Expandable spermatheca influences sperm storage in the simultaneously hermaphroditic snail Arianta arbustorum

Summary

In many simultaneously hermaphroditic land snail species, the sperm storage organ (spermatheca) is highly structured, suggesting that the female function might be able to influence offspring paternity. Physical properties of the sperm storage organ, including its initial size and sperm storage capacity, may also affect fertilization patterns in multiply mated snails. We examined the structure, volume and tubule length of empty spermathecae in the land snail, Arianta arbustorum, and assessed differences in spermatheca size following a single copulation. The number of spermathecal tubules ranged from 2–7, but was not correlated with the volume of empty spermathecae. The volume of sperm stored in the spermatheca after a copulation was correlated with neither the number of spermathecal tubules nor copulation duration. Mean spermathecal volume more than doubled between two and thirty-six hours after sperm uptake, but the length of the spermathecal tubules did not change. Interestingly, the volume of sperm stored in the spermatheca seems not to be related to the size of the spermatophore and thus not to the number of sperm received (= allosperm). The amount of allosperm digested in the bursa copulatrix was highly variable and no significant relationship with the size of the spermatophore received was found. These findings suggest that numerical aspects of sperm transfer are less important in influencing fertilization success of sperm in A. arbustorum than properties of the female reproductive tract of the sperm receiver.     

Genetic differentiation between populations of the European rose hip fly Rhagoletis alternata

We tested for genetic differentiation between populations of Rhagoletis alternata Fall. (Diptera: Tephritidae) on three different host species. We collected larvae from three rose species of the section Caninae ( Rosa canina L., Rosa corymbifera Borkh . , and Rosa rubiginosa L.) from 15 sites across Germany, where the three roses occurred together. Additionally, we sampled three sites in Switzerland. Roses differ in morphology (e.g. leaf glands) as well as phenology. We were able to score nine allozyme loci (five polymorphic). Populations from the three hosts did not differ in genetic variability. We found significant genetic differentiation between populations from different host species. However, the differentiation was very low (0.9%). Hence, we found no indication for host races. Furthermore, surprisingly little geographical structure of genetic differentiation was found between populations of this fruit fly across central Europe. We offer three mutually non-exclusive explanations for these findings. First, gene flow between populations of Rh. alternata is high. Second, the pattern of genetic differentiation is based on a recent expansion of the distributional range . Third, the ongoing gene flow between roses of the section Caninae acts as a hybrid bridge.  © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2007, 90 , 619–625.     

Development of a stable isotope index to assess decadal-scale vegetation change and application to woodlands of the Burdekin catchment, Australia

Forty-four study sites were established in remnant woodland in the Burdekin River catchment in tropical north-east Queensland, Australia, to assess recent (decadal) vegetation change. The aim of this study was further to evaluate whether wide-scale vegetation ‘thickening’ (proliferation of woody plants in formerly more open woodlands) had occurred during the last century, coinciding with significant changes in land management. Soil samples from several depth intervals were size separated into different soil organic carbon (SOC) fractions, which differed from one another by chemical composition and turnover times. Tropical (C₄) grasses dominate in the Burdekin catchment, and thus δ¹³C analyses of SOC fractions with different turnover times can be used to assess whether the relative proportion of trees (C₃) and grasses (C₄) had changed over time. However, a method was required to permit standardized assessment of the δ¹³C data for the individual sites within the 13 Mha catchment, which varied in soil and vegetation characteristics. Thus, an index was developed using data from three detailed study sites and global literature to standardize individual isotopic data from different soil depths and SOC fractions to reflect only the changed proportion of trees (C₃) to grasses (C₄) over decadal timescales. When applied to the 44 individual sites distributed throughout the Burdekin catchment, 64% of the sites were shown to have experienced decadal vegetation thickening, while 29% had remained stable and the remaining 7% had thinned. Thus, the development of this index enabled regional scale assessment and comparison of decadal vegetation patterns without having to rely on prior knowledge of vegetation changes or aerial photography.     

