Salt tolerance and survival thresholds for two species of Antarctic soil nematodes

We evaluated the response of the Antarctic soil nematodes Scottnema lindsayae and Plectus antarcticus to various salts (NaCl, MgSO₄, KNO₃ and NaCl + MgSO₄) and salt concentrations in prepared salt solutions ranging from 0.1 to 3 M, and in saturation paste extracts of soils collected from multiple locations where nematode abundance varied from zero to numerous, and where electrical conductivity ranged from 108 to >12,000 μS/cm. Nematode salt tolerance was salt specific; both nematode species survived in low-experimental concentrations of NaCl and MgSO₄, and neither species survived in KNO₃ solutions of any concentration. There was no survival of nematodes in the saturation paste extracts of highly saline soils (4,100 μS/cm), while survival was over 80–97% in less saline soils (1,945 μS/cm). A 1:1 dilution of these highly saline saturation paste extracts increased S. lindsayae survival to 80%, while survival of P. antarcticus was not observed until dilutions of greater than 200%. The results complement previous studies demonstrating niche partitioning of S. lindsayae and P. antarcticus across salinity gradients and strengthen interpretations of the physiological mechanisms underlying previously reported spatial correlation between soil salinity and nematodes abundance in the Antarctic Dry Valleys.     

Mechanisms of C Sequestration in Soils of Latin America

Carbon (C) sequestration, defined as the process whereby atmospheric CO₂ is transferred into a long-lived C pool, is an important issue not only in the scientific community but also in the society at large because of its potential role in off-setting fossil fuel emissions. Through photosynthesis this C is stored in plants and through decomposition, trunks, branches, leaves and roots are incorporated in the soil via the action of different soil organisms, i.e., bacteria, fungi and invertebrates. This, together with the C exudates from roots that are utilized by microbial populations, constitutes the natural pathways of incorporating biomass-C into the soil. The amount of C stored in terrestrial ecosystems is the third largest among the global C pools. Soil organic carbon (SOC) up to 3 m is 2,344 Pg C (1 Petagram = 10¹⁵ g), and the SOC pool in tropical soils is approximately 30% of the global pool. Abiotic factors, which moderate C sequestration in soils are clay content, mineralogy, structural stability, landscape position, and soil moisture and temperature regimes. On the other hand, biotic factors involved in soil C sequestration are determined by the activities of soil organisms. However, models do not include the formation, stabilization and lifespan of the aggregates that have been biologically produced, including roots. This is not only due to the lack of studies on this subject, but also to overlooking the role of soil organisms in soil aggregation. Furthermore, there is a lack of comprehensive knowledge regarding the processes that control dissolved organic carbon (DOC) fluxes in soils and its role in the global budget of C sequestration. The boundaries of ecosystems are not considered in the studies of the subject, as it may be the case for terrestrial C sequestration, since the borders around the sites under study constitute pathways for the flow of C between sites and through the landscape. The concentrations of DOC in deep soil horizons and the contribution to DOC fluxes (exports) are relatively small, from 4 to 37 g DOC m^?2 yr^?1 retained in the mineral subsoil. In South America, although substantial research has been done under different ecosystems and land use systems in some countries, like Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, there is a need to conduct more studies with agreed standard methodologies in natural ecosystems and agricultural systems, and in other areas of Central America few studies have been undertaken to date. The principal objective of this review was to address the main mechanisms that determine SOC and SIC sequestration in soils of Latin America, and include: physical aggregate protection, SOC-clay interaction, DOC transport, bioturbation by soil organisms, and the formation of secondary carbonates. All of these mechanisms are generally explained by physical and chemical processes. In contrast, this review takes a soil ecological approach to describe the mechanisms listed above.     

Boom means bust: interactions between the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO), rainfall and the processes threatening mammal species in arid Australia

We collated an environmental history for a 8580 km² study area in the Simpson Desert, Australia. Quantitative and qualitative data on climate, land-use, fire history and ecosystem dynamics were used to construct a chronology of processes threatening terrestrial mammal species. Over the last 150 years there has been the transition in land tenure from a hunter–gatherer economy to pastoralism, the loss of 11 mammal species, the cessation of small scale burning by Aboriginal people and the introduction of the fox and cat. Annual rainfall was highly variable and was influenced by the phase of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Irruptions of rodents, marked increases in the populations of native and introduced predators and extensive wildfires were associated with the La Niña phase of ENSO and occurred when rain-year (July–June) rainfall approached or exceeded the 90th percentile of the historical rainfall distribution. Large rainfall events in arid Australia have been viewed traditionally as the ‘boom’ times that benefit wildlife and pastoral production. However, because of hyper-predation and the risk of wildfire, we show that the years including and immediately following flooding rains should be identified as critical, or ‘bust’ periods for wildlife and conservation management. ENSO related climatic forecasts appear to be useful cues which can be incorporated into fire and predator management strategies in arid Australia. Studies such as this, which utilise a broad range of data types across extensive areas, can identify the timing and potential of threatening process not possible using contemporary studies alone.     

