Microclimatic factors associated with elevational changes in army ant density in tropical montane forest

Abstract.  1. The density (rate of encountering foraging raids) and species richness of army ants (Formicidae: Ecitoninae, and behaviourally convergent Ponerinae) was measured in montane tropical forest. Above-ground and subterranean army ant raids were sampled using standard protocols at four sites across an elevational gradient (1200–1650 m above mean sea level) in and near cloud forest in the area of Monteverde, Costa Rica.
2. Mean ambient temperature differed among sites, and decreased with elevation. For the above-ground foraging army ant species, raid rates also declined with elevation. Surface army ant raid rates, however, were not affected by day to day weather variation within sites (temperature, cloud cover, or precipitation).
3. For the underground foraging army ant species, raid rates did not vary directionally with elevation, and subterranean raid rates were not affected by day to day weather variation within sites.
4. Army ant species richness was not directionally related to elevation, and species sharing among sites was generally high.
5. Army ant community structure changes with elevation in Neotropical montane forest, and the results suggest that the strongest effects are of temperature regimes on the density of raids. These findings provide a baseline against which to detect changes in army ant communities that may accompany directional climate change in tropical cloud forests.     

EFFECT OF VARIETAL DIFFERENCES AND POLISHING OF RICE ON QUALITY PARAMETERS OF IDLI

The effect of varietal differences and polishing of rice on quality parameters of “idli,” an Indian fermented product, were studied. In addition, the functional properties of decorticated (whole and split) black gram (Phaseolus mungo Roxb.), were also determined. Two varieties of raw rice, “Jaya” and “Minilong,” and one variety of parboiled rice “Ponni” with two degrees of polishing (high and low) were selected. Idlis were prepared following standard procedures. Variations were observed in water and fat absorption capacities of two black gram samples. Emulsification capacity ranged from 102 to 110 mL/100 g. Foam capacities at different pH range were similar, but foam stability differed as a function of time. The pH of the fermented batter was between 4.1 and 4.8. Rice with a lesser degree of polishing fermented better with higher batter volume and microbial count, lesser shear value and gave softer idlis. However, sensory analysis revealed that idlis prepared with low‐polish rice scored significantly lower for appearance and color quality compared with products prepared with high‐polish rice. Significant differences were observed in the quality of flavor of all products. It can be concluded that the quality characteristics of Idli were influenced by the variety of rice and the degree of polishing, but the two types of black gram used, whole and split, had no effect.     

印度小圆胸小蠹的一种新寄主植物

自然条件下印度小圆胸小蠹Euwallacea fornicatus(Eichhoff,1868)在茶树枝条虫瘿内取食,是茶的重要害虫之一,以茶蛀虫著称.2010年5-8月,在印度Muga Eri研究中心3号农场(Lahdoigarh,Jorhat-Assam)的黄心树Persea bombycina Kost.(樟科)...     

Polymorphic microsatellite and cryptic simple repeat sequence markers in pineapples (Ananas comosus var. comosus)

A rapid method for isolating microsatellite loci in pineapples, based on the 5′‐anchored polymerase chain reaction technique, revealed 137 microsatellite loci (consisting of 62 dinucleotide, 24 trinucleotide, 49 tetranucleotide and 2 hexanucleotide repeats) and 16 cryptically simple repeat sequences. We report on the characterization of 19 polymorphic microsatellite loci and one cryptic simple repeat loci in pineapples. The number of alleles per locus ranged from two to four while the observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.1705 to 1. These markers are useful as tools for detecting levels of genetic variation in pineapple varieties for germplasm management and crossbreeding purposes.     

Morphological and Biochemical Investigations on Ipomoea Seedlings and their Species Interrelationships

Studies on seedling morphology and the isozyme profile of 12species ofIpomoea , undertaken with a view to tracing the linkageand homology between the species, revealed the concordance ofmorphological findings with biochemical analysis. The trendof clustering in the dendrogram based on isozyme profiles revealedtwo broad clusters or groups. Interrelationships and homologybetween the species revealed by the phyletic tree constructedfrom seedling morphology and from the dendrogram on isozymedata were comparable, with only minor variations. Ipomoea spp.; seedlings; morphology; isozymes; dendrogram; phyletic tree     

