Redescription of Favella ehrenbergii (Claparède and Lachmann, 1858) Jörgensen, 1924 (Ciliophora: Choreotrichia), with Phylogenetic Analyses Based on Small Subunit rRNA Gene Sequences

ABSTRACT. The identification of Favella ehrenbergii, a marine planktonic ciliate, has largely been based on its lorica features. This approach is potentially problematic given the polymorphic lorica during this organism's life cycle. We isolated a population of F. ehrenbergii from the coastal waters of Incheon, Korea, and revealed its infraciliature using the protargol staining method. Phylogenetic analysis based on small subunit rRNA gene sequences was also performed. Results showed that this population possessed 16 collar membranelles (CM) and about 100 somatic kineties. These features are highly conserved, even in later dividers. As such, the number of CM and somatic kineties can be used as key characteristics for identification of Favella species.     

Palynological insights of the eastern Asian and eastern North American disjunct genus Symplocarpus (Araceae)

Symplocarpus L. (Araceae) is a disjunct genus including S. foetidus (L.) Nutt. var. latissimus (Makino) S. Hara, S. nipponicus Makino, and S. nabekuraensis Otsuka & K. Inoue in temperate eastern Asia; S. egorovii N. S. Pavlova & V. A. Nechaev in the Russian far east; and S. foetidus (L.) Nutt. in temperate northeastern North America. For the first time, pollen morphology of Symplocarpus was investigated by light and scanning electron microscopes. Symplocarpus foetidus var. latissimus and S. foetidus had reticulate surfaces and rounded (obtuse), long, equatorial axis tips, whereas S. nipponicus had microreticulate surfaces and acute tips. Symplocarpus foetidus in North America had larger pollen grains than S. foetidus var. latissimus in eastern Asia. Thus, based on pollen characteristics, S. foetidus var. latissimus is more closely related to S. foetidus than to S. nipponicus. Other lines of evidence, such as molecular phylogenetic studies and phenology, support the phylogenetic relationships among these species proposed in this study. The slightly modified acetolysis procedure conducted in this paper is a promising application to study weak exine or exineless pollen grains.     

Molecular cloning and expression profiles of calreticulin gene from the diamondback moth,Plutella xylostella

Calreticulin (CRT) plays pivotal roles in Ca²⁺ homeostasis, molecular chaperoning, infection, inflammation and innate immunity. In an attempt to study the involvement of CRT in innate immunity, the full-length cDNA of calreticulin (PxCRT) was cloned from the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella. It consists of 1674 bp (excluding poly-A tail) with a longest open reading frame (ORF) of 1197 bp encoding 398 amino acids. In silico analysis of PxCRT ORF reveals that it has various repeat motifs and endoplasmic reticulum retention signal found in all the calreticulin proteins. As expected, high amino acid sequence identities were found from other CRTs identified from Bombyx mori (87%), Galleria mellonella (87%), Apis mellifera (74%), Anopheles gambiae (74%), Tribolium castaneum (73%), Culex quinquefasciatus (73%), Rhodnius prolixus (72%), Nasonia vitripennis (71%), Drosophila melanogaster (71%) and Haemaphysalis qinghaiensis (68%). During development, P. xylostella expressed PxCRT predominantly in the pupal stage. In addition, spatial expression pattern analysis indicates that PxCRT was highly expressed in the silk gland. PxCRT mRNA, furthermore, was strongly induced 3 to 6 h after laminarin treatment, suggesting that PxCRT appears to be involved in immune responses and also plays an important role in the silk gland.     

Miscanthus×giganteus plant regeneration: effect of callus types,ages and culture methods on regeneration competence

