Origins of host-specific populations of the blast pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae in crop domestication with subsequent expansion of pandemic clones on rice and weeds of rice

Rice, as a widely and intensively cultivated crop, should be a target for parasite host shifts and a source for shifts to co-occurring weeds. Magnaporthe oryzae, of the M. grisea species complex, is the most important fungal pathogen of rice, with a high degree of host specificity. On the basis of 10 loci from six of its seven linkage groups, 37 multilocus haplotypes among 497 isolates of M. oryzae from rice and other grasses were identified. Phylogenetic relationships among isolates from rice (Oryza sativa), millet (Setaria spp.), cutgrass (Leersia hexandra), and torpedo grass (Panicum repens) were predominantly tree like, consistent with a lack of recombination, but from other hosts were reticulate, consistent with recombination. The single origin of rice-infecting M. oryzae followed a host shift from a Setaria millet and was closely followed by additional shifts to weeds of rice, cutgrass, and torpedo grass. Two independent estimators of divergence time indicate that these host shifts predate the Green Revolution and could be associated with rice domestication. The rice-infecting lineage is characterized by high copy number of the transposable element MGR586 (Pot3) and, except in two haplotypes, by a loss of AVR-Co39. Both mating types have been retained in ancestral, well-distributed rice-infecting haplotypes 10 (mainly temperate) and 14 (mainly tropical), but only one mating type was recovered from several derived, geographically restricted haplotypes. There is evidence of a common origin of both ACE1 virulence genotypes in haplotype 14. Host-haplotype association is evidenced by low pathogenicity on hosts associated with other haplotypes.     

Genetic dissection of gene regulation in multiple mouse tissues

The analysis of the influence of genetic variation on regulation of gene expression at a near-genome-wide level has become the focus of much recent interest. It is widely appreciated that many genes are expressed in a tissue-specific manner and that others are more ubiquitously expressed but relatively little is known about how genetic variation might influence these tissue patterns of gene expression. In this review we discuss what is known about the tissue specificity of the influence of genetic variation and review the challenges that we face in combining hugely parallel, microarray-based gene analysis with equally expensive genetic analysis. We conclude that the available data suggest that genetic variation is essentially tissue specific in its effects upon gene expression and this has important implications for experimental analysis.     

Natural enemies associated with Sirex noctilio (Hymenoptera: Siricidae) and S. nigricornis in Ontario, Canada

Sirex noctilio F. is an exotic woodwasp now found in eastern North America where it shares natural enemies with native woodwasps of Pinus spp. To study the extent to which native hymenopteran parasitoids and parasitic nematodes could affect woodwasp populations, 60 Pinus trees with symptoms of S. noctilio attack were felled in 2007 and 2008 in Ontario, Canada. Each tree bole was cut into 1-m sections that were placed in individual rearing tubes; emergence was monitored from May to November of the year of felling. Female S. noctilio were dissected to assess parasitism by the nematode Deladenus siricidicola Bedding. Two species of Siricidae emerged from these trees; S. noctilio, which accounted for most of the specimens collected, and S. nigricornis F. Of the three species of parasitoid that emerged, Ibalia leucospoides (Hochenwarth) was the most abundant, accounting for an overall hypothetical Siricidae parasitism rate of almost 20%. This parasitoid emerged over a similar time period as S. noctilio-between early July and early September. Except in trees >15 m in height, parasitism by I. leucospoides generally appeared uniform throughout the bole. Parasitism rates did not vary between the 2 yr, but did between sites in 1 yr. Parasitic nematodes were found in the haemocoel of about one third of S. noctilio females dissected but were never found sterilizing the eggs; none were found in S. noctilio emerging from P. resinosa. These findings suggest that I. leucospoides is currently the primary invertebrate natural enemy of S. noctilio in Ontario.     

Sex at the origin: an Asian population of the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae reproduces sexually

Sexual reproduction may be cryptic or facultative in fungi and therefore difficult to detect. Magnaporthe oryzae, which causes blast, the most damaging fungal disease of rice, is thought to originate from southeast Asia. It reproduces asexually in all rice‐growing regions. Sexual reproduction has been suspected in limited areas of southeast Asia, but has never been demonstrated in contemporary populations. We characterized several M. oryzae populations worldwide both biologically and genetically, to identify candidate populations for sexual reproduction. The sexual cycle of M. oryzae requires two strains of opposite mating types, at least one of which is female‐fertile, to come into contact. In one Chinese population, the two mating types were found to be present at similar frequencies and almost all strains were female‐fertile. Compatible strains from this population completed the sexual cycle in vitro and produced viable progenies. Genotypic richness and linkage disequilibrium data also supported the existence of sexual reproduction in this population. We resampled this population the following year, and the data obtained confirmed the presence of all the biological and genetic characteristics of sexual reproduction. In particular, a considerable genetic reshuffling of alleles was observed between the 2 years. Computer simulations confirmed that the observed genetic characteristics were unlikely to have arisen in the absence of recombination. We therefore concluded that a contemporary population of M. oryzae, pathogenic on rice, reproduces sexually in natura in southeast Asia. Our findings provide evidence for the loss of sexual reproduction by a fungal plant pathogen outside its centre of origin.     

