Genetic variation and structure of house sparrow populations: is there an island effect?

Population genetic structure and intrapopulation levels of genetic variation have important implications for population dynamics and evolutionary processes. Habitat fragmentation is one of the major threats to biodiversity. It leads to smaller population sizes and reduced gene flow between populations and will thus also affect genetic structure. We use a natural system of island and mainland populations of house sparrows along the coast of Norway to characterize the different population genetic properties of fragmented populations. We genotyped 636 individuals distributed across 14 populations at 15 microsatellite loci. The level of genetic differentiation was estimated using F‐statistics and specially designed Mantel tests were conducted to study the influence of population type (i.e. mainland or island) and geographic distance on the genetic population structure. Furthermore, the effects of population type, population size and latitude on the level of genetic variation within populations were examined. Our results suggest that genetic processes on islands and mainland differed in two important ways. First, the intrapopulation level of genetic variation tended to be lower and the occurrence of population bottlenecks more frequent on islands than the mainland. Second, although the general level of genetic differentiation was low to moderate, it was higher between island populations than between mainland populations. However, differentiation increased in mainland populations somewhat faster with geographical distance. These results suggest that population bottleneck events and genetic drift have been more important in shaping the genetic composition of island populations compared with populations on the mainland. Such knowledge is relevant for a better understanding of evolutionary processes and conservation of threatened populations.     

Adiponectin associates with markers of cartilage degradation in osteoarthritis and induces production of proinflammatory and catabolic factors through mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways

Introduction  

Adiponectin is an adipokine that regulates energy metabolism and insulin sensitivity, but recent studies have pointed also to a role in inflammation and arthritis. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the association and effects of adiponectin on inflammation and cartilage destruction in osteoarthritis (OA).     

Decadal-scale changes of dinoflagellates and diatoms in the anomalous baltic sea spring bloom

The algal spring bloom in the Baltic Sea represents an anomaly from the winter-spring bloom patterns worldwide in terms of frequent and recurring dominance of dinoflagellates over diatoms. Analysis of approximately 3500 spring bloom samples from the Baltic Sea monitoring programs revealed (i) that within the major basins the proportion of dinoflagellates varied from 0.1 (Kattegat) to >0.8 (central Baltic Proper), and (ii) substantial shifts (e.g. from 0.2 to 0.6 in the Gulf of Finland) in the dinoflagellate proportion over four decades. During a recent decade (1995-2004) the proportion of dinoflagellates increased relative to diatoms mostly in the northernmost basins (Gulf of Bothnia, from 0.1 to 0.4) and in the Gulf of Finland, (0.4 to 0.6) which are typically ice-covered areas. We hypothesize that in coastal areas a specific sequence of seasonal events, involving wintertime mixing and resuspension of benthic cysts, followed by proliferation in stratified thin layers under melting ice, favors successful seeding and accumulation of dense dinoflagellate populations over diatoms. This head-start of dinoflagellates by the onset of the spring bloom is decisive for successful competition with the faster growing diatoms. Massive cyst formation and spreading of cyst beds fuel the expanding and ever larger dinoflagellate blooms in the relatively shallow coastal waters. Shifts in the dominant spring bloom algal groups can have significant effects on major elemental fluxes and functioning of the Baltic Sea ecosystem, but also in the vast shelves and estuaries at high latitudes, where ice-associated cold-water dinoflagellates successfully compete with diatoms.     

Forest bioenergy climate impact can be improved by allocating forest residue removal

Bioenergy from forest residues can be used to avoid fossil carbon emissions, but removing biomass from forests reduces carbon stock sizes and carbon input to litter and soil. The magnitude and longevity of these carbon stock changes determine how effective measures to utilize bioenergy from forest residues are to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the energy sector and to mitigate climate change. In this study, we estimate the variability of GHG emissions and consequent climate impacts resulting from producing bioenergy from stumps, branches and residual biomass of forest thinning operations in Finland, and the contribution of the variability in key factors, i.e. forest residue diameter, tree species, geographical location of the forest biomass removal site and harvesting method, to the emissions and their climate impact. The GHG emissions and the consequent climate impacts estimated as changes in radiative forcing were comparable to fossil fuels when bioenergy production from forest residues was initiated. The emissions and climate impacts decreased over time because forest residues were predicted to decompose releasing CO₂ even if left in the forest. Both were mainly affected by forest residue diameter and climatic conditions of the forest residue collection site. Tree species and the harvest method of thinning wood (whole tree or stem‐only) had a smaller effect on the magnitude of emissions. The largest reduction in the energy production climate impacts after 20 years, up to 62%, was achieved when coal was replaced by the branches collected from Southern Finland, whereas the smallest reduction 7% was gained by using stumps from Northern Finland instead of natural gas. After 100 years the corresponding values were 77% and 21%. The choice of forest residue biomass collected affects significantly the emissions and climate impacts of forest bioenergy.     