The importance of the littoral epiphyton as food for commercial fish in the recent African man-made lake, Nyumba ya Mungu reservoir, Tanzania

Nyumba ya Mungu reservoir is a man-made lake in the Kilimanjaro region of northern Tanzania. The commercial fisheries are principally based on the cichlids, Sarotherodon pangani Lowe, S. jipe Lowe, S. esculentus Graham, and Tilapia rendalli Boulenger.
Examination of gut contents revealed that the dominant species, S. pangani and S. jipe , fed on the epiphyton attached to the vegetation in the littoral zone, S. esculentus was a phytoplankton filter feeder, and T. rendalli consumed macrophytes and associated epiphytes.
A fish exclosure quantitatively demonstrated that the epiphyton community was appreciably depleted by the grazing of fish. After 35 days the mean epiphyton density on the submerged surfaces of Cyperus articulatus L. within the exclosure was 285 times 10³ individuals cm^-2 shoot, but only 181 times 10³ individuals cm^-2 shoot on grazed surfaces outside the exclosure. The differences were statistically significant, and corresponded to a difference in biomass of about 6.5 g organic dry weight m^-2 lake surface. Vertical profiles of periphyton density on Cyperus indicated that fish grazed mainly below a depth of 100 mm from the water surface.
The littoral epiphyton → commercial fish food chain, which may be unique, is considered to predominate in Nyumba ya Mungu, and is compared with the major food chains of commercial fish in some other African natural and man-made lakes.     

First nest description, breeding behaviour and distribution of the Madagascar Serpent-Eagle Eutriorchis astur

The critically endangered, endemic Madagascar Serpent-Eagle Eutriochis astur was searched for and studied from 1993-98 on Masoala Peninsula, northeastern Madagascar. Fifteen individual serpent-eagles were detected at nine different localities throughout the Masoala Peninsula. The first nest of the Madagascar Serpent-Eagle was discovered on 7 November 1997. The nest was in an epiphytic fern Asplenium nidus supported by vines and branches, 20.1 m above the ground in a Potameia capuroni of 36.2 cm diameter at breast height. The epiphytic fern was lined with leaves in the centre and twigs were positioned to form a nest rim. The nest measured 76 times 57 cm and contained one white egg. The female and male incubated for 77% and 21% of 118 hours of nest observations, respectively. The egg hatched on 21 November 1997, and the young fledged 62 days later on 22 January. Chameleons Furcifer and Calumma spp., and leaf-tailed geckos Uroplatus sp., made up the most numerous prey types taken, representing 83% of the 133 identified prey. Currently, the Masoala Peninsula forest contains the greatest number of sightings and known density of serpent-eagles in Madagascar.     

Phylogeny of Trichomonads Based On Partial Sequences of Large Subunit Rrna and On Cladistic Analysis of Morphological Data

ABSTRACT. Several domains of large subunit rRNA from nine trichomonad species have been sequenced. Molecular phylogenies obtained with parsimony and distance methods demonstrate the trichomonads are a monophyletic group which branches very early in the eukaryotic tree. the topology of the trees is in general agreement with traditional views on evolutionary and systematic relationships of trichomonads. A clear dichotomy is noted between the subfamily Trichomonadinae and the subfamily Tritrichomonadinae. In the latter subfamily, a second division separates the " Tritrichomonas muris -type" species from the " Tritrichomonas augusta -type" ones. Previous evolutionary schemes in which the Monocercomonadidae were regarded as the most "primitive" and the Trichomonadidae as more "evolved" are not in agreement with our molecular data. the emergence of Monocercomonas and Hypotrichomonas at the base of the Tritrichomonas lineage suggests a secondary loss of some cytoskeletal structures, the costa and undulating membrane in these genera. This is corroborated by the early branching position of Trichomitus. which possesses a costa and an undulating membrane and has usually been placed among the Trichomonadidae on the basis of cytological characters. A cladistic analysis was applied to the available morphological characters in order to produce a hierarchical grouping of the taxa reflecting their morphological diversity. Supplementary key words. Evolution, molecular phylogeny, morphological cladistic analysis.     

