Evaluation of PIT‐tagging in cyprinids

Laboratory and field experiments were used to investigate how different marking procedures, with 23 mm PIT (passive integrated transponders) – tags, affected mortality, body condition and tag expulsion in small roach Rutilus rutilus and rudd Scardinus erythrophthalmus (117 to 163 mm total length). In a laboratory experiment mortality was low (≤ 6%) and only occurred among fishes that had their incision closed with sutures. The latter also had a specific growth rate that tended to be lower than the fish tagged without sutures. The different marking procedures did not adversely affect the body condition of fishes either in the laboratory experiment (after 37 days) or in the field experiment (up to 369 days). No tag expulsions were observed among laboratory fishes PIT‐tagged without sutures. Marking without the use of sutures to close the incision, appears to be the most appropriate PIT tagging procedure for small cyprinids.     

Geographic trends in mangrove crab abundance in East Africa

The aim of this work was to determine the abundance of crabs inmangrove communities along a latitudinal gradient along the eastern coastof Africa from 4°S to 32°S. Surveys were made atMombasa (Kenya), Zanzibar (Tanzania), Maputo (Mozambique) and in theTranskei (South Africa). Crabs were estimated at three designated levelsin the mangroves by visual census using a common protocol, and numberswere converted to biomass.Even after standardising the selection of sites and methods of censusthere was still extensive variability in the data, emphasising the complexheterogeneity of mangrove ecosystems. Lunar phase (full versus new moonsprings) did not have a consistent effect on results, but shore height hadseveral effects. Total crab biomass was similar in the two lower shore strataexamined, but about twice as high at the top-Avicennia level. Theratio of grapsid biomass:ocypodid biomass also changed with height: fromnear unity in the lower mangrove, to 0.14 in the middle strata, but to 15at the top.There was no consistent latitudinal trend in total crab numbers, but totalcrab biomass increased from north to south. In addition there was aconsistent and marked change in the grapsid biomass:ocypodid biomassratio: this swung from 0.65 at Mombasa to 6.8 in the Transkei. This hasimplications for the transfer of primary production through the food chain. Grapsids are important macrophagous feeders on the leaves and other partsof mangroves, whereas ocypodids are microphagous deposit feeders.     

Changes in the fish community and water quality during seven years of stocking piscivorous fish in a shallow lake

SUMMARY 1. Piscivores (annual stocking of 1000 individuals ha^?1 of 0+ pike and a single stocking of 30 kg ha^?1 of large 20–30 cm perch) were stocked in seven consecutive years in a shallow eutrophic lake in Denmark. The stocking programme aimed at changing food‐web structure by reducing zooplanktivorous and benthivorous fish, with resultant effects on lower trophic levels and ultimately water quality. 2. The fish community and water quality parameters (Secchi depth, concentrations of total phosphorus, chlorophyll a and suspended solids) were monitored between 1996 and 2000 and relationships were evaluated between predatory fish and potential prey and between zooplanktivorous or benthivorous fish and water quality parameters. In addition, potential consumption of piscivorous fishes was calculated. 3. The density of fish feeding on larger zooplankton or benthos (roach >15 cm, crucian carp >15 cm) declined distinctly during the study period. This effect was attributed to predation by large (>50 cm) pike. Based on scale readings, we cautiously suggest that the stocking of 0+ pike boosted the adult pike population to produce an unexpected impact in later years. Conversely, no direct impact of stocked 0+ pike was detected on 0+ roach. 4. A major decline in the recruitment strength of 0+ roach was observed in 2000. A combination of (i) the indirect effect of large pike preying on adult roach, with negative effect on roach reproduction and (ii) the direct predation effect of 0+ pike and/or 1+ and 2+ perch recruited in the lake, provides the most likely explanation of this phenomenon. 5. A marked increase in Secchi depth in 2000 and declining trends in suspended solids, chlorophyll‐a and total phosphorus concentrations were observed. These changes may also be attributable to changes in the fish community, although the relationships were not straightforward. 6. This 7‐year study indicates that piscivorous fish may be a significant structuring force in shallow eutrophic lakes, suggesting that stocking piscivores can increase predation pressure on cyprinids. However, the general lack of impact of 0+ pike points to the need of refining current stocking practices in several countries across Europe.     

