Carbon dynamics in an ultra-oligotrophic epishelf lake (Beaver Lake, Antarctica) in summer

1. Microbial plankton dynamics in an ultra‐oligotrophic epishelf lake (Beaver Lake, Antarctica) were investigated over an austral summer (December 2002 to January 2003). The aim was to characterise carbon cycling in an environmentally extreme lake. 2. The lake had an unusual temperature profile with peak temperatures of 1.3–1.9 °C between 20 and 25 m. Photosynthetically active radiation penetrated to the lake bottom (110 m) on occasions. The ice cover underwent marked thinning and melting during the study period. 3. Chlorophyll a concentrations were consistently low, usually below 1 μg L^?1, with highest concentrations close to the lake bottom, where the photosynthetic elements showed strong autofluorescence. Mean photosynthetic nanoflagellates ranged between 34.9 × 10⁴ L^?1 ± 33.5 (23rd December) and 130.9 × 10⁴ L^?1 ± 112.3 (4th December). Highest photosynthetic activity was usually recorded below 25 m. Rates of carbon fixation varied between 0.089 μg C L^?1 h^?1 ± 0.002 and 0.579 μg C L^?1 h^?1 ± 0.156. Primary production was limited by low temperature and orthophosphate availability. 4. Mean bacterial concentration throughout the water column ranged between 9.3 × 10⁷ L^?1 ± 1.2 (23rd December) and 14.0 × 10⁷ L^?1 ± 1.8 (28th January). Bacterial production was low, less than 10% of primary production and ranged between 2.1 ng C L^?1 h^?1 ± 0.8 and 12 ng C L^?1 h^?1 ± 0.9. Highest rates coincided with times of highest primary production. On occasion dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations dropped to 20 μg L^?1, probably below accurate limits of detection, suggesting that carbon substratum and phosphorus may have limited bacterial growth. 5. Heterotrophic nanoflagellates varied significantly over the summer from a mean of 26.6 × 10⁴ L^?1 ± 14.2 (23rd December) to 133.8 × 10⁴ L^?1 ± 33.5 (14th December). They imposed a significant grazing impact on the bacterioplankton, removing in excess of 100% of bacterial production in December. 6. The total organic carbon pool [DOC and particulate organic carbon (POC)] was below 600 μg L^?1. The ratio of DOC : POC ranged between 0.44 : 1 and 2.8 : 1 in the upper 40 m of the water column, and 1.8 : 1 and 3.7 : 1 in the lower waters. The microbial plankton contributed 1–29% of POC, thus detrital POC made up the largest fraction of the POC pool. 7. Beaver Lake is an extreme lacustrine ecosystem where heterotrophic processes occasionally appear to be carbon limited. Significant summer ice‐melt, not seen in a previous opportunistic sampling, may be having an impact on the carbon cycle.     

Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci in Senecio

Interspecific hybridization has resulted in the recent origin of several hybrid Senecio taxa at diploid, tetraploid and hexaploid levels. As part of research aimed at constructing and comparing genomic maps of each of these taxa and their parents, we have isolated microsatellite loci from genomic DNA libraries of S. vulgaris and S. squalidus. Primers of 35 loci amplified microsatellites resolved in agarose gels from one or more of S. vulgaris, S. squalidus, S. aethnensis and S. chrysanthemifolius. Approximately 71% of primers amplified a product in all four species. A survey of microsatellite variation in S. chrysanthemifolius over a subset of 14 loci resolved 2–11 alleles per locus in polyacrylamide gels with expected heterozygosity (H_E) ranging from 0.26 to 0.87.     

Phylogenetic relationships between parthenogens and their sexual relatives: the possible routes to parthenogenesis in animals

In theory, parthenogenetic lineages have low evolutionary potential because they inexorably accumulate deleterious mutations and do not generate much genotypic diversity. As a result, most parthenogenetic taxa occupy the terminal nodes of phylogenetic trees. The rate and mode of development of parthenogenesis are important factors to consider when assessing its costs and benefits since they determine both the level of genetic diversity and the ecological adaptability of the resulting lineages. The origin of parthenogenesis is polyphyletic in many taxa, suggesting that genetic systems maintaining sexuality are often labile. In addition, the loss of sex may be achieved in several ways, leading to parthenogenetic lineages with distinct genetic profiles. This could then influence not only the fate of such lineages in the long term, but also the outcome of competition with their sexual counterparts in the short term. In this paper, we review the possible evolutionary routes to parthenogenesis based on a survey of the phylogenetic relationships between sexual and parthenogenetic lineages in a broad range of animals. We also examine the different mechanisms by which parthenogenetic lineages could arise, and discuss the influence of these mechanisms on both the genetic properties and the ecological life styles of the resulting lineages.  © 2003 The Linnean Society of London. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2003, 79 , 151–163.     

Impacts of climate change on the vegetation of Africa: an adaptive dynamic vegetation modelling approach

Recent IPCC projections suggest that Africa will be subject to particularly severe changes in atmospheric conditions. How the vegetation of Africa and particularly the grassland–savanna–forest complex will respond to these changes has rarely been investigated. Most studies on global carbon cycles use vegetation models that do not adequately account for the complexity of the interactions that shape the distribution of tropical grasslands, savannas and forests. This casts doubt on their ability to reliably simulate the future vegetation of Africa. We present a new vegetation model, the adaptive dynamic global vegetation model (aDGVM) that was specifically developed for tropical vegetation. The aDGVM combines established components from existing DGVMs with novel process‐based and adaptive modules for phenology, carbon allocation and fire within an individual‐based framework. Thus, the model allows vegetation to adapt phenology, allocation and physiology to changing environmental conditions and disturbances in a way not possible in models based on fixed functional types. We used the model to simulate the current vegetation patterns of Africa and found good agreement between model projections and vegetation maps. We simulated vegetation in absence of fire and found that fire suppression strongly influences tree dominance at the regional scale while at a continental scale fire suppression increases biomass in vegetation by a more modest 13%. Simulations under elevated temperature and atmospheric CO₂ concentrations predicted longer growing periods, higher allocation to roots, higher fecundity, more biomass and a dramatic shift toward tree dominated biomes. Our analyses suggest that the CO₂ fertilization effect is not saturated at ambient CO₂ levels and will strongly increase in response to further increases in CO₂ levels. The model provides a general and flexible framework for describing vegetation response to the interactive effects of climate and disturbances.     