PHYCOLOGY AND HEAVY-METAL POLLUTION

1. All heavy metals, including those that are essential micronutrients (e.g. copper, zinc, etc.), are toxic to algae at high concentrations. 2. One characteristic feature of heavy-metal toxicity is the poisoning and inactivation of enzyme systems. Many of the physiological and biochemical processes, viz., photosynthesis, respiration, protein synthesis and chlorophyll synthesis, etc., are severely affected at high metal concentrations. 3. Some algae inhabit waters chronically polluted with heavy-metal-laden wastes from mining and smelting operations; Nodularia sp., Oscillatoria sp., Cladophora sp., Hormidium sp., Fucus sp. and Laminaria sp., etc., occur in metal-rich waters. These algal forms are probably more capable of combating the toxic levels of heavy metals and this attribute is a result of physiological and/or genetic adaptations. The sensitivity or tolerance to heavy metals varies amongst different algae. The phenomena of multiple tolerance and co-tolerance may be exhibited by some algae. 4. Heavy-metal pollution causes reduction in species diversity leading to the dominance of a few tolerant algal forms. The primary productivity also decreases after metal supplementation. 5. The uptake and accumulation of heavy metals can be active (energy-dependent), passive (energy-independent), or both. 6. Heavy metals can be safely stored as intranuclear complexes by some algae. Notwithstanding this, some changes in the cell wall can enable the algae to tolerate heavy metals by checking the entry of the metals (exclusion mechanism). 7. The metal content of algae growing in a waterbody may yield valuable information for simulating heavy metal pollution: several species of Cladophora and Fucus have been extensively used for this purpose. 8. Several factors affect and determine toxicity of heavy metals to algae. At low pH, the availability of heavy metals to algae is greatly increased, as a consequence of which pronounced toxicity is evident. Hard waters decrease metal toxicity. Some ions, e.g., calcium, magnesium and phosphorus, can alleviate toxicity of metals. 9. The presence of other metals can influence toxicity of a heavy metal through simple additive effect or by synergistic and antagonistic interactions. Similarly, other pollutants can influence heavy-metal toxicity. 10. The toxicity of heavy metals depends upon their chemical speciation. Various ionic forms of a metal characterized by different valency states, may be differentially toxic to a test alga. 11. Amino acids, organic matter, humic acids, fulvic acid, EDTA, NTA, etc. can complex with heavy metals and render them unavailable. This may eventually lead to less toxicity. 12. Heavy-metal toxicity largely depends upon algal population density: the denser the population the more numerous the cellular sites available, leading to decreased toxicity.     

温度和光周期影响两种同域发生瓢虫同种和异种组合时的猎物消耗量和利用率（英文）

【目的】印度次大陆是世界上最脆弱的地理景观。气候条件的略微变动可能对其季节周期可能产生不良影响,并引起农业生态系统中蚜虫的大暴发。七星瓢虫Coccinella septempunctata L.和狭臀瓢虫C.transversalis Fab.是该次大陆上广泛分布、同域发生的两种食蚜性瓢虫。【方法】设计异地试验,来探究同种和/或异种组合时的这两种瓢虫用共同的猎物资源(豌豆蚜)饲养时,对增加的温度(15,20,25,30和35℃)和光周期(8L∶16D,12L∶12D和16L∶8D)的响应。【结果】结果表明,在这5个不同温度和3个不同光周期条件下,同种或异种组合时这两种瓢虫表现出了拮抗作用。尽管表现出拮抗作用,但是同种或异种组合的两捕食动物在25℃和长光周期(16L∶8D)条件下消耗、转化和利用的猎物生物量最大。然而,它们的猎物消耗率、转化效率和生长速率在异种组合中最高。在5个不同温度下,4龄幼虫均更有效地利用猎物生物量,将其转变成自身生物量,而雌成虫在3个不同光周期条件下也是如此。【结论】因此可以推断,增加的温度和光周期条件可能不会阻止同种和异种组合中的瓢虫发生拮抗作用,但是在25℃和长光周期(16L∶8D)条件下,相互作用的瓢虫的猎物消耗量和利用率为最佳。     

Characterization of MTNR1A gene in terms of genetic variability in a panel of subtemperate and subtropical Indian sheep breeds

Seasonality of animals is an important adaptive trait for successful survival and production during limited food availability and extreme environmental conditions. Photoperiodic changes in day length are utilized by these seasonal animals as an important environmental cue for regulating their annual rhythms of reproduction cycles. Melatonin is an important hormone which is secreted by the pineal gland in proportion to darkness and its effect is mediated by melatonin receptor subtypes, principally MTNR1A. In the present study, polymorphism in the coding sequence at two important SNPs (C606T and G612A), known to be markers for out of season breeding in sheep were studied by PCR-RFLP in a panel of four breeds of sheep from subtemperate and subtropical arid conditions, respectively. The frequencies of ‘G’ and ‘A’ alleles with reference to G612A SNP did not differ considerably among all the breeds of sheep. Frequency of ‘T’ allele of the C606T SNP was found to be dominantly higher in subtemperate sheep breeds in comparison to subtropical sheep breeds. Identified SNPs in the coding region were mostly synonymous and did not lead to any change in conformation of the MTNR1A receptor protein.