Carbon isotopes as indicators of elephant diets and African environments

Stable carbon isotope ratios have been successfully used to assess modern animal diets and to reconstruct prehistoric diets of animals and humans (Vogel & van der Merwe, 1977; van der Merwe & Vogel, 1978; Burleigh & Brothwell, 1978; Vogel, 1978a; DeNiro & Epstein, 1978; Tieszen et al., 1979; Tieszen & Imbamba, 1980; Chisholm, Nelson & Schwarcz, 1982; Tauber, 1981). We have used ¹³C/¹²C ratio measurements of bone collagen to study the diets of African elephants in twelve wildlife refuges. These represent most of the habitats in which elephants live, including such diverse plant communities as primary rain forest, savanna woodland and desert. The δ¹³C values were found to have a simple linear relationship with tree density in most cases. When translated into relative amounts of dietary browse (C₃ plants) and graze (C₄ plants), the grass content is seen to be systematically under-represented, presumably due to inefficient metabolism. This does not affect the relationship between elephant diet and tree density, which has implications for the study of elephant-woodland interactions, and for reconstructions of past African environments.     

Pigment organization and energy transfer in the green photosynthetic bacterium Chloroflexus aurantiacus. III. Energy transfer in whole cells

The transfer of excitation energy in intact cells of the thermophilic green photosynthetic bacterium Chloroflexus aurantiacus was studied both at low temperature and under more physiological conditions. Analysis of excitation spectra measured at 4K indicates that the minor fraction of bacteriochlorophyll a present in the chlorosome functions as an intermediate in energy transfer between the main light-harvesting pigment BChl c and the membrane-bound B808-866 antenna complex. This supports the hypothesis that BChl a is associated with the base plate which connects the chlorosome with the membrane. The overall efficiency for energy transfer from the chlorosome to the membrane is only 15% at 4K. High efficiencies of close to 100% are observed above 40°C near the temperature where the cultures are grown. Cooling to 20°C resulted in a sudden drop of the transfer efficiency which appeared to originate in the chlorosome. This decrease may be related to a lipid phase transition. Further cooling mainly affected the efficiency of transfer between the chlorosome and the membrane. This effect can only partially be explained by a decreased Förster overlap between the chlorosomal BChl a and BChl a 808 associated with the membrane-bound antenna system. The temperature dependence of the fluorescence yield of BChl a 866 also appeared to be affected by lipid phase transitions, suggesting that this fluorescence can be used as a native probe of the physical state of the membrane.     

The quaternary structure of four crustacean two-hexameric hemocyanins: immunocorrelation,stoichiometry, reassembly and topology of individual subunits

Summary Two-hexameric (2×6) hemocyanins from the brachyuran crabsCancer pagurus andCallinectes sapidus, the freshwater crayfishAstacus leptodactylus and the lobsterHomarus americanus were isolated and dissociated into native subunits.The subunits of each hemocyanin were analyzed by electrophoresis and immunology. Three immunologically distinct subunit types, which were termed, and, could be identified in each case. They were isolated preparatively, and interspecifically correlated. Subunit is subdivided into several electrophoretically distinct isoforms which are immunologically closely related (Astacus) or identical (other species). InAstacus andCancer one of these isoforms was shown to dimerize and to act as inter-hexamer bridge. It represents a fourth subunit type termed. A fifth, diffuse component, which in PAGE migrated at the position of a dimer, was identified in the crossed immunoelectrophoretic patterns as denatured hemocyanin.A common feature of the four hemocyanins is the presence of 4 copies of and 8 copies of/ within the 2×6 particles. The: ratio is 4:4 in the two Astacidea and 6:2 in the two Brachyura. exists in 2 copies inAstacus andCancer which means that a single dimer- is present in a two-hexamer. This leaves 2 monomeric copies inAstacus and 4 inCancer.Every subunit from the four species except ofAstacus - was capable to form hexamers in reassembly experiments. If subunit combinations were tested, hetero-hexamers were formed preferentially. Two-hexamers were reconstituted only in the presence of all subunit types and the native subunit stoichiometry was required to obtain twohexamers in considerable yields. Factors limiting 2×6 reassembly are discussed.Authentic 2×6 molecules ofAstacus, Homarus andCancer hemocyanin were immunolabeled with subunit-specific antibody fragments (F_ab) or IgG molecules, and the resulting immuno complexes were studied in the electron microscope. A topological model of the quaternary structure of decapod 2×6 hemocyanins is derived, showing the position of each copy of the four subunit types. In this model, the inter-hexamer bridge- is surrounded by two and two subunits forming the central core of the dodecamer. Two additional and two additional subunits form the periphery together with one subunit occupying the peripheral short edges of each hexameric half structure. The model is discussed with respect to the current literature.Abbreviations PAGE polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis - SDS sodium dodecyl sulfate This paper is decicated to Professor Dr. Bernt LinzenPreliminary accounts of this work have been presented in the proceedings of a symposium at Tutzing 1985. Linzen B (ed) (1986) Invertebrate oxygen carriers. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York. This also includes: Stöcker et al. 1986; Markl et al. 1986) and in a review article (Markl 1986)     

