The oldest arthropods of the East European Platform

Cassubia Lendzion 1977 and Liwia new name (for Livia Lendzion 1975 preoccupied) found in the subsurface Zawiszany formation of the basal Cambrian in NE Poland are identified as an anomalocarid and a 'soft-bodied' trilobite, respectively, each being the oldest representative of its group. The presence of four free thoracic tergites in Liwia , the relatively strong sclerotization, and the apparent segmentation of the pygidial shield (expressed in the metameric distribution of marginal spines) indicate that the 'soft-bodied' trilobites achieved their organization by secondary softening of the dorsal exoskeleton and suppression of the development of thoracic tergites in ontogeny.     

Umbonal musculature and relationships of the Late Triassic filibranch unionoid bivalves

Exceptionally well‐preserved Late Triassic unionoids from Silesia, Poland, show prominently ornamented juvenile shells and umbonal muscle attachments that are similar to Margaritifera, which are anatomically the least derived among extant unionoids. Their phosphatized (originally chitinous and impregnated with calcium phosphate) gill supports lacked transverse connections, and occasionally some of them were separated from others, being thus at the filibranch grade, like their trigonioid ancestors. Several separate small foot elevator attachments in these unionoids indicate Trigonodidae adaptation to marine or brackish water, in which the original trigonioid strong single attachment was already split into two in the Early Triassic. The ribbing of juvenile shells suggests a change to deeper infaunal life for juvenile stages, and generally less efficient near‐surface locomotion, with a wedge‐like foot, in adults. Much later the unionoids became eulamellibranchial, which promoted the brooding of the fish that their larvae parasitize. To accomodate the classification of the order under this scenario of evolutionary changes, a new suborder Silesunionina is proposed for its filibranch members. It includes the Silesunionidae fam. nov. , with the location of umbonal muscles similar to that in the extant underived unionoids, and the Unionellidae fam. nov. , with umbonal muscles attached to the external wall of the umbonal cavity. The early Late Triassic (Carnian) Silesunio parvus gen. et sp. nov. and latest Triassic (Rhaetian) Tihkia(?) silesiaca sp. nov. are proposed. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 163 , 863–883.     

ON PENTAMPLEXUSSCHINDEWOLF, 1940 (ANTHOZOA,RUGOSA) AND ITS POSSIBLE RELATIVES AND ANALOGUES

Abstract: Three ampleximorphic taxa are revised and their most important characters are discussed in terms of possible or apparent relationships. Re‐interpretation of its early ontogeny allows the assignment of Pentamplexus Schindewolf, 1940 to the family Polycoeliidae de Fromentel, 1861. Stereolasma variabilis Vojnovsky‐Krieger, 1934 is established as the type species of Vojnovskytes gen. nov. It resembles the family Polycoeliidae in some characters and the Antiphyllidae Ilina, 1970 or the Laccophyllidae Grabau, 1928 in others. Thus, its family status is not established. Revision of the type material of Fasciculophyllum tripus Schindewolf, 1952 allows its inclusion within the new genus Silesamplus, probably related to the family Laccophyllidae Grabau, 1928 . Amplexoid morphology is further shown to be inadequate for the establishment of relationships on the family or subfamily level. Early ontogeny is most important in that respect, but biform vs normal morphology in the tabularium and free vs contratingent development of minor septa must also be considered, where appropriate.     

Population growth in some Mesostoma species (Turbellaria) predatory on mosquitoes

SUMMARY 1. Turbellarian predators of the genus Mesostoma prey on the aquatic stages of mosquitoes. In order to evaluate their potential as control agents, a comparison of population parameters has been made on three species from Australia, Africa and Papua New Guinea: M. appinum , M. zariae and M. timbunke.
2. The life cycle of these species is relatively short at higher temperature ranges (22–30°C) and varies from 12 to 35 days, depending on the temperature. M. appinum does not increase in numbers at 30°C, white M. timbunke is unable to reach sexual maturity at 15°C. M. appinum , but not M. zariae , multiplies slowly at 15°C, although both species survive at this temperature. The fastest population growth was obtained for M. appinum at 22°C, and for M. zariae and M. timbunke at 30°C. The doubling time for the population is about 6–7 days in the multivoltine species, M. appinum and M. zariae , and about 18.5 days in univoltine M. timbunke .
3. A significant part of the growing population is composed of immature individuals, which corresponds to the high values of the reproductive parameters R_o and r_m. In M. appinum and M. zariae , individuals rarely produce dormant resting eggs except under deteriorating conditions. M. timbunke produces only dormant eggs, and in this respect resembles arctic and subarctic species. A convergence of the reproductive modes between this equatorial species and the high latitude species might be interpreted as adaptation to harsh environments.
4. The overall population growth of all Mesostoma spp. is several times faster than in Dugesia dorotocephala and D. trigrina , other flatworms studied as potential biological control agents of mosquitoes     