Crystal structures of amylosucrase from Neisseria polysaccharea in complex with D-glucose and the active site mutant Glu328Gln in complex with the natural substrate sucrose

The structure of amylosucrase from Neisseria polysaccharea in complex with beta-D-glucose has been determined by X-ray crystallography at a resolution of 1.66 A. Additionally, the structure of the inactive active site mutant Glu328Gln in complex with sucrose has been determined to a resolution of 2.0 A. The D-glucose complex shows two well-defined D-glucose molecules, one that binds very strongly in the bottom of a pocket that contains the proposed catalytic residues (at the subsite -1), in a nonstrained (4)C(1) conformation, and one that binds in the packing interface to a symmetry-related molecule. A third weaker D-glucose-binding site is located at the surface near the active site pocket entrance. The orientation of the D-glucose in the active site emphasizes the Glu328 role as the general acid/base. The binary sucrose complex shows one molecule bound in the active site, where the glucosyl moiety is located at the alpha-amylase -1 position and the fructosyl ring occupies subsite +1. Sucrose effectively blocks the only visible access channel to the active site. From analysis of the complex it appears that sucrose binding is primarily obtained through enzyme interactions with the glucosyl ring and that an important part of the enzyme function is a precise alignment of a lone pair of the linking O1 oxygen for hydrogen bond interaction with Glu328. The sucrose specificity appears to be determined primarily by residues Asp144, Asp394, Arg446, and Arg509. Both Asp394 and Arg446 are located in an insert connecting beta-strand 7 and alpha-helix 7 that is much longer in amylosucrase compared to other enzymes from the alpha-amylase family (family 13 of the glycoside hydrolases).     

Verocytotoxin-Producing Escherichia coli in Wild Birds and Rodents in Close Proximity to Farms

Wild animals living close to cattle and pig farms (four each) were examined for verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC; also known as Shiga toxin-producing E. coli). The prevalence of VTEC among the 260 samples from wild animals was generally low. However, VTEC isolates from a starling (Sturnus vulgaris) and a Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus) were identical to cattle isolates from the corresponding farms with respect to serotype, virulence profile, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis type. This study shows that wild birds and rodents may become infected from farm animals or vice versa, suggesting a possible role in VTEC transmission.     

Genotypic characterization of Salmonella by multilocus sequence typing, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and amplified fragment length polymorphism

Molecular typing is an important tool in surveillance and outbreak investigations of human Salmonella infections. In this study, three molecular typing methods were used to investigate the discriminatory ability, reproducibility and the genetic relationship between 110 Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica isolates. A total of 25 serotypes were investigated that had been isolated from humans or veterinary sources in Denmark between 1995 and 2001. All isolates were genotyped by multilocus sequence typing (MLST), pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP). When making genetic trees, all three methods resulted in similar clustering that often corresponded with serotype, although some serotypes displayed more diversity than others. Of the three techniques, MLST was the easiest to interpret and compare between laboratories. Unfortunately the seven housekeeping genes used in this MLST scheme lacked diversity and the ability to discriminate between isolates were higher with both PFGE and AFLP. The discriminatory power of AFLP and PFGE were similar but PFGE fingerprints were both easier to reproduce, interpret and less time-consuming to analyze when compared to AFLP. PFGE is the therefore the preferred molecular typing method for surveillance and outbreak investigations, whereas AFLP is most useful for local outbreak investigations.     

Mapping palm extractivism in Ecuador using pair-wise comparisons and bioclimatic modeling

The native palm flora of Ecuador consists of 129 taxa, including at least 69 species used by rural people, 19 of which are exploited commercially. This paper integrates bioclimatic modeling of palm distribution and quantitative ranking through pair-wise comparisons of species as a tool to evaluate and map the importance of 14 taxa of commercially exploited palms in Ecuador based on criteria of harvest values, sustainability, vegetation cover and population density. The ranking procedure could find broad application within ethnobotany and economic botany. Results show that extraction of palm products, economically speaking, is most important in the heavily deforested and populated coastal lowland.     

Crystal structure of the kainate receptor GluR5 ligand-binding core in complex with (S)-glutamate

The X-ray structure of the ligand-binding core of the kainate receptor GluR5 (GluR5-S1S2) in complex with (S)-glutamate was determined to 1.95 A resolution. The overall GluR5-S1S2 structure comprises two domains and is similar to the related AMPA receptor GluR2-S1S2J. (S)-glutamate binds as in GluR2-S1S2J. Distinct features are observed for Ser741, which stabilizes a highly coordinated network of water molecules and forms an interdomain bridge. The GluR5 complex exhibits a high degree of domain closure (26 degrees) relative to apo GluR2-S1S2J. In addition, GluR5-S1S2 forms a novel dimer interface with a different arrangement of the two protomers compared to GluR2-S1S2J.