Temperature influence on life table statistics of the chicken miteDermanyssus gallinae (Acari: Dermanyssidae)

An age-specific life table for the chicken miteDermanyssus gallinae (DeGeer, 1778) was based on various observations carried out at 25°C. The generation time was calculated to be 16.8 days; the intrinsic rate of natural increase was 0.12 per day, and the net reproductive rate was 7.2. A nonlinear function was found satisfactory to describe the developmental rate of the different immature lifestages at temperatures below 40°C. The stage-specific survival of the immature life-stages was generally high between 10 and 37°C, but decreased quickly outside this temperature range. Most of the eggs were laid during the first three weeks of the adult life. The proportion of surviving females rapidly decreases after moulting to the adult stage. At a temperature of 30°C, the highest number of eggs (3 eggs per day) was laid.     

Eine einfache methode zur erfassung der parameter von spitzwinkeligen gastropodengehäusen

The D.M. Raup & A. Michelson model of assessing shell-coiling constitutes a method which simplifies the measuring of spiral-coiling gastropod shells. With, this method the information is obtained by measuring the photograph of the object.The newly developed method has the advantage of dispensing with an exact shell orientation (horizontally located axis) and magnification.Instead of photographing the object with a camera the shell is placed upon photographic paper and in this manner a contact showing the shell outlines can be achieved by exposing and developing the print. Correct information is then obtained by means of the conversion factors (1–3) as outlined in this paper.     

Correspondenz

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Efficient deletion of LoxP-flanked selectable marker genes from the genome of transgenic pigs by an engineered Cre recombinase

Genetically modified (GM) pigs hold great promises for pig genetic improvement, human health and life science. When GM pigs are produced, selectable marker genes (SMGs) are usually introduced into their genomes for host cell or animal recognition. However, the SMGs that remain in GM pigs might have multiple side effects. To avoid the possible side effects caused by the SMGs, they should be removed from the genome of GM pigs before their commercialization. The Cre recombinase is commonly used to delete the LoxP sites-flanked SMGs from the genome of GM animals. Although SMG-free GM pigs have been generated by Cre-mediated recombination, more efficient and cost-effective approaches are essential for the commercialization of SMG-free GM pigs. In this article we describe the production of a recombinant Cre protein containing a cell-penetrating and a nuclear localization signal peptide in one construct. This engineered Cre enzyme can efficiently excise the LoxP-flanked SMGs in cultured fibroblasts isolated from a transgenic pig, which then can be used as nuclear donor cells to generate live SMG-free GM pigs harboring a desired transgene by somatic cell nuclear transfer. This study describes an efficient and far-less costly method for production of SMG-free GM pigs.

     

Hydrurus‐related golden algae (Chrysophyceae) cause yellow snow in polar summer snowfields

In polar regions, melting snow fields can be occupied by striking blooms of chrysophycean algae, which cause yellowish slush during summer. Samples were harvested at King George Island (South Shetland Islands, Maritime Antarctica) and at Spitsbergen (Svalbard archipelago, High Arctic). The populations live in an ecological niche, where water‐logged snow provides a cold and ephemeral ecosystem, possibly securing the survival of psychrophilic populations through the summer. A physiological adaptation to low temperatures was shown by photosynthesis measurements. The analysis of soluble carbohydrates showed the occurrence of glycerol and sugars, which may play a role in protection against intracellular freezing. Although both populations were made of unicells with Ochromonas‐alike morphology, investigation by molecular methods (18S rDNA sequencing) revealed unexpectedly a very close relationship to the mountain‐river dwelling Hydrurus foetidus (Villars) Trevisan. However, macroscopic thalli typical for the latter species were never found in snow, but are known from nearby localities, and harvested samples of snow algae exposed to dryness evolved a similar pervading, ‘fishy’ smell. Moreover, in both habitats tetrahedal zoospores with four elongate spikes were found, similar to what is known from Hydrurus. Our molecular results go along with earlier reports, where chrysophycean sequences of the same taxonomic affiliation were isolated from snow. This points to a distinct group of photoautotrophic, Hydrurus‐related chrysophytes, which are characteristic for long‐lasting, slowly melting snow packs in certain cold regions of the world.