Extinction Risk Escalates in the Tropics

The latitudinal biodiversity gradient remains one of the most widely recognized yet puzzling patterns in nature [1]. Presently, the high level of extinction of tropical species, referred to as the “tropical biodiversity crisis”, has the potential to erode this pattern. While the connection between species richness, extinction, and speciation has long intrigued biologists [2], [3], these interactions have experienced increased poignancy due to their relevancy to where we should concentrate our conservation efforts. Natural extinction is a phenomenon thought to have its own latitudinal gradient, with lower extinction rates in the tropics being reported in beetles, birds, mammals, and bivalves [4]–[7]. Processes that have buffered ecosystems from high extinction rates in the past may also buffer ecosystems against disturbance of anthropogenic origin. While potential parallels between historical and present-day extinction patterns have been acknowledged, they remain only superficially explored and plant extinction patterns have been particularly neglected. Studies on the disappearances of animal species have reached conflicting conclusions, with the rate of extinction appearing either higher [8] or lower [9] in species richness hotspots. Our global study of extinction risk in vascular plants finds disproportionately higher extinction risk in tropical countries, even when indicators of human pressure (GDP, population density, forest cover change) are taken into account. Our results are at odds with the notion that the tropics represent a museum of plant biodiversity (places of historically lowered extinction) and we discuss mechanisms that may reconcile this apparent contradiction.     

The effect of aluminum on cytokinins in the mycelia of Amanita muscaria

High performance liquid chromatography analysis of immunoaffinity-purified extracts of mycelia of Amanita muscaria, and the Amaranthus bioassay of the eluted fractions, revealed the following seven cytokinins: zeatin, zeatin riboside, zeatin N-9-glucoside, dihydrozeatin, dihydrozeatin riboside, isopentenyl adenine, and isopentenyl adenosine. The decreased growth of aluminum-treated mycelia correlated with a 35% decrease in the total amount of the cytokinins. Among individual cytokinins, zeatin was the most affected, exhibiting a reduction of about 90%. The results are compared with previous investigations of aluminum effects on cytokinins in the mycelia of Lactarius piperatus, whose growth is stimulated by aluminum.Abbreviations ZR zeatin riboside - iPA isopentenyl adenosine - Z zeatin - DHZ dihydrozeatin - iP isopentenyl adenine - DHZR dihydrozeatin riboside - Z-9G zeatin N-9-glucoside - iP-9G isopentenyl N-9-glucoside - HPLC high performance liquid chromatography - DHZRMP dihydrozeatin riboside monophosphate - ZRMP zeatin riboside monophosphate     

Microphytobenthos of Arctic Kongsfjorden (Svalbard, Norway): biomass and potential primary production along the shore line

During summer 2007, Arctic microphytobenthic potential primary production was measured at several stations around the coastline of Kongsfjorden (Svalbard, Norway) at ≤5 m water depth and at two stations at five different water depths (5, 10, 15, 20, 30 m). Oxygen planar optode sensor spots were used ex situ to determine oxygen exchange in the overlying water of intact sediment cores under controlled light (ca. 100 μmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹) and temperature (2–4°C) conditions. Patches of microalgae (mainly diatoms) covering sandy sediments at water depths down to 30 m showed high biomass of up to 317 mg chl a m⁻². In spite of increasing water depth, no significant trend in “photoautotrophic active biomass” (chl a, ratio living/dead cells, cell sizes) and, thus, in primary production was measured at both stations. All sites from ≤5 to 30 m water depth exhibited variable rates of net production from −19 to +40 mg O₂ m⁻² h⁻¹ (−168 to +360 mg C m⁻² day⁻¹) and gross production of about 2–62 mg O₂ m⁻² h⁻¹ (17–554 mg C m⁻² day⁻¹), which is comparable to other polar as well as temperate regions. No relation between photoautotrophic biomass and gross/net production values was found. Microphytobenthos demonstrated significant rates of primary production that is comparable to pelagic production of Kongsfjorden and, hence, emphasised the importance as C source for the zoobenthos.     

Efficient Pre-mRNA Cleavage Prevents Replication-Stress-Associated Genome Instability

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When looks can kill: the evolution of sexually dimorphic floral display and the extinction of dioecious plants

Dioecious plants (with separate male and female individuals) more often have drab, inconspicuous flowers than related bisexual plants. Models indicate, however, that similar conditions favour the evolution of showy floral displays in dioecious and bisexual plants. One difference, however, is that dioecious plants may evolve floral displays that are sexually dimorphic. We show that males are more likely to evolve showy flowers than females in animal-pollinated plants, especially when pollinators are abundant. We demonstrate that this dimorphism places showy dioecious plants at a much higher risk of extinction during years of low pollinator abundance because pollinators may fail to visit female flowers. The higher extinction risk of showy dioecious plants provides an explanation for the fact that dioecious plants that do persist tend to have inconspicuous flowers and are more often wind pollinated. It may also help explain why dioecious plants are less species-rich than related bisexual plants.     

