Populations of ants in a Missouri Woodland

Summary Populations of ants were studied in a mixed oak-hickory woods in St. Charles County, Missouri. Forty plots of soil, each measuring a yard square, were dug during the fall, winter, and spring, and records were kept of the species of ants, number of colonies, types of nests and hibernating conditions.Sixteen species of ants, making up 204 colonies, were found in the plots. The common species wereAphaenogaster rudis (62 colonies),Ponera eorctata pennsylvanica (40 colonies), andAmblypone pallipes (39 colonies). Rare, underground species found by this method includedSysphincta pergandei, Proceratium silaceum, and a new species ofStenamma (S. meridionale).

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Zusammenfassung Bevölkerungen der Ameisen eines Mischwaldes von Eichen und nordamerikanischer Wallnuszbäumen in St. Charles County, Missouri wurden untersucht. Vierzig Grundstücke, je ein Meter quadrat wurden während des Herbstes, des Winters, und des Frühlings ausgegraben, und schriftliche Berichte über die Spezies des Ameisen, Zahl der Kolonien, Grundform der Neste, und Zustände für Winterschlaf aufgezeichnet.Es gab in diesen Grundstücken sechzehn Spezies in 204 Kolonien der Ameisen. Die gewöhnlichen Spezies warenAphaenogaster rudis (62 Kolonien),Ponera coarctata pennsylvanica (40 Kolonien), undAmblypone pallipes (39 Kolonien). Seltene Untergrundspezies durch diese Methode gefunden schlieszenSysphincta pergandei, Proceratium silaceum, und eine Spezies derStenamma (S. meridionale) ein.

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Résumé L'auteur étudie de nombreuses populations de fourmis, habitant un bois composé de chênes et de hickorys dans le comté de St. Charles, État du Missouri. Au cours de l'automne, de l'hiver et du printemps, on pratiqua des fouilles dans quarante parcelles de terre, d'un mètre carré chacune, en notant les observations suivantes: espèces de fourmis, nombre de colonies, genres de nids et conditions d'hibernation.Parmi les 204 colonies découvertes dans les parcelles, on trouva seize espèces de fourmis. Les espèces communes étaient:Aphaenogaster rudis (62 colonies),Ponera coarctata pennsylvanica (40 colonies) etAmblypone pallipes (39 colonies). Parmi les espèces rares et souterraines trouvées par ce procédé, il y avaitSysphincta pergandei, Proceratium silaceum et une nouvelle espèce deStenamma (S. meridionale).

     

Bleaching euglena gracilis with antihistamines and streptomycin-type antibiotics

Summary Kanamycin, paromomycin, and neomycin, like streptomycin, permanently bleach Euglena gracilis. This effect, along with general toxicity, is opposed by Mg, histidine or a combination of pantothenate, nicotinic acid, and threonine. Such opposition is thought to be peripheral effects centered on uptake and transport.Certain antihistamines, notably tripelennamine, methapyrilene, and pyrilamine induce permanent bleaching. Diphenylhydramine and phenindamine induced temporary bleaching. Doxylamine, antazoline, pyrathiazine, pheniramine, prophenpyridamine, and promethazine did not bleach when tested up to inhibitory concentrations.Bleaching by streptomycin+heat was additive, not synergistic.The evidence at hand for the mode of action of ultraviolet irradiation, streptomycin antibiotics, and erythromycin suggests, as a working hypothesis, that the common factor may be interference with nucleic acid metabolism; the common factor in bleaching by antibiotics may be simultaneous provision of a molecular grouping favoring uptake and transport of the active moiety, which in turn may be rare sugars interfering with ribose and desoxyribose in the photosynthetic apparatus.New antibiotics of the streptomycin family might well be screened for bleaching activity as a possible index of damage to the 8th cranial nerve, for so far the correlation is excellent for this class of antibiotic.This paper is dedicated to Professor Dr. E. G. Pringsheim on the occasion of his 80th birthday.     

INHIBITION OF CELL PROLIFERATION AND EXPANSION IN VITRO BY THREE STEM GROWTH RETARDANTS

Three inhibitors of stem elongation, Amo, CCC, and Phosfon, inhibit cell division and expansion in tissues cultured in vitro. However, contrary to the case in intact plants, gibberellic acid does not prevent the retardant-induced inhibition in vitro. Supplementary auxin is also without effect in preventing the inhibition. Thus, the effect of the retardants cannot be simply that of inhibiting gibberellin or auxin synthesis. With respect to growth, carrot, chrysanthemum, and geranium tissues are equally sensitive to all 3 retardants, whereas tobacco tissues are considerably more resistant to Amo and apparently unaffected by CCC.