RAPID METHOD FOR SCREENING THE TOLERANCE OF YEASTS TO ZINC (II) AND CHROMIUM (III)

Rapid screening of the tolerance of yeasts to zinc (II) and chromium (III) was performed by an agar diffusion test. A rapid and reliable procedure for the determination of metal ion concentration gradients on agar plates was developed. Different species of yeasts from the following genera were investigated: Arthroascus, Bulera, Dekkera, Debaryomyces, Dipodascopsis, Eremothecium, Candida, Hansenula, Kluyveromyces, Hormoacus, Geotrichum, Lipomyces, Pachysolen, Pichia, Saccharomyces, Schizosaccharomyces, Schizoblastosporion, Schwan-niomyces, Sporobolomyces, Yarrowia, Torulaspora, Zygosaccharomyces and Williopsis. The experimental conditions were defined as a constant volume of malt agar 32 cm³, and a temperature of 29C. After periods of 24, 47 and 72 h, the concentration intervals of growth inhibition were determined, and the yeasts investigated were grouped in different classes according to their tolerance to Zn (II) and Cr (III). Yeasts were found to be tolerant to significantly higher zinc (II) concentrations in the malt agar medium (5.9 mM to 20 mM) in comparison to chromium (III) (1.5 mM to 6.9 mM). Yeasts showed inter- and intra-generic differences in zinc (II) and chromium (III) tolerance.     

The reaction time of leech and triclad species to crushed prey and the significance of this for their coexistence in British lakes

1. Three species of leeches, Erpobdella octoculata, Glossiphonia complanata and Helobdella stagnalis, and four species of triclads, Polycelis nigra, P. tennis, Dugesia polychroa and Dendrocoelum lacteum, commonly coexist on stony shores in productive British lakes. All species are food limited and there is much overlap in their diet. For both leech and triclad communities, coexistence of species is through the occurrence of food refuges. Leeches are more successful than triclads at capturing live prey, whereas both groups feed on damaged prey, comprising incapacitated, live or dead animals that are leaking body fluids. If triclads are better than leeches at exploiting damaged prey, this could be a mechanism for their coexistence. 2. Laboratory experiments investigated the comparative speeds at which leeches and triclads responded to crushed prey. Young and adult predators were offered a crushed specimen of the oligochaete Tubifex tubifex, the snail Lymnaea peregra, the crustacean Asellus aquaticus or the chironomid Chironomus sp., and their reaction times recorded. These four prey groups constitute the main diet of the predators in the field. Only D. polychroa and D. lacteum showed a significantly different reaction time between young and adults to crushed prey, and the reason for this is unclear. All predators, except H. stagnalis and D. polychroa, showed a difference in reaction time to the four types of prey, presumably a consequence of differences in both the ‘quality’ and ‘concentration’ of the different prey fluids, and there were some differences between predators in their speed of reaction to the same prey type. The following sequence, from fastest to slowest, in general reaction time to prey was obtained: E. octoculata, D. polychroa, P. tenuis, D. lacteum, P. nigra, H. stagnalis and G. complanata. 3. The location of the damaged food by the predators can be explained partly in terms of their foraging behaviour, with E. octoculata, D, polychroa and P. tenuis exhibiting a more seek-out strategy than other species which have a more sit-and-wait behaviour, and partly on the level of sophistication of their chemosensory system used to detect leaked prey fluids. This system is highly developed in triclad species but poorly developed in leeches. 4. In a second type of experiment in which prey, L. peregra, A. aquaticus or Chironomus sp., were offered at different time intervals after crushing to H, stagnalis and P. tenuis, few predators fed on food crushed for 24 h or longer, although a few leeches fed on Chironomus crushed for up to 72 h. 5. It is concluded that coexistence of leech and triclad species on stony shores in lakes is assisted by partitioning of food on a damaged or live basis.     

Recovering endangered species and restoring ecosystems: conservation planning for the twenty-first century in the United States

The Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended, is one of the most significant pieces of conservation legislation ever passed in the United States. The passage of this act spawned the creation of the Endangered Species Program of the US. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Under the Act, the USFWS has responsibility for implementing many provisions of the Act: listings, consultations, enforcement of prohibitions and recovery planning. Recovering threatened and endangered species, as well as other declining species yet to be listed, is accomplished through many of the activities that occur under the auspices of the Act, not only through the formal recovery planning process. The Act is fundamentally an instrument for ecosystem conservation, although this aspect of the Act is often over-looked. Planning and implementing an ecosystem approach to conservation activities is a priority for the USFWS, not only for threatened and endangered species but for all wildlife. The recent emphasis on regional habitat conservation planning and the development of regional and multi-species recovery plans are indicative of the priority placed on sound ecosystem conservation planning. All of these processes are implemented with the participation of the potentially affected communities and state wildlife management agencies through a public review process. State conservation agencies are part of the process through a special grant programme.     

