Honeydew amino acids in relation to sugars and their role in the establishment of ant-attendance hierarchy in eight species of aphids feeding on tansy (Tanacetum vulgare)

Abstract. The ratio of the concentration of honeydew total amino acids to total sugars in the honeydew of eight species of aphids, all feeding on tansy, Tanacetum vulgare (L.), was determined and correlated with honeydew production and ant‐attendance. The honeydew of the five ant‐attended aphid species [Metopeurum fuscoviride (Stroyan), Trama troglodytes (v. Hayd), Aphis vandergooti (Börner), Brachycardus cardui (L.), Aphis fabae (Scopoli)] was rich in total amino acids, ranging from 12.9 to 20.8 nmol µL^?1 compared with the unattended aphid Macrosiphoniella tanacetaria (Kalt.) with only 3 nmol µL^?1. Asparagine, glutamine, glutamic acid and serine (all nonessential amino acids) were the predominant amino acids in the honeydew of all species. The total concentration of amino acids in the phloem sap of tansy was much higher (78.7 nmol µL^?1) then in the honeydew samples, and the predominant amino acids were glutamate (34.3%) and threonine (17.7%). A somewhat unexpected result was the finding that those aphid species with the highest total amino acid concentration in the honeydew always had the highest concentration of sugars. The lowest amino acid–sugar combined value was 104–28.8 nmol µL^?1 in the non ant‐attended species M. tanacetaria, and the highest value was an average of 270–89.9 nmol µL^?1 for the three most intensely attended aphid species M. fuscoviride, A. vandergooti and T. troglodytes. There is no evidence that any single amino acid or group of amino acids in the honeydew acted as an attractant for ant‐attendance in these eight aphid species. The richness of the honeydew (rate of secretion × total concentration of sugars), along with the presence of the attractant sugar melezitose, comprised the critical factors determining the extent of ant‐attendance of the aphids feeding on T. vulgare. The high total amino acid concentration in sugar‐rich honeydews can be explained by the high flow‐through of nutrients in aphids that are particularly well attended by ants.     

Host selection by winged colonisers within the Myzus persicae group: a contribution towards understanding host specialisation

Abstract.  1.  Myzus persicae sensu lato demonstrates considerable genetic variation in respect to adaptation to host plants. The subspecies M. persicae nicotianae shows a preference for tobacco, while M. persicae sensu stricto ( s. str. ) for other herbaceous plants. Given that winged colonisers of several aphid species play an important role in selecting host plants, here their role in the host specialisation observed in M. persicae was examined in choice and no-choice tests conducted outdoors, in performance studies, and in DC Electrical Penetration Graph (DC-EPG) studies.
2. In outdoor choice tests, 77% of spring migrants of M. persicae nicotianae chose tobacco, whereas equal proportions of M. persicae s. str. selected tobacco and pepper. In no-choice tests, spring migrants settled more quickly after alighting on host rather than on non host plants, and significantly more alate M. persicae s. str. (27%) than M. persicae nicotianae (2%) left tobacco after walking briefly on the leaf surface, whilst no significant differences were found on pepper. Cross-host transfers significantly reduced the fecundity of both summer and spring migrants of the two subspecies. Finally, the results of no-choice tests and DC-EPG studies showed that winged aphids distinguished their host through cues located on the plant surface or in subcutaneous tissues perceived prior to the initiation of feeding.
3. This study demonstrates the important role of winged colonisers in the evolution of host specialisation in M. persicae . The multifarious divergent selection that the two host forms experience, i.e. the selection against cross-migrants and their subsequent generations, is a crucial factor involved in the development and maintenance of host specialisation and promotes the parallel evolution of improved host-recognition ability.     

THE β-STRATEGY: AN ALTERNATIVE AND POWERFUL COGNITIVE STRATEGY WHEN PERFORMING SENSORY DISCRIMINATION TESTS

For discrimination tests not requiring the nature of the difference to be specified in the instructions, such as the triangle, duo-trio and same-different protocols, it is usually assumed that the decision rule used by the subject in order to generate an answer involves the comparison of the relative sensory distances between the samples. However, there is evidence that an alternative cognitive strategy, the β-strategy, involving the absolute categorization of the sensations could be used by the subject when performing these protocols. This paper introduces the characteristics of this alternative strategy by discussing its statistical power (higher than the traditional strategies) and by describing means of investigating which strategy is used by the subject during an experiment as well as illustrating the experimental conditions that might facilitate the use of this particular decision rule.     

The effects of Eleutherococcus senticosus and Panax ginseng on steroidal hormone indices of stress and lymphocyte subset numbers in endurance athletes.

