Pollination efficiency of wild bees and hoverflies provided to oilseed rape

• 1 Declining numbers in honeybees and various wild bee species pose a threat to global pollination services. The identification and quantification of the pollination service provided by different taxa within the pollinator guild is a prerequisite for the successful establishment of nature conservation and crop management regimes.
• 2 Wild bees and hoverflies are considered to be valuable pollinators in agricultural and natural systems. Although some information on pollination efficiency of individual pollinator species is available, comparative studies of both taxa at different densities are rare. In the present study, the efficiency of the solitary mason bee Osmia rufa and two hoverfly species (Eristalis tenax and Episyrphus balteatus) as pollinators of oilseed rape Brassica napus was examined in a standardized caged plant breeding regime. Honeybee Apis mellifera colonies were used as a reference pollinator taxon.
• 3 Yield parameters responded differently to pollinator density and identity. Fruit set and number of seeds per pod increased with increasing pollinator density, although these were stronger in the mason bee than the hoverfly treatment. Weight per 1000 seeds did not respond to any pollinator treatment, indicating that seed quality was not affected. Oilseed rape yield in the highest tested densities of both pollinator taxa resulted in yield values close to the efficiency of small honeybee colonies.
• 4 Hoverflies required approximately five‐fold densities of the red mason bees to reach a similar fruit set and yield. Thus, mason bees are more efficient in plant breeding and managed pollination systems. Both natural pollinator taxa, however, are of potential value in open and closed crop production systems.

     

Effects of Growth Hormone on the Function of β‐Adrenoceptor Subtypes in Rat Adipocytes

Objective: The influence of growth hormone (GH) on the regulation of lipolytic response to specific agonists to β‐adrenoceptors and several post‐receptor steps in the lipolytic cascade were investigated. Research Methods and Procedures: Adipose tissues from rats were incubated with or without GH (1.38 nM). After a 24‐hour incubation, isolated adipocytes were prepared for different assays. Rats were hypophysectomized. One week after operation, l‐thyroxine and hydrocortisone acetate was given to hypophysectomized rats. One group of rats was treated with GH (1.33 mg/kg, daily). After 1 week of hormonal treatment, adipose tissues were removed for different studies. Results: GH treatment increased both basal lipolysis and lipolytic sensitivity to dobutamine and CGP 12177 in adipocytes. The lipolytic sensitivity to terbutaline was not influenced by GH treatment. GH treatment increased the maximal lipolytic response to dobutamine and CGP 12177, but not to terbutaline as determined with absolute values of lipolysis. Forskolin‐induced lipolysis was increased by addition of GH to tissues. Moreover, GH treatment resulted in enhanced expression of hormone‐sensitive lipase. GH treatment in hypophysectomized rats influenced neither the expressions of Gαs protein and cholera toxin‐catalyzed adenosine diphosphate‐ribosylation of Gαs protein, nor cholera toxin‐induced 3′, 5′‐cyclic adenosine monophosphate accumulation. However, the expression of Gαi protein was decreased after GH treatment. Discussion: These and previous results suggest that GH increases lipolysis in rat adipocytes partly through the β‐adrenergic system, including increases in both β₁‐ and β₃‐adrenergic receptor function, and partly through enhanced adenylate cyclase function, and expression of hormone‐sensitive lipase, perhaps via a decrease in Gαi protein expression.     

