Effects of Gibberellic Acid on the Activation, Synthesis, and Release of Acid Phosphatase in Barley Seed

Acid phosphatase activity was present in unimbibed barley seed,but rose during incubation of embryoless half-seeds and isolatedaleurone layers, and was further increased by 10^–6 M gibberellicacid (GA₃). Release of total acid phosphatase activity fromhalf-seeds and aleurone layers was markedly enhanced by GA₃.Inhibitor studies with cycloheximide and actinomycin D suggestedthat de novo synthesis of acid phosphatase occurred followingimbibition. Gel nitration, electrophoresis, and [¹⁴C]leucineincorporation studies revealed that a single molecular formof acid phosphatase was present in dry seed, whereas on incubationtwo further forms arose. A proportion of the three molecularforms of the enzyme was synthesized de novo. Gibberellic acidstimulated activation, but not de novo synthesis, of all threemolecular forms of acid phosphatase. Although a small amountof one of the molecular forms was secreted in the absence ofGA₃, the presence of gibberellin greatly increased secretionof the same form of acid phosphatase.     

Long term diet differences between morphs in trophically polymorphic Perdchthys trucha (Pisces: Percichthyidae) populations from the southern Andes

Divergent natural selection is often believed to be the driving force behind phenotypic differentiation in characters related to resource acquisition, leading to trophic polymorphism in fishes. Here we use variation in the fatty acid composition of adipose and muscle tissues to look at differences in resource use by two recently described sympatric morphs of Percichthys trucha , a common freshwater fish of the Andean and Patagonian regions of South America. Because dietary fatty acids are often stored in carnivorous animals with litde modification after consumption, they can be used to infer information about dietary habits of individuals. We found that the two morphs differed in the overall composition of fatty acids in both adipose and muscle tissue, but that there were some differences in how die morphs differed in lakes from the northern vs southern part of the range. Furthermore, we found that certain fatty acids were correlated with diet as determined by gut content analysis. Consumption of anisopteran larvae was highly correlated widi 14:0 in adipose and muscle tissue; and higher levels of longer chain unsaturated fatty acids (i.e. 20 and 22 carbons) were correlated with die presence offish and also amphipods in die diets. Taken togetiier, die results suggest that diere are marked differences in die foraging ecology of die two morphs of P. trucha inhabiting southern Andean lakes.     

Putative lipoproteins identified by bioinformatic genome analysis of Leifsonia xyli ssp. xyli, the causative agent of sugarcane ratoon stunting disease

Leifsonia xyli ssp. x yli is the causative agent of ratoon stunting disease, a major cause of economic loss in sugarcane crops. Understanding of the biology of this pathogen has been hampered by its fastidious growth characteristics in vitro . However, the recent release of a genome sequence for this organism has allowed significant novel insights. Further to this, we have performed a bioinformatic analysis of the lipoproteins encoded in the L. xyli genome. These analyses suggest that lipoproteins represent c . 2.0% of the L. xyli predicted proteome. Functional analyses suggest that lipoproteins make an important contribution to the physiology of the pathogen and may influence its ability to cause disease in planta .     

The anatomical basis of sexual dichromatism in non-iridescent ultraviolet-blue structural coloration of feathers

Despite extensive research on the evolution of avian dichromatism, the anatomical bases for differences between the sexes in species with structurally coloured plumage remain largely unknown. Using full‐spectrum spectrometry and transmission electron microscopy, we compared the colour and morphology of rump feathers of male and female eastern bluebirds (Sialia sialis). The ultraviolet (UV)‐blue feather colour in this species is caused by coherent scattering of light within the medullary ‘spongy layer’ of feather barbs. This spongy layer lies beneath a keratin cortex and on top of a layer of melanin granules that surround a hollow central vacuole. Irregularly shaped electron‐dense regions are present within the cortex. Male and female S. sialis differed substantially in their plumage colour and feather structure. A backwards logistic regression predicted sex with 100% accuracy using the colour variables brightness, UV‐violet (UV‐V) chroma and spectral saturation. A second backwards logistical regression predicted sex with 100% accuracy using relative cortex area and size of air spaces. Thus, S. sialis are dimorphic both in colour and in the structures causing this colour. Multiple regression analyses using data pooled from both sexes indicated that multiple features of feather barb structure contributed to colour variation in complex ways. Brightness was negatively related to the relative surface area of cortex in barb cross‐sections. Hue was positively related and UV‐V chroma was negatively related to the distance between scattering elements (i.e. keratin rods and air spaces) in the spongy layer. In contrast, hue was negatively related and UV‐V chroma was positively related to the thickness of the spongy layer. UV‐V chroma was also negatively related to the relative area of electron‐dense regions in the cortex. Spectral saturation was negatively related to the distance between scatterers and the standard error of the size of air spaces. These results suggest that the dimensions of spongy‐layer elements are critical to colour production, but that UV‐blue coloration can also be modified by the cortex and the thickness of the spongy layer. © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2005, 84 , 259–271.     

