for 3 h at 30 °C destroy it. As in animal cells suchexternal proteic networks are constituents of an extracellularmatrix linked to the cytoskeleton, we tested microtubule destabilizationby colchicine and cold treatments which removed the network;this effect was reversed by DMSO and high temperature. Cichorium, extracellular matrix, extracellular proteins, somatic embryogenesis     

Ecological aspects of a silicified bivalve fauna from the Silurian of Gotland

The silicified Wenlockian (Silurian) bivalve fauna from MÖllbos, Gotland, is part of a life assemblage. The vast number of shells show unusual phenomena, e.g. shell repair, pearl and tumour formation, etc. A number of shells contain epibionts and bored, round holes. Presumptive predators of the bivalve community are discussed. Size-frequency distribution of the two most abundant species possibly reflects age classes. The fauna, comprising eleven species, is dominated by deposit-feeders (90 %). They exhibit niche diversification, including at least three different feeding levels within the sediment.     

Oxygen concentration profiles and exchange in sediment cores with circulated overlying water

SUMMARY. 1. The overlying water of intact sediment cores was constantly stirred with an impeller at a rate sufficient to mix turbulently the water column and maintain the diffusive boundary layer at a determined thickness. The system allowed standardization of water circulation in laboratory sediment core experiments.
2. Both oxygen concentration and oxygen penetration depth in the sediments decreased, the former by 70% and the latter from 4.2 mm to 2.0 mm, when the overlying water was not stirred for 24 h, as measured with oxygen microelectrodes in a lake sediment core.
3. Oxygen profiles measured in sediment cores in the laboratory were similar to those measured in situ when the overlying water was stirred with an impeller at such a rate that a similar thickness of the diffusive boundary layer at the sediment-water interface developed in the laboratory as that in situ.
4. Sediment oxygen consumption was calculated from: (1) measured oxygen profiles in the diffusive boundary layer and the molecular diffusion coefficient for oxygen in water; (2) the measured oxygen decrease in the top of the sediments and the estimated diffusion coefficient in the sediment; and (3) by oxygen differences in the overlying water after incubation of sediment cores.     

The rudist bivalve genus Gorjanovicia (Radiolitidae,Hippuritoidea) a revision of species based on quantitative analysis of morphological characters

Abstract: The rudist bivalve genus Gorjanovicia Pol?ak, 1967 from Istria, Croatia, is currently known from the Coniacian/Maastrichtian of the peri‐Adriatic and Balkan regions and includes 23 nominal species, defined mainly on shell ornamentation and radial bands. However, a re‐appraisal of ‘Radiolites’endrissi Boehm, 1927 shows the type species of the genus Gorjanovicia, G. costata Pol?ak, 1967, to be a junior synonym of Boehm’s species, which thus takes priority as the type species of Gorjanovicia. Our revision of the 24 species thus described from the literature is based on analysis of a set of 21 characters that include the dimensions, shape and ornamentation of the right valve. Sixteen variables are defined from combinations of these 21 characters and subjected to multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) and Hill and Smith analysis (HSA), with cluster analysis, which has allowed us to distinguish three taxonomic groups, each defined by a key species: Gorjanovicia endrissi (Boehm), G. ugarensis Sli?kovi? and G. kvarneri Pol?ak. Cluster analysis identifies three groups of associated variables and suggests that a limited number of characters may be used to recognize the foregoing three taxonomic entities. MCA performed on four variables (the shapes of the anterior radial band, posterior radial band and interband and the width of the anterior band relative to the posterior band) reveals the same three taxonomic groups as in the MCA based on 16 variables. We conclude that the four variables in question may thus be used as specific diagnostic characters and that the genus Gorjanovicia is thereby represented by just three species, Gorjanovicia endrissi, G. ugarensis and G. kvarneri, instead of the 24 described in the literature. Specific assemblages from the peri‐Adriatic, pre‐Apulian and Western Pontides regions are nearly identical, a pattern that suggests free faunal exchanges within the distributional area of the genus Gorjanovicia. The palaeobiogeographical distribution of species corresponds with a relatively narrow palaeolatitudinal range in the subtropical portion of the eastern Mediterranean Tethys.