Ectonucleotidase Activities Associated with the Olfactory Organ of the Spiny Lobster

The olfactory system of the Florida spiny lobster, Panulirus argus, has olfactory receptors that are excited by the purine nucleotides AMP, ADP, and ATP. These receptors reside on chemosensory neurons that are contained within aesthetasc sensilla on the lateral filaments of the antennules. Also associated with the lobster's olfactory system are ectonucleotidase activities that dephosphorylate excitatory nucleotides, resulting in the production of the nonstimulatory nucleoside adenosine. Our studies of the 5'-ectonucleotidase, ecto-ADPase, and ecto-ATPase activities of this olfactory system showed that each activity was characterized by Michaelis-Menten kinetics; Michaelis constants ranged from 6.9 to 33.5 microM, and maximum velocities ranged from 2.5 to 28.8 fmol/sensillum/s. Evidence that AMP dephosphorylation may serve as an inactivation process was shown by the close correlation between the kinetics of 5'-ectonucleotidase activity and the periodicity of olfactory sampling. Decreased magnesium ion concentration or increased calcium ion concentration resulted in increased ecto-ATPase activity; this activity was insensitive to vanadate ion. Ectonucleotidase activities may have multiple effects on the detection of exogenous nucleotides by a chemosensory system. These effects can be either direct, such as the conversion of an odorant to an inactive compound, or indirect, such as the conversion of an odorant to another compound that can activate or inhibit either receptors or enzymes associated with the system.     

Measures of geographic range size: the effects of sample size

A number of methods have been used for quantifying the sizes of the geographic ranges of species. The consequences of different levels of sampling (the proportion of actual spatial occurrences) are explored for eight of these, using data on the occurrences of butterfly species on a 10 × 10 km grid across Britain. For all methods, the percentage error of estimation (PEE) decreases with the number of 10 × 10 km squares which a species occupies, most rapidly for extent measures, and more rapidly for area measures than for measures of numbers of units occupied. The rate of decline in PEE itself falls as sampling effort increases. At a given sampling level, rank correlations between range sizes measured by different methods are generally high, but there is no consistent change in the magnitude of these correlations as the level of sampling increases. The composition of the set of species with the smallest range sizes changes with the level of sampling.     

The biogeochemistry of a north-temperate grassland with native ungulates: Nitrogen dynamics in Yellowstone National Park

Nutrient dynamics of large grassland ecosystems possessing abundant migratory grazers are poorly understood. We examined N cycling on the northern winter range of Yellowstone National Park, home for large herds of free-roaming elk (Cervus elaphus) and bison (Bison bison). Plant and soil N, net N mineralization, and the deposition of ungulate fecal-N were measured at five sites, a ridgetop, mid-slope bench, steep slope, valley-bottom bench, and riparian area, within a watershed from May, 1991 to April, 1992.Results indicated similarities between biogeochemical properties of Yellowstone grassland and other grassland ecosystems: (1) landscape position and soil water affected nutrient dynamics, (2) annual mineralization was positively related to soil N content, and (3) the proportion of soil N mineralized during the year was negatively related to soil C/N.Grazers were a particularly important component of the N budget of this grassland. Estimated rates of N flow from ungulates to the soil ranged from 8.1 to 45.6 kg/ha/yr at the sites (average = 27.0 kg/ha/yr), approximately 4.5 times the amount of N in senescent plants. Rates of nitrogen mineralization for Yellowstone northern range grassland were higher than those measured in other temperate grassland ecosystems, possibly due to grazers promoting N cycling in Yellowstone.     

Conformational transitions using molecular dynamics with minimum biasing

The molecular dynamics algorithm (MD), which simulates intramolecular motions on the subnanosecond timescale, has been modified to allow the investigation of slow conformational transitions that do not necessarily occur spontaneously in MD simulations. The method is designated CONTRA MD (CONformational TRAnsitions by Molecular Dynamics with minimum biasing). The method requires the prior definition of a single conformational variable that is required to vary monotonically from an initial conformation to a final target conformation. The simulation is broken up into a series of short free MD segments, and we determine, after each segment of MD, whether or not the system has evolved toward the final conformation. Those segments that do not move the system in that direction are deleted. Those that do move it toward the final conformation are patched together sequentially to generate a single representative trajectory along the transition pathway. The CONTRA MD method is demonstrated first by application to the simultaneous C2′-endo to C3′-endo repucker and anti to syn N-glycosidic torsion transitions in 2′-deoxyadenosine and then to the large-scale bending in phenylalanine transfer RNA. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Constructed floating wetlands: a “safe-to-fail” study with multi-sector participation

The Duwamish River Floating Wetlands project designed, built, and deployed constructed floating wetlands in the estuary of the urban Duwamish River in Seattle, Washington, during the 2019 and 2020 outmigration seasons for juvenile salmon. Using a “safe-to-fail” methodology and adaptive management strategies, these innovative floating wetland prototypes were custom designed to provide the native plants, invertebrates and slow water habitat that juvenile salmon require during their transition from fresh to salt water, and were monitored for these outcomes. This paper will provide insight into the prototype designs, adaptive management strategies and plant performance, and unique public-private-academic-community partnerships that supported 2 years of design and research.