Effects of Propagule Density and Survival Strategies on Establishment and Growth: Further Investigations in the Phylloplane Fungal Model System

This work builds on an earlier culture study where we determined that species diversity of competing saprotrophic phyllpolane fungi had only a negligible effect on the establishment and coexistence of a target fungus, Pestalotia vaccinii. Here, we explore preliminary evidence suggesting that spore density is a more important contributing factor to colonization and coexistence. We examine the influence of propagule density in vitro on establishment and growth of select members of the phylloplane of Vaccinium macrocarpon (American cranberry). To evaluate the response of the weak pathogen P. vaccinii to changes in competitors spore density, we chose saprotrophs from the previous investigation that had the greatest inhibitory effect on the establishment of P. vaccinii (Curvularia lunata), an intermediate inhibitory effect (Alternaria alternata) and the least inhibitory effect (Penicillium sp.). A constant target spore concentration of 50 viable spores of P. vaccinii was pit against densities of the three individual competitors ranging between 12 and 200 spores. As viable propagule density increased, establishment and coexistence of P. vaccinii significantly decreased, with C. lunata and A. alternata decreasing the growth of P. vaccinii more than Penicillium sp. Concomitantly, both C. lunata and Penicillium sp. were not significantly affected by overall spore density but were significantly affected by the presence of P. vaccinii. A. alternata, on the other hand, was not significantly influenced by the presence of P. vaccinii but was significantly affected by overall spore density. An in vitro investigation into the effect of interspecific competition on mycelial growth suggests how different survival strategies and community assembly rules might influence both growth and development. Growth of P. vaccinii was significantly less when interacting with C. lunata than when interacting with either A. alternata or Penicillium sp. Conversely, P. vaccinii had the greatest effect on the growth of C. lunata, less of an effect on the growth of A. alternata, and the least effect on Penicillium sp.     

Comparative analysis of the prion protein (PrP) gene in cetacean species

The partial PrP gene sequence and the deduced protein of eight cetacean species, seven of which have never been reported so far, have been determined in order to extend knowledge of sequence variability of the PrP genes in different species and to aid in speculation on cetacean susceptibility to prions. Both the nucleotide and the deduced amino acid sequences have been analysed in comparison with some of the known mammalian PrPs. Cetacean PrPs present typical features of eutherian PrPs. The PrP gene from the species of the family Delphinidae gave identical nucleic acid sequences, while differences in the PrP gene were found in Balaenopteridae and Ziphidae. The phylogenetic tree resulting from analysis of the cetacean PrP gene sequences, together with reported sequences of some ungulates, carnivores and primates, showed that the PrP gene phylogenesis mirrors the species phylogenesis. The PrP gene of cetaceans is very close to species where natural forms of TSEs are known. From an analysis of the sequences and the phylogenesis of the PrP gene, susceptibility to or occurrence of prion diseases in cetaceans can not be excluded.     

Design, synthesis and properties of novel powerful antioxidants, glutathione analogues

Glutathione (GSH) is the major low-molecular weight antioxidant in mammalian cells. Thus, its analogues carrying similar and/or additional positive properties might have clinical perspectives. Here, we report the design and synthesis of a library of tetrapeptidic GSH analogues called UPF peptides. Compared to cellular GSH our designed peptidic analogues showed remarkably higher hydroxyl radical scavenging ability (EC(50) of GSH: 1,231.0 +/- 311.8 microM; EC(50) of UPF peptides: from 0.03 to 35 microM) and improved antiradical efficiency towards a stable alpha,alpha-diphenyl-beta-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical. The best of UPF peptides was 370-fold effective hydroxyl radical scavengers than melatonin (EC(50): 11.4 +/- 1.0 microM). We also found that UPF peptides do not influence the viability and membrane integrity of K562 human erythroleukemia cells even at 200 microM concentration. Dimerization of GSH and UPF peptides was compared in water and in 0.9% saline solutions. The results, together with an earlier finding that UPF1 showed protective effects in global cerebral ischemia model in rats, suggest that UPF peptides might serve both as potent antioxidants as well as leads for design of powerful non-peptidic antioxidants that correct oxidative stress-driven events.     

Evolutionary bursts in Euphorbia (Euphorbiaceae) are linked with photosynthetic pathway

The mid‐Cenozoic decline of atmospheric CO₂ levels that promoted global climate change was critical to shaping contemporary arid ecosystems. Within angiosperms, two CO₂‐concentrating mechanisms (CCMs)—crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) and C₄—evolved from the C₃ photosynthetic pathway, enabling more efficient whole‐plant function in such environments. Many angiosperm clades with CCMs are thought to have diversified rapidly due to Miocene aridification, but links between this climate change, CCM evolution, and increased net diversification rates (r) remain to be further understood. Euphorbia (～2000 species) includes a diversity of CAM‐using stem succulents, plus a single species‐rich C₄ subclade. We used ancestral state reconstructions with a dated molecular phylogeny to reveal that CCMs independently evolved 17–22 times in Euphorbia, principally from the Miocene onwards. Analyses assessing among‐lineage variation in r identified eight Euphorbia subclades with significantly increased r, six of which have a close temporal relationship with a lineage‐corresponding CCM origin. Our trait‐dependent diversification analysis indicated that r of Euphorbia CCM lineages is approximately threefold greater than C₃ lineages. Overall, these results suggest that CCM evolution in Euphorbia was likely an adaptive strategy that enabled the occupation of increased arid niche space accompanying Miocene expansion of arid ecosystems. These opportunities evidently facilitated recent, replicated bursts of diversification in Euphorbia.