Threatened species, a re-evaluation of the status of eight endemic plants of the Gala´pagos

Although still in relatively good condition, the Gala´pagos Archipelago suffers from increasing human pressures. Apart from direct actions like hunting and logging, endemic plants and animals are threatened by introduced species, and in many cases the present status of the populations is not known. The conservation status of eight plant species considered endangered was studied from literature and field surveys and the main threats were determined. Each of the eight species is endemic to only one island but in some cases is also present on nearby islets. Of these eight species, one is considered extinct, one critically endangered, and the others suffer various levels of threat. As in all island systems of the world, the main threats are introduced organisms, both plants and animals. The extinct species probably disappeared owing to invasion by Lantana camara, one of the most aggressively invasive plants of the islands, and the most endangered species is threatened by goats. The remaining species seem to be regenerating well and we can expect positive results from protection efforts. Today, only one of the eight species benefits from a direct protection action.     

Studies on plant cuticle

The cuticles of plants of the Saxifragaceae, Rosaceae and Leguminosae are compared by chemical methods. Wide differences occur in the deposits of surface wax and cuticular membrane even within species of one genus. The relative proportions of four hydroxy-fatty acids in the cutin acids of plants of the families are assessed and the value of cutin analysis as a taxonomic criterion is discussed.     

Adaptations of Polygynous Breeding in the Bobolink, Dolichonyx oryzivorus

In some species of polygynous songbirds, males assist in feedingnestlings of their first (primary) female but ignore offspringof subsequent (secondary) mates. A number of adaptations importantin minimizing the disadvantages of a secondary status in femaleBobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) have been discovered. In Bobolinks, clutches of secondary females are significantlysmaller than those of primary females, thereby adjusting broodsize to correspond better with food delivery capabilities ofsecondary hens. Commencement of incubation with deposition ofthe penultimate egg allows additional brood size adjustment,for the resulting hatching asynchronism promotes efficient cullingof the late-hatching chick in times of food shortage, withoutendangering the entire brood. Secondary females differ fromprimary pairs in food exploitation techniques by capitalizingon insects found close to the nest and by showing less discriminationin food selection. Such behavior permits compensation in therate of food delivery trips to secondary nestlings so as toequal the tempo maintained by both members of the primary pair,yet results in quantitative disparities in food brought to primaryand secondary nestlings. Flexibility in male feeding responses,resulting in partial male assistance at secondary nests in situationswhere secondary brood size is exceptionally large, is also importantin helping to maximize the reproductive performance of birdsengaging in this mating strategy.     

Infection of stored celery plants by Centrospora acerina

Chlamydospores in tissue near the bases of plants and in attached soil particles were the main form of inoculum of Centrospora acerina (Hartig) Newhall found on celery plants prepared for storage. Most of these spores remained ungerminated for several weeks but subsequently formed germtubes, terminal appressoria and infection-pegs, which usually penetrated the plant surface through either the intact cuticle or damaged areas. For several weeks after the beginning of storage the plants were highly resistant to infection. During this time, appressoria failed to penetrate the intact cuticle and, if the fungus entered through damaged areas, hyphal growth in tissue was suppressed. Infection was often found to be associated with abrasion or splitting of the cuticle in commercially stored plants and, in experiments, deliberate damage enhanced the probability of infection. The development of the disease was much slower at 2 d?C than at 15 d?C.     

Entrainment of Geotropic Oscillations in Hypocotyls of Heliunthus annuus– An Experimental and Theoretical Investigation

A theory for the geotropic movements of the Heliunthus unnuus hypocotyl has been given earlier by Johnsson et ul. In the present paper this theory is tested by extensive experiments. The magnitude as well as the rate of geotropic curvature are found to be in agreement with the theoretical predictions. Further, the geotropic reaction time, defined as the time between the start of geotropic stimulation and the start of the geotropic reaction is determined as a function of the stimulation angle with respect to the plumb line. A slight variation found in the reaction time is included in the theory.     

Differential Under-replication of Satellite DNAs during <Emphasis Type="Italic">Drosophila</Emphasis> Development

SATELLITE DNAs are heavily concentrated in the centromeric heterochromatin of metaphase chromosomes^1–3. Satellites and other repeated polynucleotide sequences are under-represented in the polytene, salivary gland cells of Drosophila melanogaster, D. virilis and D. hydei larvae but are fully represented in diploid cells from embryos and imaginal disks^4–6. This under-representation in polytene cells stems from the association of heterochromatin in the chromocentre and the progressive under-replication of the chromocentre during larval development^7,8.     

Transplantation Immunity in Annelids. III. Effects of Temperature on Xenograft Rejection in Earthworms

Earthworms are capable of destroying body wall xenografts. Xenograftstransplanted Eisenia foetidaLumbricus terrestris at varioustemperatures showed that graft survival time is inversely proportionalto temperature in both cases. Colder temperatures slow graftrejection, but higher temperatures, up to optimal limits, accelerategraft destruction. At 21 C, Eisenia grafts on Lumbricus hostsare rejected faster than at any other experimental temperature;the variability in individual times is lessened. Beginning at23 C sub-optimal conditions are approached. Thus, graft survivaltimes are more prolonged. Lumbricus grafts on Eisenia hostsare rejected most quickly at 23 C; at 27 C all Eisenia are dead.A review of the earthworm's general thermal dependence is presentedand a rationalization for prolonged second-set graft survival(negative memory) at low temperatures is given. Temperatureeffects probably account for the lack of positive memory at15 C from previous studies.