Infrared heater arrays for warming ecosystem field plots

There is a need for methodology to warm open‐field plots in order to study the likely effects of global warming on ecosystems in the future. Herein, we describe the development of arrays of more powerful and efficient infrared heaters with ceramic heating elements. By tilting the heaters at 45° from horizontal and combining six of them in a hexagonal array, good uniformity of warming was achieved across 3‐m‐diameter plots. Moreover, there do not appear to be obstacles (other than financial) to scaling to larger plots. The efficiency [η_h (%); thermal radiation out per electrical energy in] of these heaters was higher than that of the heaters used in most previous infrared heater experiments and can be described by: η_h= 10 + 25exp(? 0.17 u), where u is wind speed at 2 m height (m s^{? 1}). Graphs are presented to estimate operating costs from degrees of warming, two types of plant canopy, and site windiness. Four such arrays were deployed over plots of grass at Haibei, Qinghai, China and another at Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA, along with corresponding reference plots with dummy heaters. Proportional integral derivative systems with infrared thermometers to sense canopy temperatures of the heated and reference plots were used to control the heater outputs. Over month‐long periods at both sites, about 75% of canopy temperature observations were within 0.5 °C of the set‐point temperature differences between heated and reference plots. Electrical power consumption per 3‐m‐diameter plot averaged 58 and 80 kW h day^{? 1} for Haibei and Cheyenne, respectively. However, the desired temperature differences were set lower at Haibei (1.2 °C daytime, 1.7 °C night) than Cheyenne (1.5 °C daytime, 3.0 °C night), and Cheyenne is a windier site. Thus, we conclude that these hexagonal arrays of ceramic infrared heaters can be a successful temperature free‐air‐controlled enhancement (T‐FACE) system for warming ecosystem field plots.     

Proteomic and phenotypic profiling of the amphibian pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis shows that genotype is linked to virulence

Population genetics of the amphibian pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis ( Bd ) show that isolates are highly related and globally homogenous, data that are consistent with the recent epidemic spread of a previously endemic organism. Highly related isolates are predicted to be functionally similar due to low levels of heritable genetic diversity. To test this hypothesis, we took a global panel of Bd isolates and measured (i) the genetic relatedness among isolates, (ii) proteomic profiles of isolates, (iii) the susceptibility of isolates to the antifungal drug caspofungin, (iv) the variation among isolates in growth and phenotypic characteristics, and (v) the virulence of isolates against the European common toad Bufo bufo . Our results show (i) genotypic differentiation among isolates, (ii) proteomic differentiation among isolates, (iii) no significant differences in susceptibility to caspofungin, (iv) differentiation in growth and phenotypic/morphological characters, and (v) differential virulence in B. bufo . Specifically, our data show that Bd isolates can be profiled by their genotypic and proteomic characteristics, as well as by the size of their sporangia. Bd genotypic and phenotypic distance matrices are significantly correlated, showing that less-related isolates are more biologically unique. Mass spectrometry has identified a set of candidate genes associated with inter-isolate variation. Our data show that, despite its rapid global emergence, Bd isolates are not identical and differ in several important characters that are linked to virulence. We argue that future studies need to clarify the mechanism(s) and rate at which Bd is evolving, and the impact that such variation has on the host–pathogen dynamic.     

Endemic and introduced haplotypes of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Japanese amphibians: sink or source?

The global emergence of the amphibian chytrid pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is one of the most compelling, and troubling, examples of a panzootic. Only discovered in 1998, Bd is now recognized as a proximate driver of global declines in amphibian diversity and is now widely acknowledged as a key threatening process for this ancient class of vertebrates. Moreover, Bd has become a member of a small group of highly virulent multihost pathogens that are known to have had effects on entire vertebrate communities and the ecosystem‐level effects of Bd‐driven amphibian declines are starting to emerge as a consequence of regional decreases in amphibian diversity. Despite the speed at which this species of aquatic chytrid has become a focus of research efforts, major questions still exist about where Bd originated, how it spreads, where it occurs and what are Bd’s effects on populations and species inhabiting different regions and biomes. In this issue, Goka et al. (2009 ) make an important contribution by publishing the first nationwide surveillance for Bd in Asia. Although previous data had suggested that amphibians in Asia are largely uninfected by Bd, these surveys were limited in their extent and few firm conclusions could be drawn about the true extent of infection. Goka et al. herein describe a systematic surveillance of Japan for both native and exotic species in the wild, as well as amphibians housed in captivity, using a Bd‐specific nested PCR reaction on a sample of over 2600 amphibians. Their results show that Bd is widely prevalent in native species across Japan in at least three of the islands that make up the archipelago, proving for the first time that Asia harbours Bd.     

Speciation in Passerina buntings: introgression patterns of sex-linked loci identify a candidate gene region for reproductive isolation

Sex-chromosomes are thought to play an important role in speciation, but few studies of non-model organisms have investigated the relative influence of multiple sex-linked markers on reproductive isolation. We collected 222 individuals along a geographical transect spanning the hybrid zone between Passerina amoena and P. cyanea (Aves: Cardinalidae). Using maximum-likelihood cline fitting methods, we estimated locus-specific introgression rates for 10 z-linked markers. Although the cline width estimates ranged from 2.8 to 584 km, eight of 10 loci had cline widths between 224 and 271 km. We also used coalescent-based estimates of locus-specific divergence times between P. amoena and P. cyanea to test a recently proposed hypothesis of an inverse relationship between divergence time and cline width but did not find a significant association. The narrow width (2.8 km) of the cline estimated from the VLDLR9 locus indicates strong selection retarding introgression of alleles at this locus across the hybrid zone. Interestingly, a mutation in the very low density lipoprotein receptor ( VLDLR ) gene, in which VLDLR9 is an intron, is known to reduce the egg-laying ability of some chickens, suggesting a possible link between this gene region and reproductive isolation between P. amoena and P. cyanea . These results underscore the importance of sampling multiple loci to investigate introgression patterns across a chromosome or genome and support previous findings of the importance of sex-linked genes in speciation.