Cryopreservation of embryogenic cultures of Scots pine

The aim of the study was to develop an effective cryopreservation method for Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) embryogenic cultures. Altogether nine cell lines derived from three mother trees were cryopreserved after cold hardening using dimethylsulfoxide or two different mixtures of polyethyleneglycol 6000, glucose and dimethylsulfoxide as cryoprotectants. Seventy-eight percent of the cell lines remained viable after cryostorage, the best cryoprotectant treatment being 10% polyethyleneglycol 6000, 10% glucose, and 10% dimethylsulfoxide in water. This treatment resulted in significantly better regrowth of the embryogenic cultures than with the other cryoprotectants or with the controls. According to microscopical observations, the cells that retained their viability and regrowth ability after cryopreservation were the embryonal head cells, as well as some elliptic suspensor cells close to the embryonal head cell area. When proliferation growth of the frozen cultures had started, their morphological appearance was the same as the non-frozen cultures. In addition, the RAPD assays suggested that the cryostorage treatment used here preserved the genetic fidelity of the Scots pine embryogenic cultures. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Leading compounds for the validation of animal models of psychopathology

Modelling of complex psychiatric disorders, e.g., depression and schizophrenia, in animals is a major challenge, since they are characterized by certain disturbances in functions that are absolutely unique to humans. Furthermore, we still have not identified the genetic and neurobiological mechanisms, nor do we know precisely the circuits in the brain that function abnormally in mood and psychotic disorders. Consequently, the pharmacological treatments used are mostly variations on a theme that was started more than 50 years ago. Thus, progress in novel drug development with improved therapeutic efficacy would benefit greatly from improved animal models. Here, we review the available animal models of depression and schizophrenia and focus on the way that they respond to various types of potential candidate molecules, such as novel antidepressant or antipsychotic drugs, as an index of predictive validity. We conclude that the generation of convincing and useful animal models of mental illnesses could be a bridge to success in drug discovery.     

Fin56-induced ferroptosis is supported by autophagy-mediated GPX4 degradation and functions synergistically with mTOR inhibition to kill bladder cancer cells

Ferroptosis is a form of regulated cell death that emerges to be relevant for therapy-resistant and dedifferentiating cancers. Although several lines of evidence suggest that ferroptosis is a type of autophagy-dependent cell death, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Fin56, a type 3 ferroptosis inducer, triggers ferroptosis by promoting glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) protein degradation via a not fully understood pathway. Here, we determined that Fin56 induces ferroptosis and autophagy in bladder cancer cells and that Fin56-triggered ferroptosis mechanistically depends on the autophagic machinery. Furthermore, we found that autophagy inhibition at different stages attenuates Fin56-induced oxidative stress and GPX4 degradation. Moreover, we investigated the effects of Fin56 in combination with Torin 2, a potent mTOR inhibitor used to activate autophagy, on cell viability. We found that Fin56 synergizes with Torin 2 in cytotoxicity against bladder cancer cells. Collectively, our findings not only support the concept that ferroptosis is a type of autophagy-dependent cell death but imply that the combined application of ferroptosis inducers and mTOR inhibitors is a promising approach to improve therapeutic options in the treatment of bladder cancer.Subject terms: Macroautophagy, Macroautophagy     

Length-weight relationships of ornamental fish species from Amanã Lake,Amanã Reserve,Amazonas, Brazil

Length-weight relationships (LWRs) were estimated for 16 ornamental fish species from Amanã Lake and nine tributary streams, in Central Brazilian Amazonia. Sampling was carried out bimonthly for a year (2007–2008), using two sets of four gillnets (20 m × 2 m, 2,5; 3,5; 04; 4,5 cm stretch mesh size); trawls were performed with seine nets (35 m × 6 m, 3 mm stretch mesh size); native fish-traps (fyke-net like fish-traps woven from local lianas), and dip nets (0.5 m × 0.5 m stretch mesh size). Measurements were done for standard length (SL – 0.1 cm precision) and total weight (Wt – 0.01 g precision). This study provides information on the length–weight relationships for all sampled species and, in addition, provides new maximum standard lengths for six species.