Carbon Dioxide Production in Early Anaerobiosis

1. Slices of swede tissue placed under nitrogen produce carbondioxide and ethanol in equal amounts after an initial phaselasting about 1.5 hours. During this initial phase some 2 µM./g.fr. wt. of extra carbon dioxide is produced. The productionof such extra carbon dioxide is not affected by iodoacetate,fluoride, or arsenite which inhibit glycolysis or by dinitrophenolwhich stimulates glycolysis. Slices incubated in air in thepresence of cyanide also produce extra carbon dioxide. 2. A second extra burst of carbon dioxide can be induced aftersome hours of anaerobiosis by treating slices with methyleneblue, DPN, or TPN, or as a result of a short air experience. 3. Experiments with labelled sugars support the view that theextra carbon dioxide originates ultimately from carbohydrate,being released, it is proposed, in the oxidative decarboxylationof either pyruvate or 6-phosphogluconate. Carbon dioxide productionthen continues so long as oxidants are available in the cell,finally coming to a standstill when cell components reach theirreduced states.     

Integrating evidence-based treatments for common mental disorders in routine primary care: feasibility and acceptability of the MANAS intervention in Goa,India

Common mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety, pose a major public health burden in developing countries. Although these disorders are thought to be best managed in primary care settings, there is a dearth of evidence about how this can be achieved in low resource settings. The MANAS project is an attempt to integrate an evidence based package of treatments into routine public and private primary care settings in Goa, India. Before initiating the trial, we carried out extensive preparatory work, over a period of 15 months, to examine the feasibility and acceptability of the planned intervention. This paper describes the systematic development and evaluation of the intervention through this preparatory phase. The preparatory stage, which was implemented in three phases, utilized quantitative and qualitative methods to inform our understanding of the potential problems and possible solutions in implementing the trial and led to critical modifications of the original intervention plan. Investing in systematic formative work prior to conducting expensive trials of the effectiveness of complex interventions is a useful exercise which potentially improves the likelihood of a positive result of such trials.     

Self and conspecific superparasitism by the solitary parasitoid Antrocephalus pandens

Abstract.

• 1 The fitness consequences of superparasitism for a solitary parasitoid depend on whether the host was first parasitized by itself (‘self-superparasitism’) or a different individual (‘conspecific superparasitism’). Self superparasitism is usually expected to be avoided.
• 2 A.pandens females showed no difference in their probability of superparasitism between self-parasitized and conspecifically-parasitized hosts. The probability of superparasitism decreased as time from the laying of the first egg in a host increased, from about 0.29–0.46 at a time interval of 1 h to 0.10–0.14 at 72 h.
• 3 The egg distribution of wasps foraging alone on a patch showed significant avoidance of superparasitism, but that of wasps foraging in the presence of conspecifics was not significantly different from a random distribution. This suggests that wasps switch from avoidance of superparasitism when alone to acceptance of all hosts when in a group.
• 4 When wasps foraged in a group, the hosts had many more ovipositor puncture marks than when wasps foraged singly. This suggests that either hosts were attacked several times per encounter, or that the wasps' encounter rate with hosts was much higher when in a group. If the latter is true, it is possible that, although the egg distribution suggested a higher rate of superparasitism when wasps foraged in a group, the ratio of acceptances to contacts of parasitized hosts may in fact have been lower.

     

Macroinvertebrate communities in streams in the Himalaya, Nepal

• 1 Macroinvertebrates were sampled in the riffles of fifty-eight streams from three regions of the Himalaya (Anapurna, Langtang and Everest) in Nepal. A semi-quantitative method with identification to family level was used to describe communities on-site.
• 2 Stream physicochemistry was assessed and the community structure of macroinvertebrates was related to chemistry, physiography (substratum composition, altitude and size), geographical location and the dominant land use in each catchment (terraced agriculture, forest or scrub). Community data were analysed by ordination (DECORANA) and classification (TWINSPAN).
• 3 The concentration of cations in stream water decreased significantly with altitude. Chemistry also differed between regions; sites from Anapurna had a higher pH and conductivity than those in the other two areas.
• 4 Communities were dominated by aquatic insect larvae, with Ephemeroptera, in particular the Baetidae, most numerous across sites.
• 5 There were, nevertheless, differences in community structure between sites, which were related closely to stream physicochemistry. Ordination scores were strongly correlated with altitude, magnesium concentration and substratum composition. Classification was also linked to altitude and chemistry, differentiating high-altitude sites with low silica concentrations from others. Sites from the Anapurna and Everest regions, with their contrasting chemistry, were also separated.
• 6 Community structure was also related to land use: streams draining catchments dominated by terraced agriculture had different communities from those in scrub or forest. This result was confounded, however, by the strong relationship between land use, altitude and chemistry; sites in terracing were at lower altitude, had higher concentrations of silica and a higher proportion of fine sediments than those in the other land-use types.
• 7 Overall, our data indicate that natural features of the relief and geology in the Himalaya create strong gradients in their invertebrate faunas, but that activities of man may have an effect on stream structure and ecology through catchment management.