Development of a screening method for the indentification of a novelSaccharomyces cerevisiae mutant over-expressingTrichoderma reesei cellobiohydrolase II

In a previous study we showed that the fusion of the cellulose-binding domain (CBD2) fromTrichoderma reesei cellobiohydrolase II to a β-glucosidase (BGL1) enzyme fromSaccharomycopsis fibuligera significantly hindered its expression and secretion inSaccharomyces cerevisiae. This suggests that the possible low secretion of heterologous cellulolytic enzymes inS. cerevisiae could be attributed to the presence of a cellulose-binding domain (CBD) in these enzymes. The aim of this study was to increase the extracellular production of the chimeric CBD2-BGL1 enzyme (designated CBGL1) inS. cerevisiae. To achieve this, CBGL1 was used as a reporter enzyme for screening mutagenisedS. cerevisiae strains with increased ability to secrete CBD-associated enzymes such as cellulolytic enzymes. A mutant strain ofS. cerevisie, WM91-CBGL1, which exhibited up to 200 U L^?1 of total activity, was isolated. Such activity was approximately threefold more than that of the parental host strain. Seventy-five per cent of the activity was detected in the extracellular medium. The mutant strain transformed with theT. resei CBH2 gene produced up to threefold more cellobiohydrolase enzyme than the parental strain, but with 50% of the total activity retained intracellularly. The cellobiohydrolase enzymes from the parent and mutant strains were partially purified and the characteristic properties analysed.     

Quantitative trait loci for IQ and other complex traits: single-nucleotide polymorphism genotyping using pooled DNA and microarrays

Similar to other complex traits, it is likely that many DNA polymorphisms of small effect size [quantitative trait loci (QTLs)] are responsible for the high heritability of intelligence, in addition to many rare monogenic disorders known to contribute to lowered intelligence. We review the current status of approaches to identify QTLs associations for intelligence employing genome-wide strategies using pooled DNA from many individuals and evaluate the innovative approach of microarray analysis to genotype DNA pools for large numbers of single nucleotide polymorphisms.     

A novel numerical optimization algorithm inspired from weed colonization

This paper introduces a novel numerical stochastic optimization algorithm inspired from colonizing weeds. Weeds are plants whose vigorous, invasive habits of growth pose a serious threat to desirable, cultivated plants making them a threat for agriculture. Weeds have shown to be very robust and adaptive to change in environment. Thus, capturing their properties would lead to a powerful optimization algorithm. It is tried to mimic robustness, adaptation and randomness of colonizing weeds in a simple but effective optimizing algorithm designated as Invasive Weed Optimization (IWO). The feasibility, the efficiency and the effectiveness of IWO are tested in details through a set of benchmark multi-dimensional functions, of which global and local minima are known. The reported results are compared with other recent evolutionary-based algorithms: genetic algorithms, memetic algorithms, particle swarm optimization, and shuffled frog leaping. The results are also compared with different versions of simulated annealing — a generic probabilistic meta-algorithm for the global optimization problem — which are simplex simulated annealing, and direct search simulated annealing. Additionally, IWO is employed for finding a solution for an engineering problem, which is optimization and tuning of a robust controller. The experimental results suggest that results from IWO are better than results from other methods. In conclusion, the performance of IWO has a reasonable performance for all the test functions.     

Microsatellite markers for the palaeotropic pioneer tree genus Macaranga (Euphorbiaceae) and their cross‐species transferability

We developed primer sequences for five polymorphic microsatellite loci in the tropical ant‐plant genus Macaranga (Euphorbiaceae). Population genetic parameters were determined on the basis of 30 individuals from each of two Macaranga species in Borneo. Allele numbers per locus ranged from three to 13. Expected and observed heterozygosities ranged from 0.160 to 0.850 and from 0.130 to 0.700, respectively. Four of the five primer pairs cross‐amplify polymorphic PCR products in a wide range of Macaranga species.     

Deceleration time of systolic pulmonary venous flow: a new clinical marker of left atrial pressure and compliance.

The curvilinearity of the atrial pressure-volume curve implies that atrial compliance decreases progressively with increasing left atrial (LA) pressure (LAP). We predicted that reduced LA compliance leads to more rapid deceleration of systolic pulmonary venous (PV) flow. With this rationale, we investigated whether the deceleration time (t dec) of PV systolic flow velocity reflects mean LAP. In eight patients during coronary surgery, before extracorporeal circulation, PV flow by ultrasonic transit time and invasive LAP were recorded during stepwise volume loading. The t dec was calculated using two methods: by drawing a tangent through peak deceleration and by drawing a line from peak systolic flow through the nadir between the systolic and early diastolic flow waves. LA compliance was calculated as the systolic PV flow integral divided by LAP increment. Volume loading increased mean LAP from 11 +/- 3 to 20 +/- 5 mmHg (P < 0.001) (n = 40), reduced LA compliance from 1.16 +/- 0.42 to 0.72 +/- 0.40 ml/mmHg (P < 0.004) (n = 40), and reduced t dec from 320 +/- 50 to 170 +/- 40 ms (P < 0.0005) (n = 40). Mean LAP correlated well with t dec (r = 0.84, P < 0.0005) (n = 40) and LA compliance (r = 0.79, P < 0.0005) (n = 40). Elevated LAP caused a decrease in LA compliance and therefore more rapid deceleration of systolic PV flow. The t dec has potential to become a semiquantitative marker of LAP and an index of LA passive elastic properties.