The perennial rhizomatous grass, Miscanthus×giganteus is an ideal biomass crop due to its rapid vegetative growth and high biomass yield potential. As a naturally occurring sterile hybrid, M. ×giganteus must be propagated vegetatively by mechanically divided rhizomes or from micropropagated plantlets. Plant regeneration through somatic embryogenesis is a viable approach to achieve large‐scale production of plantlets in tissue culture. Effect of the callus types, ages and culture methods on the regeneration competence was studied to improve regeneration efficiency and shorten the period of tissue culture in M. ×giganteus. Shoot‐forming calli having a yellow or white compact callus with light‐green shoot‐like structures showed the highest regeneration frequency. Percentage of shoot‐forming callus induction from immature inflorescence explants was 41% on callus induction medium containing 13.6 μM 2,4‐d and 0.44 μM benzyladenine (BA). The use of a regeneration medium containing 1.3 μM NAA and 22 μM BA was effective at shortening the incubation period required for plantlet regeneration, with 69% of total regenerated plantlets obtained within 1 month of incubation on regeneration medium. Embryogenic‐like callus morphotype could maintain regeneration competency for up to 1 year as suspension cultures. Field grown regenerated plants showed normal phenotypic development with DNA content and plant heights comparable to rhizome propagated plants. Winter survival rates of the regenerated plants planted in 2006 and 2007 at the University of Illinois South Farm, Urbana‐Champaign, Illinois, were 78% and 56%, respectively.     

Tintinnophagus acutus n. g., n. sp. (Phylum Dinoflagellata), an Ectoparasite of the Ciliate Tintinnopsis cylindrica Daday 1887, and Its Relationship to Duboscquodinium collini Grassé 1952

ABSTRACT. The dinoflagellate Tintinnophagus acutus n. g., n. sp., an ectoparasite of the ciliate Tintinnopsis cylindrica Daday, superficially resembles Duboscquodinium collini Grassé, a parasite of Eutintinnus fraknoii Daday. Dinospores of T. acutus are small transparent cells having a sharply pointed episome, conspicuous eyespot, posteriorly positioned nucleus with condensed chromosomes, and rigid form that may be supported by delicate thecal plates. Dinospores attach to the host via a feeding tube, losing their flagella, sulcus, and girdle to become spherical or ovoid cells. The trophont of T. acutus feeds on the host for several days, increasing dramatically in size before undergoing sporogenesis. Successive generations of daughter sporocytes are encompassed in an outer membrane or cyst wall, a feature not evident in trophonts. Tintinnophagus acutus differs from D. collini in host species, absence of a second membrane surrounding pre‐sporogenic stages, and failure to differentiate into a gonocyte and a trophocyte at the first sporogenic division. Phylogenetic analyses based on small subunit (SSU) ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequences placed T. acutus and D. collini in the class Dinophyceae, with T. acutus aligned loosely with Pfiesteria piscicida and related species, including Amyloodinium ocellatum, a parasite of fish, and Paulsenella vonstoschii, a parasite of diatoms. Dubosquodinium collini nested in a clade composed of several Scrippsiella species and Peridinium polonicum. Tree construction using longer rDNA sequences (i.e. SSU through partial large subunit) strengthened the placement of T. acutus and D. collini within the Dinophyceae.     

Little known Eucinetidae (Coleoptera: Scirtoidea) in Korea

The beetle family Eucinetidae, represented by Eucinetus haemorrhoidalis (Germar), is newly recorded from southern parts of the Korean Peninsula, extending its distributional range by several hundred kilometers to the south. A habitus photo and illustrations of the diagnostic characters of species are provided.     

Noninvasive Estimation of Black Bear Abundance Incorporating Genotyping Errors and Harvested Bear

ABSTRACT Estimating black bear (Ursus americanus) population size is a difficult but important requirement when justifying harvest quotas and managing populations. Advancements in genetic techniques provide a means to identify individual bears using DNA contained in tissue and hair samples, thereby permitting estimates of population abundance based on established mark-capture-recapture methodology. We expand on previous noninvasive population-estimation work by geographically extending sampling areas (36,848 km²) to include the entire Northern Lower Peninsula (NLP) of Michigan, USA. We selected sampling locations randomly within biologically relevant bear habitat and used barbed wire hair snares to collect hair samples. Unlike previous noninvasive studies, we used tissue samples from harvested bears as an additional sampling occasion to increase recapture probabilities. We developed subsampling protocols to account for both spatial and temporal variance in sample distribution and variation in sample quality using recently published quality control protocols using 5 microsatellite loci. We quantified genotyping errors using samples from harvested bears and estimated abundance using statistical models that accounted for genotyping error. We estimated the population of yearling and adult black bears in the NLP to be 1,882 bears (95% CI = 1,389-2,551 bears). The derived population estimate with a 15% coefficient of variation was used by wildlife managers to examine the sustainability of harvest over a large geographic area.