‘Cycle Thieves,We Are Watching You’: Impact of a Simple Signage Intervention against Bicycle Theft

Background

Bicycle theft is a serious problem in many countries, and there is a lack of evidence concerning effective prevention strategies. Displaying images of ‘watching eyes’ has been shown to make people behave in more socially desirable ways in a number of settings, but it is not yet clear if this effect can be exploited for purposes of crime prevention. We report the results of a simple intervention on a university campus where signs featuring watching eyes and a related verbal message were displayed above bicycle racks.

Methodology and Principal Findings

We installed durable signs at three locations which had experienced high levels of bicycle theft, and used the rest of the university campus as a control location. Reported thefts were monitored for 12 months before and after the intervention. Bicycle thefts decreased by 62% at the experimental locations, but increased by 65% in the control locations, suggesting that the signs were effective, but displaced offending to locations with no signs. The Odds Ratio for the effect of the intervention was 4.28 (95% confidence interval 2.04–8.98), a large effect compared to other place-based crime prevention interventions.

Conclusions and Significance

The effectiveness of this extremely cheap and simple intervention suggests that there can be considerable crime-reduction benefits to engaging the psychology of surveillance, even in the absence of surveillance itself. Simple interventions for high-crime locations based on this principle should be considered as an adjunct to other measures, although a possible negative consequence is displacement of offending.     

Evaluation of traps of six different designs to capture pine sawyer beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)

1 Sawyer beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) and metallic wood‐boring beetles (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) attack recently killed or felled trees. They are attracted to potential hosts by volatiles and possibly by visual cues. We examined traps of six different designs to determine the role of silhouette and shape in the capture of pine sawyer beetles, Monochamus L. 2 Traps with a round black cylinder, a single vane (clear or black), or cross vanes (clear or black) all mounted above a pan were compared to an open pan. Each pan contained soapy water to retain insects. 3 Traps with a black silhouette were significantly more effective in capturing male and female Monochamus scutellatus (Say) than traps with or without clear vanes. For both sexes of M. mutator LeConte, pan traps were as effective as traps with a black silhouette. Silhouette was not important for the capture of male and female M. notatus (Drury). Trap catches for the six trap types were not significantly different for male Buprestis maculativentris Say. 4 A pan trap with a black silhouette is recommended for general use in capturing wood‐boring cerambycids and buprestids.     

Imaging mixed lipid monolayers by dynamic atomic force microscopy.

Phase imaging with tapping mode atomic force microscopy (AFM) and force modulation microscopy were used to probe the mechanical properties of phase-separated lipid monolayers made of a mixture (0.25:0.75) of the surface-active lipopeptide surfactin and of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC). The pi-A isotherms and the result of a molecular modeling study revealed a loose, 2-D liquid-like organization for the surfactin molecules and a closely packed, 2-D solid-like organization for DPPC molecules. This difference in molecular organization was responsible for a significant contrast in height, tapping mode phase and force modulation amplitude images. Phase imaging at light tapping, i.e., with a ratio of the set-point tapping amplitude with respect to the free amplitude A(sp)/A(0) approximately 0.9, showed larger phase shifts on the solid-like DPPC domains attributed to larger Young's modulus. However, contrast inversion was observed for A(sp)/A(0)<0.7, suggesting that at moderate and hard tapping the image contrast was dominated by the probe-sample contact area. Surprisingly, force modulation amplitude images showed larger stiffness for the liquid-like surfactin domains, suggesting that the contrast was dominated by contact area effects rather than by Young's modulus. These data emphasize the complex nature of the contrast mechanisms of dynamic AFM images recorded on mixed lipid monolayers.     

Chemical and cryo-fixation for cadmium retention in a marine snail.

In the hepatopancreas of the marine snail Littorina littorea, tissue structure and elemental analysis are both adversely affected by dosage with cadmium (Cd) and preservation with an aqueous fixative saturated with hydrogen sulphide (H₂S). The fixative, with and without H₂S, leaches the intracellular phosphate and carbonate granules but the latter are more severely leached when H₂S is added. When intracellular accumulations of cadmium are examined by X-ray microanalysis (XRMA) cadmium retention is not enhanced by H₂S. To obtain a balanced XRMA of cadmium with other labile elements like Mg and K, it is necessary to use cryo-fixation.