GROWTH AND REPRODUCTION OF THE MINUTE LAND SNAIL PUNCTUM PYGMAEUM (DRAPARNAUD)

Reproductive characters and growth of Punctum pygmaeum wereinvestigated under laboratory conditions. Eggs were laid singlyat intervals of 2–8 days. Egg size averaged 0.41 by 0.50mm. Due to a variable period of egg retention, newly depositedeggs contained differently developed embryos resulting in anincubation period varying from 1 to 34 days. Each snail on averagelaid 6.0 eggs (range 1–16 eggs) during its life. Egg productionrate and hatching success in individuals kept in isolation werethe same as in individuals kept in pairs. Hatchlings measured0.49 mm in shell breadth. Snails grew throughout their life,but the growth rate declined significantly at a shell breadthof 1.3–1.4 mm, the point at which the onset of sexualmaturity occurred. Comparison of reproductive characters ofsnails living in leaf litter revealed that very small-sizedspecies produce few, but in relation to their shell size largeeggs, which they oviposit singly. ^*Present address: Zoological Institute, University of Basel,Rhein-sprung 9. CH-4051 Basel, Switzertand (Received 23 May 1988; accepted 11 July 1988)     

The Anchorage of Leek Seedlings: The Effect of Root Length and Soil Strength

The mechanical behaviour of single roots being extracted fromsoil was modelled as a process in which tension is transferredfrom the upper regions of the root to the soil via shear. Quantitativepredictions were made about the extraction forces and the shapeof the uprooting curves, and these were tested using leek radiclesof different lengths in soil of two different strengths. Results of uprooting tests were qualitatively similar to thepredictions. The pullout resistance rose with root length, untilthe breaking strength of the root was reached, at around 30mm: longer roots all broke before the tip was stressed. In wholeroot systems, therefore, failure will occur proximally beforethe line distal roots are mechanically stressed, so these canhave no anchorage function. Resistance to an upward force will be most economically achievedby having many strengthened proximal root axes, as in the adventitiousroot systems of grasses, sedges and stoloniferous dicots. Allium porrum, root, anchorage, shear, tension, soil     

Genome size evolution and polyploidy in the Daphnia pulex complex (Cladocera: Daphniidae)

Genome size was estimated in 49 clones of the Daphnia pulex complex from temperate and subarctic locations using flow cytometry and microsatellite DNA analyses. Significant genome size differences were found in diploid species belonging to the two genetically distinct groups (the pulicaria and the tenebrosa groups), with clones from the tenebrosa group having genome sizes 22% larger than those in the pulicaria group. Combined flow cytometry and microsatellite DNA analyses revealed that nearly all polyploid clones in the D. pulex complex are triploid and not tetraploid, as was previously suggested. Sequencing analyses of the ND5 gene to position clones in their respective clades within the D. pulex complex have uncovered three triploid clones of Daphnia middendorffiana with a D. pulex maternal parent. This result was unexpected because Daphnia pulicaria has always been identified as the maternal parent of these hybrid polyploid clones. Triploid clones likely owe their origins to interactions between sexual and asexual populations. Further interactions in the tenebrosa group have generated tetraploid clones but these events have been rare.  © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2009, 97 , 68–79.     

Identification of the adipokinetic hormone of the large milkweed bug Oncopeltus fasciatus

Abstract The adipokinetic hormone (AKH) of the large milkweed bug Oncopeltus fasciatus is isolated from an acidified methanolic extract of 200 corpora cardiaca, purified by single step reversed phase high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and N‐terminally deblocked using pyroglutamate aminopeptidase. The sequence is identified by Edman degradation and matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization‐time of flight mass spectroscopy as pGlu‐Leu‐Asn‐Phe‐Ser‐Pro‐Asn‐Trp amide. This structure is confirmed by chemical synthesis and coelution of native and synthetic peptide on HPLC. The AKH of O. fasciatus is identical to Tenmo‐HrTH, a member of the adipokinetic/red pigment‐concentrating hormone peptide family that had been isolated earlier from several tenebrionid beetles. Tenmo‐HrTH causes a significant rise in the concentration of haemolymph lipids when injected into adult male and female O. fasciatus, but displays no hyperglycaemic activity. There is no indication of the presence of other AKHs in O. fasciatus. The large milkweed bug represents the first member of the seed bugs (Lygaeidae) for which the endogenous AKH has been identified.