Succinoxidase and Cytochrome Oxidase in Mitochondria from the Spadix of Arum

1. Mitochondria prepared from young Arum spadix have enoughcytochrome c oxidase to account for the rate at which succinateis oxidized, but succinoxidase activity increases markedly asthe plants mature so that in old material cytochrome oxidaseactivity is only 10 per cent, of succinoxidase. 2. Disintegration of the mitochondria by vibration with ballotini,treatment with digitonin or incubation in the warm reveals anintra-mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase probably active enoughto account for the fastest rates of succinate oxidation. 3. Succinic dehydrogenase activity is demonstrated and experimentswith p-chloromercuribenzoate indicate that it plays a part inthe oxidation of succinate. 4. Cyanide completely inhibits both external and internal cytochromeoxidase but even at the earliest stages it only reduces succinoxidaseby about 50 per cent. Antimycin A also inhibits succinoxidaseby about 50 per cent.     

Studies in the Principles of Phytotoxicity: IV. THE EFFECTS OF THE DEGREE OF NITRATION ON THE TOXICITY OF PHENOL AND OTHER SUBSTITUTED BENZENES

1. The relative toxicity of phenol, o- and p-nitro, 2:4-dinitro-,and 2:4:6- trinitrophenol was measured by up to five techniques.Determinations were made of the concentrations required to reduceby half (i) the growth rate of Trichoderma viride at pH 3, (ii)the frond multiplication rate of Lemna minor at pH 5·1–5·4,(iii) the respiration rate of yeast at pH, (iv) the respirationrate of infiltrated leaf disks of Brassica alba at pH 3, and(v) the number of B. alba seedlings surviving after sprayingwith buffered solutions of the compounds. Whenever possibletoxicity was measured at a pH level below pK so as to eliminatethe effect of pH on toxicity, but in some of the measurementswith 2:4-dinitro- phenol (pK = 4·0) and with picric acid(pK = 0·8) this was not feasible. It was then necessaryto measure toxicity at a pH at which the compound was much dissociated;from the measured values of toxicity of dinitrophenol the toxicityat a lower pH was estimated from the generalized pH-activityrelationship of Simon and Beevers (5952). 2. The relative toxicity of the nitrophenols is very similarwhichever test procedure is employed. The first two nitrationsare accompanied by large increases in toxicity, but with thethird successive nitration there is a decrease. 3. The toxicity of the corresponding mono, di, and trinitroderivatives of anisole, phenetole, toluene, and nitrobenzenewas determined using T. viride. In each series the first andthird stages of nitration brought about large increases in toxicitybut the intermediate one had little effect. 4. All the p-nitro compounds were more toxic than their o- isomers. 5. On the basis of the concepts put forward by Ferguson (1939)and Albert (1951) it is concluded that the toxic action of thenitroanisoles and nitrotoluenes is ‘structurally non-specific’,i.e. the effect is not dependent on the presence or absenceof a particular chemical group in the molecule. With both thenitrobenzene and the phenol series the results suggest thatthe exact chemical structure is an important factor.     

locuseater and shadowboxer: programs to optimize experimental design and multiplexing strategies for genetic mark–recapture

Genetic mark–recapture requires efficient methods of uniquely identifying individuals. ‘Shadows’ (individuals with the same genotype at the selected loci) become more likely with increasing sample size, and bias harvest rate estimates. Finding loci is costly, but better loci reduce analysis costs and improve power. Optimal microsatellite panels minimize shadows, but panel design is a complex optimization process. locuseater and shadowboxer permit power and cost analysis of this process and automate some aspects, by simulating the entire experiment from panel design to harvest rate estimation.     

The effect of ocean acidification on symbiont photorespiration and productivity in Acropora formosa

Ocean acidification is expected to lower the net accretion of coral reefs yet little is known about its effect on coral photophysiology. This study investigated the effect of increasing CO₂ on photosynthetic capacity and photoprotection in Acropora formosa. The photoprotective role of photorespiration within dinoflagellates (genus Symbiodinium) has largely been overlooked due to focus on the presence of a carbon‐concentrating mechanism despite the evolutionary persistence of a Form II Rubisco. The photorespiratory fixation of oxygen produces phosphoglycolate that would otherwise inhibit carbon fixation though the Calvin cycle if it were not converted to glycolate by phosphoglycolate phosphatase (PGPase). Glycolate is then either excreted or dealt with by enzymes in the photorespiratory glycolate and/or glycerate pathways adding to the pool of carbon fixed in photosynthesis. We found that CO₂ enrichment led to enhanced photoacclimation (increased chlorophyll a per cell) to the subsaturating light levels. Light‐enhanced dark respiration per cell and xanthophyll de‐epoxidation increased, with resultant decreases in photosynthetic capacity (P_nmax) per chlorophyll. The conservative CO₂ emission scenario (A1B; 600–790 ppm) led to a 38% increase in the P_nmax per cell whereas the ‘business‐as‐usual’ scenario (A1F1; 1160–1500 ppm) led to a 45% reduction in PGPase expression and no change in P_nmax per cell. These findings support an important functional role for PGPase in dinoflagellates that is potentially compromised under CO₂ enrichment.     

Interactions between fauna and sediment control the breakdown of plant matter in river sediments

1. A substantial portion of particulate organic matter (POM) is stored in the sediment of rivers and streams. Leaf litter breakdown as an ecosystem process mediated by microorganisms and invertebrates is well documented in surface waters. In contrast, this process and especially the implication for invertebrates in subsurface environments remain poorly studied. 2. In the hyporheic zone, sediment grain size distribution exerts a strong influence on hydrodynamics and habitability for invertebrates. We expected that the influence of shredders on organic matter breakdown in river sediments would be influenced strongly by the physical structure of the interstitial habitat. 3. To test this hypothesis, the influence of gammarids (shredders commonly encountered in the hyporheos) on degradation of buried leaf litter was measured in experimental systems (slow filtration columns). We manipulated the structure of the sedimentary habitat by addition of sand to a gravel‐based sediment column to reproduce three conditions of accessible pore volume. Ten gammarids were introduced in columns together with litter bags containing alder leaves at a depth of 8 cm in sediment. Leaves were collected after 28 days to determine leaf mass loss and associated microbial activity (fungal biomass, bacterial abundance and glucosidase, xylosidase and aminopeptidase activities). 4. As predicted, the consumption of buried leaf litter by shredders was strongly influenced by the sediment structure. Effective porosity of 35% and 25% allowed the access to buried leaf litter for gammarids, whereas a lower porosity (12%) did not. As a consequence, leaf litter breakdown rates in columns with 35% and 25% effective porosity were twice as high as in the 12% condition. Microbial activity was poorly stimulated by gammarids, suggesting a low microbial contribution to leaf mass loss and a direct effect of gammarids through feeding activity. 5. Our results show that breakdown of POM in subsurface waters depends on the accessibility of food patches to shredders.