Identification of a new seventh complementation group of UV-sensitive mutants in Chinese hamster cells

The UV-sensitive mutant V-B11, isolated from the V79 Chinese hamster cell line (Zdzienicka and Simons, 1987) was further characterized. V-B11 has a slightly increased cross-sensitivity to 3me4NQO, whereas no increased sensitivity towards 4NQO was observed. A slightly increased sensitivity towards EMS and MMS was also found. The mutant shows a defect in the ability to perform the incision step of nucleotide-excision repair after UV irradiation: 2 h after UV exposure, the accumulation of incision breaks in V-B11, in the presence of HU and araC, was about 30% of that found in wild-type V79 cells. V-B11 was crossed to a panel of 6 UV-sensitive Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, which represents all the previously identified 6 complementation groups of UV-sensitive Chinese hamster mutants. Since in all crosses complementation has been observed, V-B11 appears to be the first mutant of a new, 7th, complementation group.     

Transfection of the cloned human excision repair gene ERCC-1 to UV-sensitive CHO mutants only corrects the repair defect in complementation group-2 mutants

The human DNA-excision repair gene ERCC-1 is cloned by its ability to correct the excision-repair defect of the ultraviolet light- and mitomycin-C-sensitive CHO mutant cell line 43-3B. This mutant is assigned to complementation group 2 of the excision-repair-deficient CHO mutants. In order to establish whether the correction by ERCC-1 is confined to CHO mutants of one complementation group, the cloned repair gene, present on cosmid 43-34, was transfected to representative cell lines of the 6 complementation groups that have been identified to date. Following transfection, mycophenolic acid was used to select for transferants expressing the dominant marker gene Ecogpt, also present on cosmid 43-34. Cotransfer of the ERCC-1 gene was shown by Southern blot analysis of DNA from pooled (500-2000 independent colonies) transformants of each mutant. UV survival and UV-induced UDS showed that only mutants belonging to complementation group 2 and no mutants of other groups were corrected by the ERCC-1 gene. This demonstrates that ERCC-1 does not provide an aspecific bypass of excision-repair defects in CHO mutants and supports the assumption that the complementation analysis is based on mutations in different repair genes.     

Effects of hormone treatment on chromosomal radiosensitivity of somatic and germ cells of Snell's dwarf mice

The X-ray induction of micronuclei and structural chromosomal aberrations was studied in bone-marrow cells of normal and dwarf (dw) mice in combination with thyroxine and/or prolactin treatment or otherwise. Hormone treatment clearly increased micronuclei induction but not chromosome breakage, suggesting that indirect effects were involved. Since no clear differences in the timing of the final stage of erythropoiesis could be found, it is likely that the indirect effects are mediated via the formation-differentiation kinetics of erythroblasts. The induction of reciprocal translocations by X-rays in stem cell spermatogonia of dwarf mice was lower than in normals and treatment with prolactin, growth hormone and/or thyroxin, did not influence the chromosomal radiosensitivity of spermatogonial stem cells.     

Establishment of Plantago lanceolata L. and Plantago major L. among grass

Summary Establishment of Plantago lanceolata and P. major ssp major among grass was studied in a field experiment in which survival and selection on date of seedling emergence and plant size was investigated in relation to the vegetation structure. P. major — in contrast to P. lanceolata — was not able to establish itself in grass because of its lower competitive ability caused by later germination, smaller seedling size, and shorter leaves. In both species there was selection for early germination. For P. lanceolata a significant correlation was found between the strength of selection and the light climate, determined by the structure of the grass sward. Plants that germinated early were at an advantage because they were larger, especially the leaves, when compared with plants that germinated late. It seems likely that selection was mainly by competition for light. Contrary to expectation P. major-seedlings had a higher shade tolerance than those of P. lanceolata. The performance of both species is discussed in relation to their different life strategies.Grassland species research group publication no 142     

Variation in host susceptibility among and within populations ofPlantago lanceolata L. infected by the fungusPhomopsis subordinaria (Desm.) Trav.

Summary Susceptibility toPhomopsis stalk disease ofPlantago lanceolata genotypes, sampled in three different populations with a variable degree of infection by the fungusPhomopsis subordinaria, was determined under greenhouse conditions. Susceptibility of the host varied within, but not among populations. No relationship between the intensity of the disease in the field and the mean susceptibility of the host genotypes sampled at those locations could be established. Host susceptibility appeared to be composed of the host genotypes sampled at those locations could be established. Host susceptibility appeared to be composed of different (uncorrelated) plant characteristics. Determining whether host genotypes are highly or slightly susceptible can only be achieved by field trials, where the plants are exposed to the whole set of disease inducing factors. The relevance of host susceptibility to the intensity of disease in the field is discussed in relation to the variation in pathogenicity of the fungus and the variation in environmental factors prevailing inP. lanceolata populations underP. subordinaria pathogen pressure. Grassland Species Research Group Number 123