A clinical trial was undertaken to investigate the effects of Eleutherococcus senticosus (ES) and Panax ginseng (PG) on competitive club-level endurance athletes engaged in their normal in-season training. Participants were matched for training stress and received a 33% ethanolic extract (8 mL/day) containing either ES, PG (equivalent to 4 g and 2 g/day of dried root, respectively), or a placebo. A pre-test and post-test were used to evaluate the effects of six weeks of supplementation on cortisol, testosterone, and testosterone to cortisol ratio (TCR) as well as circulating numbers of total T-cells, T-helper cells (CD4), T-suppressor cells (CD8), CD4 to CD8 ratio, natural killer cells, and B lymphocytes. None of the immune system variables changed significantly nor showed any clear trend from pre to post test in any of the treatment groups. No significant change in testosterone, cortisol or TCR was observed in the PG group. In the ES group, however, TCR decreased by 28.7% from 0.0464 to 0.0331 (P=0.03). The main contribution to this decrease appeared to be a non-significant (P= 0.07) 31% trend towards increased cortisol rather than a very small non-significant (P = 0.36) 7% decrease in the calculated mean for testosterone. This result suggested that contrary to initial expectation, ES increased rather than decreased hormonal indices of stress, which may be consistent with animal research suggesting a threshold of stress below which ES increases the stress response and above which ES decreases the stress response.     

Matrix Gla protein C-terminal region binds to vitronectin. Co-localization suggests binding occurs during tissue development.

Matrix Gla protein (MGP) regulates calcification in cartilage and arteries. MGP synthesis during embryonic development and its binding and regulation of growth factors and morphogens of the TGF-beta/BMP superfamily suggests that it has additional functions. Assay by far-western gel overlays and gel filtration shift shows MGP binds vitronectin. Binding is saturable and consistent with a single class of binding sites. MGP binds to vitronectin but not collagen, fibromodulin, heparin, osteocalcin, chondroitin sulfate, laminin, ovalbumin or albumin. We have identified a vitronectin binding site within a 17-amino acid peptide 61-77 near the carboxyl-terminus that corresponds to a naturally occurring MGP C-terminus. MGP and the 61-77 MGP peptide also binds to fibronectin. MGP and vitronectin are focally co-localized in embryonic tissues. Co-localization in vivo suggests that the MGP and vitronectin interactions may modify cell-matrix interactions. Alternatively, vitronectin-bound MGP may have altered function for modulating BMP2 or TGF-beta activity. The current study demonstrates that MGP has a novel binding activity for vitronectin, an extracellular protein that promotes cell-matrix interactions and regulates coagulation.     

Ruddy turnstones Arenaria interpres rapidly build pectoral muscle after raptor scares

To cope with changes in the environment, organisms not only show behavioural but also phenotypic adjustments. This is well established for the digestive tract. Here we present a first case of birds adjusting their flight machinery in response to predation risk. In an indoor experiment, ruddy turnstones Arenaria interpres were subjected to an unpredictable daily appearance of either a raptor or a small gull (as a control). Ruddy turnstones experiencing threat induced by a flying raptor model, longer than after similar passage by the gull model, refrained from feeding after this disturbance. Pectoral muscle mass, but not lean mass, responded in a course of a few days to changes in the perceived threat of predation. Pectoral muscle mass increased after raptor scares. Taking the small increases in body mass into account, pectoral muscle mass was 3.6% higher than aerodynamically predicted for constant flight performance. This demonstrates that perceived risk factors may directly affect organ size.     

Purification and characterization of a hemagglutinin isolated from the leaves of Chenopodium (Chenopodium amaranticolor).

A hemagglutinin was isolated and purified from the leaves of Chenopodium (Chenopodium amaranticolor) using ion-exchange chromatography and affinity chromatography on fetuin-agarose matrix. It agglutinated rabbit erythrocytes. The hemagglutinin had a native molecular mass of 58 kDa, as estimated by gel filtration and showed a single band of molecular mass of 33 kDa on SDS-PAGE. It showed hemagglutination activity over the pH range 3-12 and was found to be stable up to 70 degrees C. On isoelectrofocussing, the pI of this hemagglutinin was estimated to be 5.25. However, it was found to contain seven charge variants when isoelectrofocussing was performed in presence of 6M urea.     

Aspects of the feeding habits and reproductive biology of the Ghana mole-rat Cryptomys zechi (Rodentia, Bathyergidae)

The feeding habits and reproductive biology of the Ghana mole‐rat, Cryptomys zechi (Matchie), were studied in a Guinea savanna woodland in Ghana. Both tunnel contents and stomach content analysis indicated that bulbs and tubers constituted the commonest and most preferred food items, although some animal food materials were also consumed. Five plant species, Urgenia altissima, Manihot utilisima, Curuligo sp., Oxalis corniculata and Archis hypogea, were the most popular plant food source. Breeding occurred during the rainy season (March–August) and was at its peak in July. There is evidence that the species is capable of producing two litters in a year. In a colony, reproduction is restricted to one female and one male. Males reached sexual maturity at a lower body weights (105 g) than females (155 g). Estimated mean litter size was 1.5 (range 1–2), the smallest among the bathergids. Available data on birth weights of three other species of social Cryptomys indicate that C. zechi has the highest birth weight, which is comparable to that of solitary bathyergids.