A Pediocin-Producing Lactobacillus plantarum Strain Inhibits Listeria monocytogenes in a Multispecies Cheese Surface Microbial Ripening Consortium

The growth of Listeria monocytogenes WSLC 1364, originating from a cheese-borne outbreak, was examined in the presence and in the absence of a pediocin AcH-producing Lactobacillus plantarum strain on red smear cheese. Nearly complete inhibition was observed at 10² CFU of L. monocytogenes per ml of salt brine solution, while contamination with Listeria mutants resistant to pediocin resulted in high cell counts of the pathogen on the cheese surface. The inhibition was due to pediocin AcH added together with the L. plantarum culture to the brine solution but not to bacteriocin production in situ on cheese. Pediocin resistance developed in vitro at different but high frequencies in all 12 L. monocytogenes strains investigated, and a resistant mutant remained stable in a microbial surface ripening consortium over a 4-month production process in the absence of selection pressure. In conclusion, the addition of a L. plantarum culture is a potent measure for combating Listeria in a contaminated production line, but because of the potential development of resistance, it should not be used continuously over a long time in a production line.     

Biodegradation of Bis(2-Chloroethyl) Ether by Xanthobacter sp. Strain ENV481

Degradation of bis(2-chloroethyl) ether (BCEE) was observed to occur in two bacterial strains. Strain ENV481, a Xanthobacter sp. strain, was isolated by enrichment culturing of samples from a Superfund site located in the northeastern United States. The strain was able to grow on BCEE or 2-chloroethylethyl ether as the sole source of carbon and energy. BCEE degradation in strain ENV481 was facilitated by sequential dehalogenation reactions resulting in the formation of 2-(2-chloroethoxy)ethanol and diethylene glycol (DEG), respectively. 2-Hydroxyethoxyacetic acid was detected as a product of DEG catabolism by the strain. Degradation of BCEE by strain ENV481 was independent of oxygen, and the strain was not able to grow on a mixture of benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, and xylenes, other prevalent contaminants at the site. Another bacterial isolate, Pseudonocardia sp. strain ENV478 (S. Vainberg et al., Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72:5218-5224, 2006), degraded BCEE after growth on tetrahydrofuran or propane but was not able to grow on BCEE as a sole carbon source. BCEE degradation by strain ENV478 appeared to be facilitated by a monooxygenase-mediated O-dealkylation mechanism, and it resulted in the accumulation of 2-chloroacetic acid that was not readily degraded by the strain.     

Intra‐trophic isotopic discrimination of 15N/14N for amino acids in autotrophs: Implications for nitrogen dynamics in ecological studies

The differential discrimination of nitrogen isotopes (¹⁵N/¹⁴N) within amino acids in consumers and their diets has been routinely used to estimate organismal tropic position (TP). Analogous isotopic discrimination can occur within plants, particularly in organs lacking chloroplasts. Such discrimination likely arises from the catabolic deamination of amino acids, resulting in a numerical elevation of estimated TP, within newly synthesized biomass. To investigate this phenomenon, we examined the ¹⁵N/¹⁴N of amino acids (δ¹⁵N_AA) in spring leaves and flowers from eight deciduous and two annual plants. These plants were classified on the basis of their time of bloom, plants that bloomed when their leaves were absent (Type I) versus plants that bloomed while leaves were already present (Type II). Based on the δ¹⁵N_AA values from leaves, both plant types occupied comparable and ecologically realistic mean TPs (=1.0 ± 0.1, mean ± 1σ). However, the estimated TPs of flowers varied significantly (Type I: 2.2 ± 0.2; Type II: 1.0 ± 0.1). We hypothesize that these results can be interpreted by the following sequence of events: (1) Type I floral biomass is synthesized in absence of active photosynthesis; (2) the catabolic deamination of amino acids in particular, leaves behind ¹⁵N in the residual pool of amino acids; and (3) the incorporation of these ¹⁵N‐enriched amino acids within the biomass of Type I flowers results in the numerical elevation of the TPs. In contrast, the actively photosynthesizing Type II leaves energetically sustain the synthesis of Type II flower biomass, precluding any reliance on catabolic deamination of amino acids. Amino acids within Type II flowers are therefore isotopically comparable to the Type II leaves. These findings demonstrate the idiosyncratic nature of the δ¹⁵N_AA values within autotrophic organs and have implications for interpreting trophic hierarchies using primary producers and their consumers.     