Studies on Variability in White Clover: Growth Habits and Cyanogenic Glucosides

Growth habits and cyanogenesis were studied in a field experimentwith white clover (Trifolium repens L.) cv. Huia. Eighty controlplants propagated by seeds, and 80 clones of an in vivo selectedvariant were examined in mid-late August and late September.The temperature effect on cyanogenic glucoside levels was alsoexamined on in vitro grown plantlets of the variant in growthchambers. Results showed that the upright growth habit dominated in controlplants. The population of the variant plants was mainly composedof prostrate clones and a transition from prostrate to uprightgrowth habit occurred. Considerable variation was observed withregard to all measured morphological characters in both controland variant plants. Great variation was also noted in cyanogenicglucoside content in the leaf laminae of the control plants.Low cyanogenic plants, on the other hand, dominated in the variant.The number of low and high cyanogenic plants increased in thecontrol by the end of the growth season, after the first frosts.A one-way shift of cyanogenic (slight increase) was recordedin the variant. Similar levels of cyanogenic glucoside and linamarasewere determined in the in vitro and field-grown plants. Cyanogenicglucoside content slightly decreased with the age of the invitro plantlets, but variation in temperature did not causeany changes in their level. The response to the environmentalchanges, regarding cyanogenesis, appear to be genetically determined. Trifolium repens, in vitro, somaclonal variation, cyanogenic glucosides     

Lateral plate number development in the complete morph of thethree–spined stickleback, Gasferosteus aculeatus L.

The development of lateral plate number in completely plated three-spined stickleback populations during the period of growth of the body after hatching was studied in two streams in Central Poland. The streams belong to the Oder River drainage basin (51°38'N; 19°26'E) and the Vistula River drainage basin (51°35'N; 19°37'E), respectively. After reaching a total length of 27 mm the development of lateral plate number is completed in both populations. This value is lower than thc corresponding values rcported in the literature.     

Conodont affinity of the enigmatic Carboniferous chordate Conopiscius

Conopiscius shares V-shaped myomeres with the co-occurring conodont Clydagnathus but instead of a complex oral apparatus it has only a single pair of conical elements, and structures resembling scales are associated with its myomeres. Moreover, the coarsely crystalline crown tissue typical for conodonts has not been identified in the Conopiscius elements, which show only a finely lamellar skeletal tissue. The gap between conodonts and Conopiscius may be filled by isolated elements of similar morphology and structure occurring in the Late Devonian. They reveal a very thin external layer developed mostly at the tooth tip and resembling conodont crown tissue. The pulp cavity is partially filled with layered or spherulitic phosphatic tissue of the kind known also in conodonts (basal filling tissue) and early vertebrates (lamellin). Conodont elements of similar morphology and representing uni-membrate oral apparatuses have not been previously reported from the Devonian or Carboniferous but occur near the Cambrian–Ordovician transition ( Proconodontus ) and in the Late Permian ( Caenodontus ). It is proposed that Conopiscius represents a mostly cryptic conodont lineage extending from the Early Ordovician to the Permian, instead of being directly related to the agnathans.     

RNA of Australia Antigen

ALTHOUGH the exact nature of Australia (Au) antigen is not resolved, increasing evidence suggests that it is the causal agent of viral hepatitis. This supposition is based chiefly on the frequent occurrence of Au antigen in the sera of patients with viral hepatitis^1–4 and on its virus-like appearance under the electron microscope^5–7. Biochemical studies have shown that Au antigen consists largely of protein, with a minor lipid moiety^{8, 9}. So far, however, no genetic material has been detected in the Au antigen and it has been suggested that the Au antigen might be “a unique infectious particle with little or no nucleic acid”¹⁰. We wish to present evidence, however, that RNA is an essential component of Au antigen.     

Singlet oxygen scavenging activity of tocopherol and plastochromanol in Arabidopsis thaliana: relevance to photooxidative stress

In the present study, singlet oxygen (¹O₂) scavenging activity of tocopherol and plastochromanol was examined in tocopherol cyclase‐deficient mutant (vte1) of Arabidopsis thaliana lacking both tocopherol and plastochromanol. It is demonstrated here that suppression of tocopherol and plastochromanol synthesis in chloroplasts isolated from vte1 Arabidopsis plants enhanced ¹O₂ formation under high light illumination as monitored by electron paramagnetic resonance spin‐trapping spectroscopy. The exposure of vte1 Arabidopsis plants to high light resulted in the formation of secondary lipid peroxidation product malondialdehyde as determined by high‐pressure liquid chromatography. Furthermore, it is shown here that the imaging of ultra‐weak photon emission known to reflect oxidation of lipids was unambiguously higher in vte1 Arabidopsis plants. Our results indicate that tocopherol and plastochromanol act as efficient ¹O₂ scavengers and protect effectively lipids against photooxidative damage in Arabidopsis plants.