Behavior and social structure of the sperm whales of Dominica,West Indies

There is substantial geographic variation in the behavior and social structure of sperm whales worldwide. The population in the Eastern Caribbean is thought to be isolated from other areas in the North Atlantic. We describe the behavior and social structure of the sperm whales identified off Dominica during an eight year study (2005–2012; 92% of photographic identifications) with supplementary data collected from seven other organizations dating as far back as 1981. A total of 419 individuals were identified. Resighting rates (42% of individuals between years) and encounter rates with sperm whale groups (mean = 80.4% of days at sea) among this population were both comparatively high. Group sizes were small (7–9 individuals) and were comprised of just one social unit (mean = 6.76 individuals, SD = 2.80). We described 17 units which have been reidentified off Dominica across 2–27 yr. Mature males are seen regularly off Dominica, but residency in the area lasts only a few days to a few weeks. Males were reidentified across years spanning up to a decade. Management of this population within the multinational Wider Caribbean Region will require governments to work towards international agreements governing sperm whales as a cross‐border species of concern.     

Isolation of a gene that is involved in Campylobacter jejuni 81116 cytotoxin activation

Cytotoxin fractions were isolated from Campylobacter jejuni 81116 and semi-purified by size-exclusion liquid chromatography. The fraction showing the strongest toxicity was injected into mice to produce antiserum. The antiserum was used to screen a C. jejuni 81116 cosmid library. Nine genes were identified in overlapping cosmid inserts that induced reactivity with the antiserum. One of these genes showed high similarity to a periplasmic protein of unknown function and its isogenic mutant showed decreased toxicity compared to the C. jejuni 81116 wild type. This gene contains a Gram-negative bacterial RTX toxin-activating protein C signature, which suggests it may play a role in C. jejuni 81116 cytotoxin activation.     

Exposing culprit organic pollutants: a review

There is a continuing need for monitoring the health of the environment due to the presence of pollutants. Here, we review the development and attributes of biosensors by which bacteria have been genetically modified to express the luminescence genes, i.e. to glow, in a quantified manner, in response to pollutants. We have concentrated on the detection of organic hydrocarbon pollutants and discussed the molecular mechanisms by which some of these chemicals act as effector molecules on the respective regulatory systems. The future of environmental biosensors is predictably bright. As more knowledge is gathered on the sensing regulatory component, the possibility of developing targeted or pollutant-specific biosensors is promising. Moreover, the repertoire of biosensors for culprit organic pollutants is expected to be enlarged through advances in genomics technology and identification of new sensory or receptor molecules. The need for pollutant detection at concentrations in the parts per trillion range or biosensors configured in a nanoscale is anticipated.     

A global study of relationships between leaf traits, climate and soil measures of nutrient fertility

Aim This first global quantification of the relationship between leaf traits and soil nutrient fertility reflects the trade‐off between growth and nutrient conservation. The power of soils versus climate in predicting leaf trait values is assessed in bivariate and multivariate analyses and is compared with the distribution of growth forms (as a discrete classification of vegetation) across gradients of soil fertility and climate. Location All continents except for Antarctica. Methods Data on specific leaf area (SLA), leaf N concentration (LNC), leaf P concentration (LPC) and leaf N:P were collected for 474 species distributed across 99 sites (809 records), together with abiotic information from each study site. Individual and combined effects of soils and climate on leaf traits were quantified using maximum likelihood methods. Differences in occurrence of growth form across soil fertility and climate were determined by one‐way ANOVA. Results There was a consistent increase in SLA, LNC and LPC with increasing soil fertility. SLA was related to proxies of N supply, LNC to both soil total N and P and LPC was only related to proxies of P supply. Soil nutrient measures explained more variance in leaf traits among sites than climate in bivariate analysis. Multivariate analysis showed that climate interacted with soil nutrients for SLA and area‐based LNC. Mass‐based LNC and LPC were determined mostly by soil fertility, but soil P was highly correlated to precipitation. Relationships of leaf traits to soil nutrients were stronger than those of growth form versus soil nutrients. In contrast, climate determined distribution of growth form more strongly than it did leaf traits. Main conclusions We provide the first global quantification of the trade‐off between traits associated with growth and resource conservation ‘strategies’ in relation to soil fertility. Precipitation but not temperature affected this trade‐off. Continuous leaf traits might be better predictors of plant responses to nutrient supply than growth form, but growth forms reflect important aspects of plant species distribution with climate.     

Gaps in the canopy: the missing dimension in vegetation dynamics

Canopy gaps are important as entry points for new genotypes and new species into many types of vegetation, yet little is known about them in any type of vegetation but forests. Forest gaps are too large for manipulative experiments to be readily undertaken, and hitherto grassland gaps have been too small to be easily mapped. Preliminary results from mapping small (>1 cm) grassland gaps with a new fibre-optic device suggest that experiments need to be performed at a smaller physical scale than has hitherto been achieved.     

Marine biofilm bacteria evade eukaryotic predation by targeted chemical defense

Many plants and animals are defended from predation or herbivory by inhibitory secondary metabolites, which in the marine environment are very common among sessile organisms. Among bacteria, where there is the greatest metabolic potential, little is known about chemical defenses against bacterivorous consumers. An emerging hypothesis is that sessile bacterial communities organized as biofilms serve as bacterial refuge from predation. By testing growth and survival of two common bacterivorous nanoflagellates, we find evidence that chemically mediated resistance against protozoan predators is common among biofilm populations in a diverse set of marine bacteria. Using bioassay-guided chemical and genetic analysis, we identified one of the most effective antiprotozoal compounds as violacein, an alkaloid that we demonstrate is produced predominately within biofilm cells. Nanomolar concentrations of violacein inhibit protozoan feeding by inducing a conserved eukaryotic cell death program. Such biofilm-specific chemical defenses could contribute to the successful persistence of biofilm bacteria in various environments and provide the ecological and evolutionary context for a number of eukaryote-targeting bacterial metabolites.     

Physiological changes in oocyte-cumulus cell complexes from diabetic mice that potentially influence meiotic regulation

We have previously shown that the type I diabetic condition significantly alters meiotic regulation in mouse oocytes. In the present study, possible physiological deficiencies underlying such meiotic dysfunction were examined in oocyte-cumulus cell complexes (OCC) from type I diabetic mice. Whereas the diabetic condition did not affect glycolysis or the tricarboxylic acid cycle, the increased flux of glucose through the pentose phosphate pathway in response to FSH treatment was suppressed. De novo purine synthesis was also compromised, and ATP levels were reduced in freshly isolated OCC. Additionally, diabetes resulted in a reduction in FSH-mediated cAMP synthesis. The responsiveness of the oocyte to cAMP was also affected; fewer oocytes were induced to resume maturation after a stimulatory pulse with cAMP analogs. Meiotic induction triggered by FSH was significantly reduced, but that stimulated by phorbol ester or epidermal growth factor was affected to a much lesser extent. In addition to metabolic deficiencies, the cell-cell communication between the oocyte and the cumulus cells was reduced in diabetic mice as determined by coupling assays. Thus, numerous physiological parameters are affected by type I diabetes, and these changes may collectively contribute to altered meiotic regulation.