Pyridobenzodiazepines: a novel class of orally active, vasopressin V2 receptor selective agonists

Our efforts in seeking low molecular weight agonists of the antidiuretic peptide hormone arginine vasopressin (AVP) have led to the identification of the clinical candidate WAY-151932 (VNA-932). Further exploration of the structural requirements for agonist activity has provided another class of potent, orally active, non-peptidic vasopressin V2 receptor selective agonists exemplified by the 5,11-dihydro-pyrido[2,3-b][1,5]benzodiazepine as a candidate for further development.     

Synthesis and activity of a new class of pathway-selective estrogen receptor ligands: hydroxybenzoyl-3,4-dihydroquinoxalin-2(1H)-ones

The anti-inflammatory activity of non-selective estrogens has been attributed to their ability to antagonize the activity of nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB), a known mediator of inflammatory responses. Here we report the identification of a potent new class of pathway-selective ER ligands that selectively antagonize NF-kappaB functional activity, while exhibiting a lack of classical estrogenic effect.     

Understanding extinction debts: spatio–temporal scales,mechanisms and a roadmap for future research

Extinction debt refers to delayed species extinctions expected as a consequence of ecosystem perturbation. Quantifying such extinctions and investigating long‐term consequences of perturbations has proven challenging, because perturbations are not isolated and occur across various spatial and temporal scales, from local habitat losses to global warming. Additionally, the relative importance of eco‐evolutionary processes varies across scales, because levels of ecological organization, i.e. individuals, (meta)populations and (meta)communities, respond hierarchically to perturbations. To summarize our current knowledge of the scales and mechanisms influencing extinction debts, we reviewed recent empirical, theoretical and methodological studies addressing either the spatio–temporal scales of extinction debts or the eco‐evolutionary mechanisms delaying extinctions. Extinction debts were detected across a range of ecosystems and taxonomic groups, with estimates ranging from 9 to 90% of current species richness. The duration over which debts have been sustained varies from 5 to 570 yr, and projections of the total period required to settle a debt can extend to 1000 yr. Reported causes of delayed extinctions are 1) life‐history traits that prolong individual survival, and 2) population and metapopulation dynamics that maintain populations under deteriorated conditions. Other potential factors that may extend survival time such as microevolutionary dynamics, or delayed extinctions of interaction partners, have rarely been analyzed. Therefore, we propose a roadmap for future research with three key avenues: 1) the microevolutionary dynamics of extinction processes, 2) the disjunctive loss of interacting species and 3) the impact of multiple regimes of perturbation on the payment of debts. For their ability to integrate processes occurring at different levels of ecological organization, we highlight mechanistic simulation models as tools to address these knowledge gaps and to deepen our understanding of extinction dynamics.     

A versatile modular bioreactor platform for Tissue Engineering

Tissue Engineering (TE) bears potential to overcome the persistent shortage of donor organs in transplantation medicine. Additionally, TE products are applied as human test systems in pharmaceutical research to close the gap between animal testing and the administration of drugs to human subjects in clinical trials. However, generating a tissue requires complex culture conditions provided by bioreactors. Currently, the translation of TE technologies into clinical and industrial applications is limited due to a wide range of different tissue‐specific, non‐disposable bioreactor systems. To ensure a high level of standardization, a suitable cost‐effectiveness, and a safe graft production, a generic modular bioreactor platform was developed. Functional modules provide robust control of culture processes, e.g. medium transport, gas exchange, heating, or trapping of floating air bubbles. Characterization revealed improved performance of the modules in comparison to traditional cell culture equipment such as incubators, or peristaltic pumps. By combining the modules, a broad range of culture conditions can be achieved. The novel bioreactor platform allows using disposable components and facilitates tissue culture in closed fluidic systems. By sustaining native carotid arteries, engineering a blood vessel, and generating intestinal tissue models according to a previously published protocol the feasibility and performance of the bioreactor platform was demonstrated.