Preference and performance of Lepidoptera varies with tree age in juniper woodlands

1. As trees age, they undergo significant physiological and morphological changes. Nevertheless, tree ontogeny and its impacts on herbivores are often overlooked as determinants of plant–herbivore population dynamics and the strength of plant–herbivore interactions. 2. Juniperus (Cupressaceae) is a dominant, long‐lived conifer that serves as the sole host to a specialised assemblage of caterpillars. Over the past 150 years, several juniper species in western North America have expanded their geographic occupancy at local and regional scales, which has resulted in an increase in the number of immature trees on the landscape. Using assays in the laboratory, the effects of tree ontogeny on caterpillar performance and oviposition preference for two juniper specialist caterpillars, Callophrys gryneus (Lycaenidae) and Glena quinquelinearia (Geometridae), were examined. The study considered whether responses to tree ontogeny were consistent across caterpillar species and juniper host species. 3. Tree age was found to be a reliable predictor of caterpillar performance, with caterpillars developing more quickly and growing larger when fed foliage from young trees. Differences in the phytochemical diversity between foliage from trees of different ages might help to explain observed differences in caterpillar performance. Interestingly, the specialist butterfly, C. gryneus, displayed an oviposition preference for foliage from old‐growth Juniperus osteosperma trees, despite the fact that larvae of this species performed poorly on older trees. 4. It is concluded that young juniper trees are an important resource for the specialised Lepidopteran community and that tree ontogeny is an important component of intraspecific variation, which contributes to the structure of plant–herbivore communities.     

The detection of fish pathogenVibrio anguillarum in water and fish using a species-specific DNA probe combined with membrane filtration

The marine bacteriumVibrio anguillarum causes disease in fish worldwide and is particularly devastating in aquaculture. Little is known about the ecology ofV. anguillarum in the environment and how this may relate to the pathogenicity of this organism. Combining membrane filtration and a species-specific DNA probe, culturableV. anguillarum cells were detected in water from three habitats and in chinook salmon (Onchorynchus tshawytscha) tissue samples. Results show that different marine habitats have a marked effect on cell numbers and that water temperature may play a role in the culturability and distribution ofV. anguillarum. Vibrio anguillarum was detected from the gills of salmon within 24 h of transfer of fingerlings from freshwater to seawater, with cell numbers reaching a concentration of 1.9 × 10² cells g^–1 tissue 28 days post transfer.Vibrio anguillarum cell numbers were low in the colon throughout the study, andV. anguillarum was not detected in healthy kidney samples. The methodology reported in this paper allows the accurate quantification of culturableV. anguillarum cells and has allowed a preliminary study of the ecology of this species.     

Development of a DNA probe using differential hybridization to detect the fish pathogenVibrio anguillarum

The fish pathogenVibrio anguillarum causes significant economic losses in commercially cultured fish species worldwide. At present, identification ofV. anguillarum requires conventional isolation and culturing techniques. Using differential hybridization, a 310 base pairV. anguillarum-specific DNA fragment was isolated for use as a probe. In specificity studies against 19 different bacterial species, including twoVibrio sp. and fish pathogens, and 223 marine bacterial isolates, the probe hybridized exclusively toV. anguillarum strains. The probe also strongly hybridizes to 7 of 9 serotypes tested, with serotype 09 giving a weak probe reaction and serotype O7 negative. The probe allows rapid and accurate detection of both pathogenic and environmental strains ofV. anguillarum.     

Activity of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase of an anthracycline-producing streptomycete

During fermantation studies on the production of anthracycline antibiotics by Streptomyces C5, it was observed that among the intermediate metabolism enzymes tested, only phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPCase; EC 4.1.1.31) increased significantly in specific activity during stationary phase. The specific activity of the Streptomyces C5 PEPCase increased ca. 3-fold during antibiotic production phase from the logarithmic phase levels. To characterize the regulation of the enzyme further, the Streptomyces C5 PEPCase was purified 150-fold from crude extracts. Acetyl-CoA and Mg2+ were shown to be required for PEPCase activity. The activity of the partially purified PEPCase was stimulated slightly by fructose 1,6-bisphosphate and AMP, and was inhibited severely by oxaloacetate, aspartate, malate, succinate, ATP, citrate, and CoASH.     

Habenular modulation of raphe indoleamine metabolism

Anatomical and neurophysiological findings have demonstrated neuronal connections between the diencephalic habenular nuclei and brain stem serotonergic raphe nuclei. Therefore we examined some neurochemical consequences of habenular lesions. Sixteen hours and one week after bilateral lesions serotonin metabolism (as reflected by concentrations of its metabolite, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid) was significantly increased in the dorsal but not the median raphe nuclei. Unilateral lesions produced a proportionally smaller augmentation. Motron locomotor activity was enhanced during the light and dark illumination phases in lesioned animals but only attained statistical significance during the day.